Nikolai Spathari

Nicolae Milescu
A bust of Nicolae Milescu
Born	1636 Vaslui
Died	1708 (aged 71–72) Moscow

Nikolai Spathari (Russian: Николай Гаврилович Спафарий, translit. Nikolai Gavrilovich Spathari; 1636–1708), also known as Nicolae Milescu and Nicolae Milescu Spătaru (Romanian pronunciation: [nikoˈla.e miˈlesku spəˈtaru], first name also Neculai, signing in Latin as Nicolao Spadario Moldavo-Lacone, Russian: Николае Гаврилович Милеску, translit. Nikolaye Gavrilovich Milesku), or Spătarul Milescu-Cârnu (trans.: "Chancellor Milescu the Snub-nosed"), was a Moldavian writer, diplomat and traveler. He spoke nine languages: Romanian, Latin, both Attic and Modern Greek, French, German, Turkish, Swedish and Russian. One of his grandsons was the Spătar (Сhancellor) Yuri Stefanovich, who came to Russia in 1711 with prince Dimitrie Cantemir.

His prosonym Moldavo-Lacone (Moldavan-Laconian) is thought to be an indication of a possible Greek origin. The name Milescu was adopted by his parents when they settled in Milesti. Prof. L. Turdeanu-Cartojan discovered at Oxford his autobiography, written in Greek (Λαζάρου, Lazarou).