Demetrios Hypsilantis

Prince, Hero of the Greek War of Independence (1793 – 1832)

Demetrios Hypsilantis, brother of Alexander Hypsilantis descended from a royal Phanariot family that ruled Wallachia during the Ottoman yoke. He served as an officer in the Imperial Russian Army in Moldavia prior to the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence.

Demetrios followed his brother in the Greek War of Independence and was initiated in the Society of Friends (Philiki Hetaereia), a secret organization founded by Ioannis Kapodistrias and the Tsakalov brothers in an attempt to liberate Greece from the Turkish yoke. Being in charge of military duties, Demetrios’ first polemic action was the reclaiming of Nafplion along with a small army of French and German Philhellenes led by Valesta, which he himself had organized. Even though it was unsuccessful, Hypsilantis managed to reclaim Argos in 1822.

In 1822, Demetrios Hypsilantis fought alongside Theodoros Kolokotronis, Nikitas Stamatelopoulos, Demetrios Plapoutas, Papaflessas, Panos Kolokotronis and many other worthy fighters against Mahmud Dramali Pasha and his army of 36.000 soldiers in the Battle of Dervenakia. Outnumbered by nearly 28.000 fighters, the Greeks, this time led by Theodoros Kolokotronis fought victoriously against the Ottoman army and liberated an important part of Peloponnesus.

In 1825, when Mahmud Dramali Pasha invaded Peloponnesus once again, Demetrios gathered an army of 350 men from Nafplion and fended off the Ottoman army whilst battling against an exceptionally well organized Egyptian army as well. Following his success, Demetrios was met by Henri de Rigny, commander of the French squadron and Philhellene and this made him rise to fame in the entire Europe among the Philhellenes.

Before the end of the Greek War of Independence he clashed once more with Dramali’s forces. With the coming of Ioannis Kapodistrias in Greece in 1827, Demetrios was appointed Field Marshall of Eastern Greece and with a series of victorious battles he cleared the Greek lands of the Ottoman army, thus liberating important parts of Greece. The Battle of Petra in 1829 was the last battle in the Greek War of Independence. Demetrios Hypsilantis led an army of 3000 brave men against 7000 Ottomans and defeated them, bringing yet another victory to the Greek nation and an end to the Greek War of Independence. He received the highest honours from the Governor of Greece for his services in the war. He died in 1832 in Nafplion.

Bibliography

1. Barbis, Kostas. Jackals and Hyenas of the Greek Politics. Thessaloniki: Kadmos, 2012. Print.
2. “Hypsilantis, Demetrius”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens. 1946. Print.

Dionysios Solomos

Poet (1798 – 1857)

He is regarded as Modern Greece’s national poet. He was born in the island of Zakynthos as the illegitimate son of Nicolaos Solomos, a wealthy noble. As a child, Solomos studied under the supervision of several Greek scholars in Zakynthos before moving to Italy to study literature. There, he met many eminent scholars who acquainted him with the works of Ancient Greek writers and philosophers namely Plato, Homer and Thucydides. It was the beginning of his glorious career.

He returned to Zakynthos, abandoning his studies in law school to get involved in poetry. Originally, Solomos wrote his poems in Italian until he met Spyridon Trikoupis, a historian of the Greek War of Independence, who persuaded him to start writing his poems in Greek.

In his first poems “Death of the Orphan”, “Death of the Shepherd”, “To Mr. Ludovick Strank” and “The Shadow of Homer” he explores the themes of death, human emotions and most importantly nature. Despite the difficulties he had to face in writing in Greek language, Solomos made tremendous progress over a very short period of time. He went on to write his most famous work “Hymn to Liberty”. In it, he salutes Liberty and describes the harsh times of the Greek peoples during the Turkish yoke. After commemorating the glory of Ancient Greece, he describes vividly numerous victorious scenes from the Greek War of Independence and prompts the Greeks to fight for their freedom. It was the first star that was shining in the Modern Greek sky of poetry. Part of it would later become Greece’s and Cyprus’ national anthem, which is till this day.

Some of his most famous works include “To the Death of Lord Byron”, a poem in reminiscence of Lord Byron, “O Kritikos”, one of his most successful poems of which unfortunately only excerpts remain and “The Destruction of Psara”. Solomos’ magnum opus “The Free Besieged” is regarded as a hallmark in Modern Greek poetry. It is a hymn to will and debt of man, who is willing to risk everything for something he believes in, in the case of the poem, the people of Messolongi, who sacrificed themselves because they wanted to live free. The poem’s title refers to the fact that even though they are besieged by the Turkish army, they are free in their spirit. Sadly, while it took nearly 30 years for Solomos to complete his masterpiece, today only fragments exist.

Common themes in all of his works are rich and vivid fantasy, the power of imagery, the musical tone of each word, imparting a rhythm to his poem and a total harmony, religion, love towards his country and love towards the human being and nature.

Dionysios Solomos laid the foundations of Modern Greek poetry. He was the first to mix art with ethnic elements and notions. His works had enormous impact on all the poets who followed after him and for this he is the founder of the Eptanesos School of Poetry. He was one of the strongest proponents of the Greek language because through it he could convey the highest ideas of human intellect in his poems. He died in 1857 from encephalopathy at the age of 59.

Bibliography

1. ”Solomos, Dionysios”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens. 1946. Print.

Nikolaos Mantzaros

Composer (1795 – 1873)

Born in Corfu, Nikolaos Mantzaros was a prominent composer and founder of the Ionian School of music. He was a major influence in his field, setting the foundation for modern Greek music.

Having studied music from an early age, Mantzaros declined numerous offers, including an offer of becoming headmaster of the prestigious Milan Conservatory, in order to focus on his goal of reviving the Greek classical arts through music. As president of the Philharmoniki Hetairia of Kerkyra, he taught  music for free and published academic works on music.

Mantzaros holds the distinction of being the first Greek composer of Greek opera (Don Crepuscolo), the first Greek string quartet (Partimenti), the first Greek pedagogic music texts, and the first Greek piano repertoire, among many others.

Mantzaros is most famous for setting the music of the Greek national anthem ”Hymn to Liberty”in 1865, with lyrics by Dionysios Solomos. He did so for the first two stanzas of the original anthem and then for the entire anthem. ”Hymn to Liberty” remains both Greece’s and Cyprus’ national anthem, with both Manztaros and Solomos hailed on national commemorations.  He also set to music many poems by Dionysios Solomos such as ”Evrikomi”, ”The Poisoned” and ”To the Death of Lord Byron”.

The Nikolaos Mantzaros Museum of Music in Corfu honors Manztaros’ services to the Greek state by exhibiting his work and history.

Bibliography

1. ”Mantzaros, Nikolaos”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens: 1946. Print.
2. Xanthoudakis, Kardamis, and Dimitris Brovas. ”The Unknown Mantzaros”. Ionio.gr. 18 Jan. 2016.

Papaflessas

Priest, Statesman, Hero of the Greek War of Independence (1788 – 1825)

Papaflessas was one of the most prominent figures during the Greek War of Independence. He was born as the 28^th and last son of Demetrius Dikaios. He studied under a strict educational system close to very skilled teachers. At a young age, he became a priest and received the name Gregorios Phlessas. Still, people would call him Papaflessas, a name by which he would be written down in history.

Papaflessas was a patriot, something that was evident when he was still a child. He spent some time in Zakynthos, where he was influenced by the French Revolution. He would hear conversations about peoples’ uprising, liberty, freedom and a revolution soon coming to Greece. It was there that he met with Theodoros Kolokotronis, a man whose fame had already spread throughout Greece. Later, he travelled to Constantinople to become archbishop. He was one step from becoming Patriarch of Constantinople, but fate had different intentions for him. Instead, Papaflessas came to contact with the Philiki Hetaireia (Society of Friends) and became a member. Soon after, he undertook an active role in recruiting many new members to the sacred war of freedom. He preached, he encouraged, he influenced, he persuaded. He even managed to gather a large sum of money, which he invested in the Society of Friends for the war.

During the first stages of the war, Papaflessas and Alexander Hypselantes agreed that Papaflessas would travel to Morea to start a conflict while Hypselantes’ forces would distract the Turkish forces at Wallachia. Henceforth, the Greek War of Independence had begun. He participated in a number of important battles, most notably the liberation of Kalamata and the Battle of Dervenakia alongside Theodoros Kolokotronis, Niketas Stamatelopoulos, Demetrius Hypselantes and many others. The Battle of Dervenakia proved to be one of the most successful battles in the chronicles of the Greek War of Independence. The Greek forces, even though they were outnumbered by 10.000 still managed to defeat the Turkish forces and win the battle decisively.

Even though the Greek War of Independence was at its progress, Papaflessas’ life was coming to an end. Just before the battle of Maniaki, he received a letter from his brother Niketas convincing him to change his tactics. Papaflessas wrote to him back: “Niketa, I received your letter and as a reply I tell you that […] if I swore to spill my blood in need of my homeland, this is the time. I wish in God that Ibrahim’s first shot take my head, because I am writing to you to come faster and you are writing me hogwash. Niketa, this is my first and last letter; keep it and read it time to time to remember me and to cry”. On March 20^th, 1825, Papaflessas falls alongside his faithful men, after having fought like a lion. During the end of the battle, Ibrahim ordered his men to find and retrieve Papaflessas’ body. They tied his body on a tree and ordered his servants to wash his face. He gazed at him for a few seconds and kissed his face as an act of acknowledgement of his bravery and courage.

To this day, Papaflessas’ fortress at Maniaki still exists. Every spring during March, the hill sprouts beautiful flowers from the soil on which Papaflessas spilt his blood as a reminiscent of his Leonidean battle.

Bibliography

1. Barbis, Kostas. Jackals and Hyenas of the Greek Politics. Thessaloniki: Kadmos, 2012. Print.
2. “Papaflessas”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens, 1946. Print.
3. ”Παπαφλέσσας. Ο αρχιμανδρίτης που αγάπησε τις γυναίκες, το ποτό και την επανάσταση”. mixanitouxronou.gr. 19 May 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2015.

Yannis Makriyannis

General, Author, Statesman, Hero of the Greek War of Independence (1797-1864)

Yiannis Makriyannis was one of the leading figures during the Greek War of Independence in 1821. As of today, he remains a symbol of ethnic unity and Hellenism hailed for his courage and devotion to the country.

Born to a poor family, Makriyannis quickly joined the Philike Hetairia in 1820 and took place in numerous decisive battles against the Ottoman Empire, leading to the liberation of Greek land.

In 1821 he gathered money and led a series of uprisings in Patra. Later that year he took part in the Battle of Stavros and Peta where the Greek Army won against an army of 5000 Turks. He continued in the siege of Arta alongside Giorgos Karaiskakis, Markos Botsaris and Athanasios Photomaras, where they freed the city from the Turkish yoke. During the civil wars he would refuse to take sides and seek to unite the Greeks against the Turks. He was also one of the most influential people during the Battle of the Kelphts, dismantling Turkish forces.

Following many victorious battles , Makriyannis became Politarch of Athens and contributed to the political restructure of the city. He appointed justice and fought for the establishment of constitution in 1843. Appointed superintendent of Athens, Makriyannis organized the country’s socioeconomic structure. He divided and distributed crops of land and sought for the establishment of pension for the Freedom Fighters of 1821.

Makriyannis is also known for his offer in Hellenic literature, having chronicled the Greek War of Independence in his Memoirs. His work is regarded as a masterpiece of Hellenic literature because of its sophisticated writing and its rich historical and emotional content, being still taught in Greek schools.

As one of the most important fighters of the Greek War of Independence, Makriyannis remains a model of a national hero and visionary not just for Greece but for the world entire. British philosopher Philip Sherrard noted of Makriyannis that such symbols do not just remain national but become universal, because they have the power to excite and enrich the heart and the mind of people.

Bibliography

1. Karamadoukis, Georgios. ”General Makriyannis”. Helleniki Agogi. 18.71. (2003): 23-35. Print.
2. ”Makriyannis, Yannis”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens: 1946. Print.

Theophilos Kairis

Philosopher, Teacher of the Greek Nation, Scientist, Priest, Statesman, Hero of the Greek War of Independence (1784 – 1853)

He was born in Andros to a wealthy family. He studied philosophy and mathematics in the Academy of Cydonia and by the age of 18 he had already become a priest. He continued his studies in Italy, Switzerland and Paris, where he came in contact with the ideas of the Enlightenment. Under its influence, Kairis returned to Greece where he immediately began his monumental work of awakening the Greek nation to regain its freedom from the Turkish yoke, for which he would be passed to the pantheon of the heroes.

He taught sciences in the Academy of Cydonia, where his fame attracted even foreign students. Sensing the coming of the revolution, Kairis joined the Philiki Hetaireia (Society of Friends) and together with his students travelled throughout the islands of Greece to prompt the subjugated Greeks to rise against the Turkish yoke. His influence was so great that the people of the neighbouring countries also rose against the conqueror. During the Greek War of Independence, Kairis took an active role in numerous battles, fighting alongside famous Philhellenes. After the war, Kairis gained a role in politics, where he voted in favour of the arrival of Ioannis Kapodistrias as Governor of Greece. Kairis was appointed professor of the newly founded University of Athens but rejected the offer, preferring to stay in his homeland and founding an orphanage, which eventually became a school. There, he taught philosophy, higher mathematics, experimental physics, rhetoric, ethics, astronomy, logistics, metaphysics and religion not just to orphans, but also to students who came from all around Greece.

Unfortunately, after the death of Ioannis Kapodistrias, Kairis, akin to many heroes of the Greek War of Independence, was dismissed by the state. He was denounced by the Church as a heretic and was hunted down, sent to exile numerous times and ultimately sentenced to prison, where he left his last breath. Even after his death, the hatred against him had not ceased. His body was dug out, cut to pieces and washed with lime. Eight days after his death, the court withdrew the accusations and vindicated him.

According to Adamantios Korais, with whom Kairis exchanged mail, he was one of the invaluable protagonists of the spiritual awakening of the enslaved Greece. By the end of his life, he had attracted attention from all around Europe for his wisdom, patriotism, contribution to sciences and his efforts to imbue the enslaved peoples with freedom.

Bibliography

1. “Kairis, Theophilos”. Helios New Enclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens: 1946. Print.

Unknown Soldier

“Such were these men, worthy of their country. And for you that remain, you may pray for a safer fortune, but you ought not to be less venturously minded against the enemy; not weighing the profit by an oration only, which any man amplifying, may recount, to you that know as well as he, the many commodities that arise by fighting valiantly against your enemies; but contemplating the power of the city in the actions of the same from day to day performed, and thereby becoming enamoured of it. And when this power of the city shall seem great to you, consider then, that the same was purchased by valiant men, and by men that knew their duty, and by men that were sensible of dishonour when they were in fight; and by such men, as though they failed of their attempt, yet would not be wanting to the city with their virtue, but made unto it a most honourable contribution. For having every one given his body to the commonwealth, they receive in place thereof an undecaying commendation and a most remarkable sepulchre; not wherein they are buried so much, as wherein their glory is laid up, upon all occasions both of speech and action to be remembered for ever. For to famous men all the earth is a sepulchre: and their virtues shall be testified, not only by the inscription in stone at home, but by an unwritten record of the mind, which more than of any monument will remain with every one for ever. In imitation therefore of these men, and placing happiness in liberty, and liberty in valour, be forward to encounter the dangers of war. For the miserable and desperate men, are not they that have the most reason to be prodigal of their lives; but rather such men, as if they live, may expect a change of fortune, and whose losses are greatest if they miscarry in aught. For to a man of any spirit, death, which is without sense, arriving whilst he is in vigour and common hope, is nothing so bitter as after a tender life to be brought into misery”.

Excerpt from Pericles’ Funeral Oration by Thucydides, Translated by Thomas Hobbes

Ioannis Kapodistrias

Physician, Diplomat, Statesman, First Governor of Greece (1776 – 1831)

Ioannis Kapodistrias, the Saint of Politics as he is known in Greece,  was a charismatic and illustrious statesman who, through his covert but decisive contribution to the Greek War of Independence and profound influence in the internal and external affairs of Greece led not only to the foundation of a strong, independent Greek nation, but also succeeded in transforming Greece to a country of European standards from the ground up in a time period of just 3 years. He is honoured in Switzerland and Russia for his contributions in their political and oeconomical system and is regarded undisbutedly as the greatest statesman in Greek history.

Among Kapodistrias’ most notable contributions and reforms are the following:

• Kapodistrias gathered all the powers of the state to his hands and disregarded the constitution. This was necessary because of the political anarchy at the time of his arrival.
• He built schools because there weren’t any. Since there weren’t enough teachers, the students from the higher classes would teach the students of the lower classes.
• He founded universities. The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens is named after him, even though it was founded by King Otto in 1837.
• He built orphanages, nursing homes for the elderly, post offices.
• He built roads, bridges and houses since everything was destroyed by the war, all with his own money.
• Kapodistrias adopted strict austerity measures to stabilize the country’s economy.
• There were no banks. With the help of the Swiss philhellene Eynard, he founded the National Bank of Greece.
• There was no currency. He minted the Phoenix.
• He passed numerous laws for the betterment of justice. He founded appellate courts and Justice of the Peace courts.
• In 1828, Kapodistrias founded the Hellenic Military Academy and gave it the name Evelpides meaning Bearers of Hope. Having also enforced the military, he expanded the nation’s borders to include parts of west Steraeia Hellada.
• He fought against piracy in the Aigean with the help of Andreas Miaoulis.
• He introduced the potato. The ingenious way by which he did it is well-known.
• When serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia in Moscow in 1813, he was approached by his long time friend Athanasios Tsakalov and his brother, who persuaded him to found a secret organization for awakening of the ethic-religious consciousness of the Greeks. Kapodistrias, on the other hand, proposed that the organization had two scales. One called the “Mystiki Archi” (The Secret Principle), which would be based in Moscow, and another called “Philiki Hetairia” (Society of Friends) based in Odessa. Tsakalov would lead the first scale of the organization for safety reasons so that Kapodistrias would not put his position in danger. The three of them would be the only members of the first scale. Therefore, on March 1813, Athanasios Tsakalov, his brother and Ioannis Kapodistrias found the three organizations and take an oath that they will fight for independence of Greece to the death. Through Athanasios Tsakalov, Mystiki Arche would command the Society of Friends. Hence, the actual reason why the Filiki Hetairia surpassed all the other secret organizations in terms of success was not only because of Kapodistrias’ huge sums of money that were poured in the organization to support it, but also because of his patriotism and genius political intellect. Kapodistrias had managed to remain undercover so well throughout the years, that even to this day, many historians are not aware of his involvement in the secret societies for the Greek War of Independence.
• Kapodistrias clashed with Metternich and successfully managed to keep Greece away from the clutches of the Holy Alliance, whose aim was to hinder any revolutionary acts in Europe.
• Kapodistrias had envisioned the revival of the Byzantine Empire. For this reason, he and his friend Petrobeis Mavromichalis searched for a suitable descendent of the Palaiologos lineage to place as a king. Unfortunately, this never came to pass.
• Kapodistrias’ work expanded to Switzerland, where he is responsible for making the country’s banking system to what it is today. He divided the country to 19 counties and contributed significantly to the creation of their constitution. He is also responsible for the neutrality of Switzerland.
• In June 8, 1828, Kapodistrias published circular number 2953 and in August 26, 1831 circular number 4286 according to which every form of secret societies that were based in Greece, such as Freemasonry, were declared illegal by the state. Members of secret societies were prohibited from holding public positions and those who would not declare their membership would be persecuted. 48 days later, Kapodistrias is assassinated. The witnesses at the time of the event suggest that Kapodistrias was most likely assassinated by his guard Kozonis and a man disguised as a beggar just outside the church.

Kapodistrias devoted his entire life in reviving the Greek nation. He never married nor had any children. He would always pay the expenses from his own money and preferred living his life as a poor. It is well known that he insisted the money he was paid during his career as Governor of Greece to be given to the poor and that he get nothing. He fulfilled his oath and ultimately sacrificed his life for his ideas. Today, numerous statues of him can be seen throughout Greece, Switzerland and Russia commemorating the quintessence of a virtuous political figure.

Bibliography

1. Ayfantis, Georgios. Anthropos & Epistimi – Aphypnisis. Athens: Hellinikon Selas, 2009. Print.
2. Barbis, Kostas. Jackals and Hyenas of the Greek Politics. Thessaloniki: Kadmos, 2012. Print.
3. Konstantaras, Konstantinos. Ioannis Kapodistrias. Athens: Hilektron, 2016. Print.

4. Ιωάννης Καποδίστριας. Ευεργέτης και ήρωας στην Ελβετία, την οποία οργάνωσε σε σύγχρονο, ουδέτερο και λειτουργικό κράτος. Θύμα δολοφονίας στην Ελλάδα. mixanitouxronou.gr. Web. Retreived on October 12, 2015.