Ghica family
Gheorghe Ghica, the first notable member of the Ghica family, seems to have hailed from Veles, a town in modern central North Macedonia. He was born around 1598 to Matei Ghica (* 1565, Zagori; † 1620, Constantinople), the trunk of the Ghica family. At the beginning of 17th century Gheorghe left his birthplace and moved to Constantinople together with his father who intended to engage in a more lucrative trading in the Ottoman capital. The young Gheorghe, advised by the Moldavian ambassador to the Sublime Porte, moved to Moldavia sometimes before October 1624, where, by means of the wealth his father managed to accumulate, he eventually entered into the ranks of court dignitaries. Following the protection afforded by the Moldavian Prince Vasile Lupu, he climbed up the social ladder, first by becoming ambassador to the Porte, and then by marrying Smaragda (Smada) Lână, daughter of Stamate Lână, the "Stolnic" (Seneschal) of Broşteni.