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 и 1905. Members of the family remained in Romania and Bessarabia until the Soviet occupation post-World War II.