Hypakoe Khatzimikhael

Department of Archives Processing-Central Service-General State Archives

“I exclude all relatives from my inheritance…”

With this phrase Demetrios Al. Mavrokordatos, son of Alexandros Mavrokordatos (a former hetman of Moldavia) and cousin of the Independence fighter Alexandros Mavrokordatos, disinherits his relatives. He studied medicine in Berlin and exercised the profession of medical in Constantinople. In 1835 he came to Athens and founded the Practical School of Medicine and Surgery. In 1837 he is appointed-elected professor of Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Athens. Finally, he was secretary of the Physic Medical society and participated as a member in the Medical Convention.

His will is attached to a donation deed under the number 12608 by the notary public Kosmas Kokides.

Demetrios Mavrokordatos, after a persistent disease and as «every hope of recovery has perished”, as he himself says, draws up his will in his own hand a few days before his death. According to it he bequeaths his small fortune, a house in Adrianou Street (together with its household effects) which was acquired “by much sweat” of his brow, to the University of Athens. The trustees and executors of the will, his cousin G.K. Typaldos and the physician N. Kostes, are commissioned to sell his estate and pay off his debts- those that they will acknowledge as genuine. The amount of a thousand drachmas will be divided among his maid-servant Kale (=Good) and her husband Andreas (five hundred and two hundred drachmas respectively), while Stefanos Spyridakes will be given three hundred drachmas.. The rest of the money, after the amount which is to be used for charity has been detracted, will be deposited in a Russian bank until a bank in Greece has been established.

The interest obtained from the deposit will be used as financial support for two students of Medicine-always chosen by the Faculty-for a period up to four years and on the condition that the students fulfil their obligations: otherwise the Faculty retains the right to withdraw the support. After the executors have finished their work, the Academic Council will take charge. In the will one can discern D. Mavrokordatos’ bitterness at the injustice he suffered by his parents as regards the disposal of their property; though  respect towards them  is not absent in the text, since he twice calls them “revered”.  Nevertheless, he retains to the end the hope that his parents will recognise their unfair behaviour and acknowledge his rights of inheritance. In this case, the money that falls to his share shall also be used for the benefit of the students of the Medical School, and this is also the reason why a copy of his will is passed on to his parents.

Less than a year later, on 6 July 1840, the family (his parents Alexandros G. and Smaragda  Mavrokordatos and his siblings Lucia Caratheodory, Aikaterine Dousiou, Nikolaos Mavrokordatos, Zoe Almeida and Euphrosyne Tombaze), represented by George Mavrokordatos, Demetrios’ brother and professor at the School of Law, with the Academic Council (consisting of the professors K. Skhinas, Misael Apostolides, G. Gennadios, Ludovikos Ros, Anastasios Georgiades, K. Domnados and Perikles Argyropoulos) as the counterparty, appoint in the donating  contract  the University as definitive and sole proprietor of the house by way of homage to his memory, thus accepting his last wish, and having formerly paid off the deceased’s debts, without disputing the will “on the basis of lack of affection and non-appointment of an inheritor, and of other formalities necessary to the existence of a will”.