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The Mourousis or Moruzi are a family which was first mentioned in the Empire of Trebizond. Its origins have been lost, but the two prevalent theories are that they were either a local family originating in a village which has a related name or else one that arrived with the Venetians during the Fourth Crusade (since there are records of a Venetian family with a similar name a generation earlier). They became one of the leading families of Greek Phanariotes. The family moved to present-day Romania (the Danubian Principalities) in the 17th century, became Dragomans and boyars, and gave Wallachia and Moldavia two hospodars – Princes Constantine and Alexander. Great grandson of Constantine — Dmitri after appraisal of Greeks in 1821 fled to Russia. His progeny was permitted to use Prince title in 1893 and 1905. Members of the family remained in Romania and Bessarabia until the Soviet occupation post-World War II.