Christoforos Perraivos | |
|---|---|
 Portrait at theNational Historical Museum, Athens | |
| Native name | Χριστόφορος Περραιβός |
| Birth name | Χριστόφορος Χατζηβασιλείου (Christoforos Hatzivasiliou) |
| Born | (1773-04-03)3 April 1773 |
| Died | 4 May 1863(1863-05-04) (aged 90) |
| Allegiance |  French First Republic Russian EmpireFirst French Empire.svg) First Hellenic Republic Kingdom of Greece |
| Years of service | 1798–1844 |
| Rank | General |
| Battles / wars | Greek War of Independence |
| Alma mater | Princely Academy of Bucharest |
| Other work | Teacher Member of theFourth National Assembly at Argos |
Christoforos Perraivos (Greek:Χριστόφορος Περραιβός; 1773–1863) was aGreek officer of theGreek War of Independence, member of theFiliki Eteria and author. In non-Greek sources his name is usually found asPer(r)evo(s).
Perraivos was born on 3 April 1773 in the village ofPalioi Poroi,Pieria. His family name was Hatzivasiliou (Χατζηβασιλείου), but adopted the nickname “Perraivos” alluding to thePerrhaebi, an ancient Greek tribe of Thessaly. It is believed that he was an illegitimate son of a certain monk Hieronymos, an official at theMetropolis of Larissa.
In 1793, with the help of the said Hieronymos, he left Greece to study at theGreek School in Bucharest, and in 1796 to study medicine in Vienna. There he met the Greek humanist and revolutionaryRigas Feraios and entered an underground revolutionary organization. In 1797, Perraivos was arrested with Rigas and others by the Austrian authorities in Trieste but, unlike Rigas Feraios who was handed over to the Turks, Perraivos was released.
Afterwards, he left forCorfu, thenunder French administration, and enlisted in the foreign units of the French army. He remained there when the Russianstook over theIonian Islands in 1798. He fell into disfavour with the Russians but he managed to stay in Corfu and to serve in the army, thanks to the protection of the GreeksEleftherios Benakis (a Russian agent) and Georgios Palatinos (secretary of the Russian Admiral). In Corfu, he worked also as a teacher in Greek schools from 1804. During 1805–1806, he was attached to the Russian admiralMikhail Dolgorukov and later was given the rank of major by the Russian admiralDmitry Senyavin. As a commander of 4 units of 100 men ("hekatontarchies") he defended the island ofLefkada (one of the Ionian islands, then "Santa Maura") that was threatened byAli Pasha.[1]
When the Frenchoccupied the Ionian Islands for a second time in 1807, he retained his rank and became a member of theAlbanian Regiment, established the same year (Boppe, p. 11). Memoirs of his service under the Russians and the French are included in his “History of Souli and Parga”. This work was written in Corfu in 1801, where he stayed till 1817. Its first volume was published in Greek in 1803 in Paris and includes the earliest historical essay on Souli based on first-hand informations gathered fromSouliotes refugees fighters in the island. It also includes information on the activities of Russia, France and Britain in the Ionian and Adriatic during theNapoleonic Wars and the wars against Ali Pasha and the Ottomans. It was translated into Italian by C. Gherardini in 1815 and from Italian to English in 1823.[2]
In 1817, after the departure of French from Corfu, he emigrated to Russia. InOdessa he met the leaders of theFiliki Eteria and became a member of this organization. Following the orders of the Eteria he travelled to the semi-autonomousMani Peninsula to organize the revolution against the Ottoman Empire. InWallachia, he metAlexander Ypsilantis, the political and military head of the Greek revolution, in 1820 and tried to persuade him to postpone the uprising. However, Ypsilantis, resolved to begin the revolution in March 1821, sent Perraivos toEpirus to coordinate with theSouliotes and other captains whom he knew from Corfu. He was in Epirus on the outbreak of the revolution (March 1821) and fought with the Souliotes in various battles, as in the siege of the Riniassa castle. After the treaty between Souliotes and Ottomans and the evacuation of Souli, he went toMissolonghi and then to other parts of Greece, participating in many military campaigns and political missions. In 1829, he participated in theFourth National Assembly at Argos as a representative of Thessaly. After independence, he authored his "War memoirs".[3]
He served in the regular army of the new Greek Kingdom as a lieutenant general, and was promoted to General by KingOtto of Greece in 1844.
He died on 4 May 1863 inAthens.
