Greek War of Independence: The Unsung Heroes

The Greek War of Independence had many heroes. The first names that come to mind are Kolokotronis, Karaiskakis, Papaflessas, Bouboulina, Diakos, and Kanaris, among others.

The next thing that springs to mind are the heroic battles at Gravia Inn, Alamana, Valtetsi, Dervenakia, Navarino.

Yet the 1821 Greek Revolution had many unknown heroes who fought alongside the legendary ones, or fought in their own battles for liberation from the Ottomans.

Some of them are honored, having streets named after them or statues in their birthplace. But many Greeks today have no idea where the name of this or that street comes from. It’s time that was rectified.

Lampros Veikos (1785-1827)

Born in Souli, this warrior was the son of Veikos Zorbas. He led the army of 3,000 Roumeliotes to aid the besieged city of Missolonghi.

Along with being one of the protagonists in the siege of Missolonghi, he was the man Resid Mehmet Pasha (Kutahi) negotiated with in the surrendering of the city.

Kutahi asked Veikos to mediate for an agreement with the besieged, but Veikos gave him a resounding “No.”

After the heroic Exodus of Missolonghi, in which thousands of Greeks died or were captured and enslaved, Veikos fought in the battles of Attica, and was killed in the battle of Analatos in 1827.

The Greek state, to honor his memory, gave his family land in the area of today’s Veikos Grove in the Athenian municipality of Galatsi and named streets after him.

Ioannis Gouras (1791-1826)

Ioannis Gouras, along with a force of 400 men, marched to the outskirts of Amfissa on March 27, 1821 and attacked the city.

The Greeks managed to capture Amfissa, forcing the Turks to entrench themselves in the citadel, then surrender after a 10-day siege.

In 1822 he was appointed guardian of Athens and in 1825 the general commander of Eastern Central Greece. He was tragically killed during the siege of the Acropolis by Kutahi in October 1826.

Hatzigiannis Mertzellos, or “Sofikitis” (1791-1860)

Born in 1791 in Sofiko, Corinth, Mertzellos left for Magnesia in Asia Minor at 18, where he became a wealthy businessman.

He was initiated into the Filiki Eteria secret society of revolutionaries and devoted himself to the nation’s struggle for liberty. When the revolution finally got under way, he left Magnesia and led the army in Sofiko.

With his own money, Mertzellos equipped his army and declared that he was joining the Revolution in Corinth on March 31, 1821. On April 1st, he attacked Acrocorinth and held the city until January 14, 1822.

In the summer of 1822, under order of Nikitaras, he fought the troops of Dramali Mahmud Pasha in Metochi of Faneromeni in Agionori, where he showed remarkable bravery.

“Sofikitis” fought in many battles and in 1825 the Corinthians made him lieutenant general. After the liberation he went back to farming his land. He died in an impoverished state in 1860.

Yiannakis Ragos (1790-1870)

Ioannis Ragos started his revolutionary activity as an armatolos, fighting in the first phases of the Greek War of Independence (1821-1825) mainly in battles in Etoloakarnania and Epirus.

Ragos also took part in action in the Peloponnese against the army of Ibrahim. In 1822 he was the leader of the campaign in Thessaly and the brother-in-arms of Georgios Karaiskakis.

After being appointed a General, he fought bravely in the second siege of Missolonghi. He saved Messolonghi in 1824, for which he was granted the pass of Agrafa.

Nikolaos Kasomoulis (1795-1870)

Kasomoulis joined the Filiki Eteria in 1820 in the region of Serres. Following the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence, he joined the uprising in the region of Mount Olympus and Chalkidiki.

He fought with chieftain Diamantis Nikolaou. Following the suppression of the revolution in Macedonia, Kasomoulis went to Thessaly with a band of men from Siatista.

There, Kasomoulis joined the forces of Nikolaos Stournaris and Georgios Karaiskakis. In 1826 he took part in the Third Siege of Missolonghi, along with his brothers Dimitrios and Georgios.

Kasomoulis was responsible for coordinating the actions of the various detachments participating in the exodus. During the sortie, his brother Dimitrios was mortally wounded.

Christodoulos Hadjipetrou (1799-1869)

Christodoulos Hadjipetrou, who was part of a noble family, offered his services in the third siege of Missolonghi and the heroic exodus from the city.

He had enlisted a corps of soldiers he commanded and maintained exclusively out of his own pocket, with expenditures amounting to more than 1 million grosis at the time.

In 1854, Kong Otto entrusted Hadjipetrou with the command of the campaign in Thessaly. After the king’s expulsion he accompanied Otto to Bavaria, but returned to Greece later.

King George appointed him his honorary lieutenant. Hadjipetrou later died of a stroke in Athens on October 29, 1869.

Mitropetrovas (1745-1838)

Mitros Petrovas, better known as “Mitropetrovas,” was the Messinian chieftain and one of the leaders of the anti-government uprisings during the Bavarian regency.

As a chieftain, he organized the uprising in Messinia, siding with Theodoros Kolokotronis, of whom he was a guardian after the death of his father, Constantinos.

In May of 1825 he took part as a General in the operations against the army of Ibrahim, showing remarkable strategic skills and bravery.

After the liberation, he was sentenced to death for rebelling against the Bavarian regency. However, his sentence was not carried out due to his contributions to the country during the 1821 Revolution.

Michalis Korakas (1797-1882)

Korakas was one of the most important exponents of the Great Cretan Revolution. When the uprising on the island was suppressed in 1825, he moved to mainland Greece.

Korakas and his men continued to battle the Turks in the Peloponnese and Central Greece, fighting alongside Karaiskakis at the Battle of the Acropolis.

Upon his return to Crete, he continued his struggle against the Ottomans, but this time as a pirate, attacking Turkish ships in the Aegean. The Greek government honored him with the rank of Captain, but he refused.

Stating that he did not fight the Ottomans for compensation, he continued to fight until old age.

Korakas took part in dozens of battles throughout eastern Crete and also remarkably fought in the Cretan Revolution of 1878, despite the fact that he was already over 80 years old at the time.

Tsamis Karatasos (1798-1861)

The son of the Macedonian armatolos, Anastasios Karatasos, took up arms in 1822 in the Veria Revolution.

The most important chieftain of Macedonia, he took refuge in Evia and the Sporades when the Macedonian uprising was suppressed by the Turks.

Karatasos continued to fight for Greek Independence wherever he was needed, before spending the month of August 1828 in eastern Central Greece.

After the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece, Karatasos became a supporter of Otto. After the founding of the Greek State, Karatasos continued fight for the liberation of Macedonia.

Stamatis Rozakis (1785-1861)

Stamatis Rozakis, or “Rozos,” was born to a noble family in greater Bardounochorion, in Laconia.

He was a member of the Filiki Eteria and, as he wrote himself, he fought in the battle to take over Tripolitsa in 1821, where two of his relatives fell.

The next year Rozakis fought against the army of Dramali Mahmud Pasha in the Peloponnese, and then took part in the siege of Nafplio, at the Messinian Fortress and in other battles as well.

In 1823 Rozakis was named a Brigadier and he continued to fight the Turks until Greece was free. In 1837 he was honored with a silver medal by the new Greek state for serving the cause of liberation.

Comments

Inside the Magnificent Minoan Palace of Knossos in Crete

The Minoan palace at Knossos. Credit: Gary Bembridge /Wikimedia Commons/ CC-BY-2.0 The Palace of Knossos, located about five kilometers (three miles) south of Heraklion on Kephala hill, was the largest of all the Minoan palaces in Crete. It was also at the core of the highly sophisticated civilization that flourished on the island over 3,500 years ago. The discovery of the Minoan Palace of Knossos The discovery and subsequent excavation of the palace dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century. Before then, Knossos had only served as a place mentioned in Greek mythology. The first modern scholar to take a serious interest in the area was the German Heinrich Schliemann, who in 1870 had excavated the site believed to be Troy. Schliemann was certain that a major Minoan palace lay hidden near Heraklion, but the Ottoman authorities who still ruled the island at the time denied any permission to dig there. Years afterward, the British archaeologist Arthur Evans, inspired b...

The World’s Oldest Living Olive Tree is on Crete

The most ancient olive tree in the world, in Crete. Credit: Dimitra Damian/Greek Reporter The oldest olive tree in the world is located in the village of Ano Vouves of Kissamos in Chania, Crete. The ancient tree is 3000 years old, as determined by the international scientific community. The ancient olive tree in Vouves has a trunk with a circumference of 12.5 meters (41 feet), and a diameter of 4.6 meters (15 feet). It belongs to the local tree variety of tsounati, and was grafted at a height of 3 meters onto a wild olive tree. Because of the grafting, its trunk has been so beautifully shaped by nature that it resembles a sculpture. In 1990, after a unanimous decision in the prefecture of Chania, the Vouves Olive Tree was declared a Natural Monument of great importance due to its status as the world’s oldest tree of its kind. The oldest olive tree still produces high-quality olives The fruits of the ancient olive tree make the best olive oil in the world, making the area...

Water Shortages On Islands Plaguing Greece This Summer

Tap water is a precious commodity on the Greek islands and one that is in short supply. Credit: Ishwah Murth Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 Island water shortages and stoppages are plaguing Greece this summer. Promoted for its beautiful seawater surrounding all the Greek isles and its entire coastline, many islands are suffering from a lack of quantity — and quality of tap water. Turning on the tap and finding an abundant flow of water has become a basic expectation in civilized society of the 21st century, particularly when you are on a vacation that is meant to offer a bit of away-from-home luxury. However, on some Greek islands, access to whiskey is easier to come by than water. Greek island water shortages and water stoppages are common nowadays. Carol Berkley, from London, who is vacationing at an AirBnB property in the area of Marathi on Mykonos told Greek Reporter, “We had just come back from the beach. There are four of us here on the property....

Εκσυγχρονισμός του στόλου: Στο τραπέζι δύο προτάσεις για αγορά φρεγατών

Ο πρωθυπουργός Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης ανακοίνωσε την Τετάρτη ότι είναι ανάγκη να ξεκινήσει άμεσα το εξοπλιστικό πρόγραμμα των ενόπλων δυνάμεων. Η κρίση με την Τουρκία έδειξε ότι στο επίκεντρο είναι η ενίσχυση του Πολεμικού μας Ναυτικού. Η οικονομική κρίση των τελευταίων ετών σε συνδυασμό με το μεγάλο κόστος απόκτησης νέων μονάδων είχε ως αποτέλεσμα να μείνει πίσω ο εκσυγχρονισμός του Πολεμικού Ναυτικού. Σύμφωνα με το ρεπορτάζ του Open, η απόφαση του Γενικού Επιτελείου είναι γνωστή εδώ και καιρό: Πρέπει να αγοραστούν νέες φρεγάτες. Το Πολεμικό Ναυτικό έδωσε τις προδιαγραφές και αμέσως ξεχώρισαν δύο προτάσεις, οι γαλλικές φρεγάτες Belhara και το αμερικανικό πλοίο πολλαπλών ρόλων MMSC. Κύριος στόχος ένα πλοίο που θα μπορεί να επιχειρεί στο Αιγαίο αλλά και την Ανατολική Μεσόγειο. ...

Greek, Armenian Genocide Recognized by the Netherlands

Greek civilians from Pontus flee their homes during the genocide. Public domain Greek, Armenian and Syriac genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire in the beginning of the 20th century were recognized by the Netherlands earlier in the week. The move follows the overwhelming adoption by the Dutch parliament of a resolution noting that the government “still does not recognize the Armenian genocide of 1915 [perpetrated] by the Ottoman Empire (in which also the Arameans, Assyrians, and the Pontic Greeks were victims).” The resolution stated that “there is more urgency than ever for countries to clearly speak out about the past in order to advance reconciliation and prevent repetition in the future.” The genocide of 1915 was committed by the Ottoman Turks and Kurds against the Syriac people and occurred parallel to the genocides of Armenians and Greeks, which was not only reduced to the region of Pontus, but all Greeks in the Ottoman Empire. The resolution said that 1.5 milli...

Speaking English Using Greek: Zolotas’ Historic Speech to World Bankers

Zolotas was director of the Bank of Greece when he famously spoke at a conference in English using Greek words. Public domain Many Greeks recall the speeches in English — peppered with Greek-origin words and phrases — given by economist and politician Xenophon Zolotas in the late 1950s. Zolotas was director of the Bank of Greece when he appeared in front of an audience at an International Bank for Reconstruction and Development conference in 1959. He delivered two speeches in English using Greek words to emphasize the wealth of the Greek language and the fact that countless Greek words enrich English. Greek remains a language which greatly enriches international scientific discourse; more than any other, it is the language which developed, shaped and expressed the beginning of most scientific theories, philosophical thoughts, and literature in most of the modern-day languages of the Western world. Zolotas’ speech delivered on Oct. 2, 1959 Kyrie, It is Zeus’ anathema on our epoch ...

Έκανε το εμβόλιο της Johnson και δεν μπορεί να περπατήσει

Την περιπέτειά του μετά από τον εμβολιασμό του με το σκεύασμα της Johnson & Johnson περιγράφει μέσω του Instagram o Γιώργος Βαγιαννίδης. Όπως αναφέρει στην ανάρτησή του, έκανε το εμβόλιο την 1η Σεπτεμβρίου και σήμερα νοσηλεύεται σε νοσοκομείο αφού δεν μπορεί να σταθεί όρθιος, ούτε να περπατήσει. Μάλιστα δημοσιεύει και φωτογραφίες από το νοσοκομείο. Δείτε αναλυτικά όλα όσα αναφέρει στην ανάρτησή του: Καλησπέρα σας, ονομάζομαι Γεώργιος Βαγιαννίδης. Επειδή τον τελευταίο καιρό έχουν ακουστεί πολλά, οφείλω να ξεκαθαρίσω τη θέση μου, για να μην υπάρχουν περαιτέρω αερολογίες σχετικά με την κατάσταση της υγείας μου. Τετάρτη, 1 Σεπτεμβρίου, έκλεισα το ραντεβού για τον εμβολιασμό μου (Johnson’s and Johnson’s). Να τονίσω πως ήταν καθαρά δική μου επιλογή και ΚΑΝΕΝΑΣ δε μου προέτρεψε να το κάνω. Πήγα λοιπόν στο ΓΝ Κατερίνης και το έκανα. Όλα αυτά γύρω στις 16.00. Πολύ τυπικά τα πράγματα. Το μόνο που μου είπαν είναι «Περίμενε...

Κορονοϊός Ινδία: Για πρώτη φορά πάνω από 50.000 κρούσματα σε ένα 24ωρο

Η Ινδία ανακοίνωσε σήμερα, Πέμπτη 30 Ιουλίου, πάνω από 50.000 νέα ημερήσια κρούσματα για πρώτη φορά, λόγω της αύξησης των μολύνσεων στις μη αστικές περιοχές σε μια περίοδο κατά την οποία η κυβέρνηση χαλαρώνει περαιτέρω τους περιορισμούς στις μετακινήσεις και το εμπόριο. Το τελευταίο 24ωρο καταγράφηκαν 52.123 νέα κρούσματα, σύμφωνα με τα στοιχεία των ομοσπονδιακών αρχών υγείας, με τον συνολικό αριθμό των κρουσμάτων να φθάνει σχεδόν το 1,6 εκατομμύριο. Το ίδιο διάστημα, 775 άνθρωποι έχασαν τη ζωή τους λόγω του κορονοϊού, με τον συνολικό αριθμό των θανάτων να πλησιάζει τους 35.000 –που αν και είναι χαμηλός συγκριτικά με τον συνολικό αριθμό των κρουσμάτων, δεν εμφανίζει ιδιαίτερες τάσεις επιβράδυνσης. Ενώ οι μεγάλες πόλεις, όπως το Νέο Δελχί και το Μουμπάι, καταγράφουν επιβράδυνση στον αριθμό των κρουσμάτων, τα περιστατικά στις αγροτικές περιοχές συνεχίζουν να αυξάνονται με αλματώδεις ρυθμούς, προκαλώντας ιδιαίτερη ανησυχία στους ειδικούς που φοβο...

Απίστευτο σκηνικό με Άδωνι: «Ευχαριστώ το Mega που δείχνει ποια μαγαζιά θα κλείσουμε αύριο»

Στην εκπομπή LIVE NEWS του MEGA παρενέβη ο υπουργός Ανάπτυξης και Επενδύσεων, Άδωνις Γεωργιάδης, αναφορικά με τις παραβάσεις που παρατηρούνται στους κανόνες του click away, όπου οι πολίτες διαλέγουν από το πεζοδρόμιο τα προϊόντα, και παραλαμβάνουν επιτόπου. Το Mega εδειχνε εικόνες από τα μαγαζιά στο Χαλάνδρι και ο κ. Γεωργιάδης με παρέμβασή του, είπε: «Με ενημέρωσαν για το βιντεο της εκπομπής. Μου είπαν ότι κάποια καταστήματα παραβιάζουν τους κανόνες και αυτό φαίνεται στην κάμερα. Το ίδιο έγινε σήμερα με τα καταστήματα που δείξατε χθες στην Ερμού. Όσα περισσότερα καταστήματα δείχνετε και συμπληρώνετε την ελεγκτική δράση του κράτους, θα κλείνουν την επόμενη μέρα. Θα κλείνετε μόνος σας κάθε μέρα και ένα κατάστημα και το πρόστιμο θα το χρεώνω στον κ. Ευαγγελάτο και μπράβο που το κάνετε!».

A Carefree Sustainable Vacation Awaits You at the Byzantine Mansion Turned Hotel in Monemvasia

A Byzantine-era mansion turned hotel a few kilometers away from the magnificent castle of Monemvasia has opened its doors for the Summer of 2020, as Greece is gradually relaxing its Covid-19 restrictions. Kinsterna Hotel is a model of autonomy and sustainability, functioning harmoniously within a rich and lively natural environment. But more importantly, it adheres to all health and safety regulations and it’s size enables social distancing, which is of paramount importance in the coronavirus times. Tables in the spacious gardens have been placed at a distance from each other as well as the deck chairs next to the pool. Privacy, cleanness, and social distancing are the major preoccupation of the owners of this gem of a hotel. It is the ideal launching pad for discovering the amazing rock of Monemvasia. A small island connected to the mainland town by a 400-meter causeway. The surviving buildings and defensive structures of the fortress include impressive rampar...

Qoutes

Search This Blog