 Between 1685 and 1693 the Principality of Moldavia was ruled by Hospodar Constantin Cantemir.The first of the Cantemir Dynasty on the Moldavian throne, Constantin was an illiterate from petty nobility who once served as an officer in the Polish Army whereas his predecessors had mostly been members of the powerful boyar families.Constantin's reign was characterized by clashes between two powerful factions of boyars, a pro-Polish and a pro-Ottoman camp.