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TheHouse of Racoviță (anglicizedRacovitza) was a family ofMoldavian andWallachianboyars which gave theDanubian Principalities severalhospodars, becoming influential within theOttoman Empire and thePhanariote kinship network.
Their ancestors became boyars underAlexandru Lăpușneanu (r. 1552–61; 1564–68).[1] A member of the family was mentioned in achrysobull dated 7 October 1487.[2] The name is Slavic (Rakovica, meaning "crab").[3] The family was partiallyHellenized. One of its branches remained present insideRomania. By the 17th century, the family was one of the leading families in the region. It later managed to penetrate into the Phanariote nucleus inConstantinople, which facilitated and increased their chances to occupy the thrones in their native country, and later to successfully maintain their positions. It remained influential in theKingdom of Romania.