Georgios Karaiskakis | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Georgios Karaiskakis; lithography byKarl Krazeisen. | |
| Native name | Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης |
| Birth name | Georgios Karaiskos Γεώργιος Καραΐσκος |
| Nickname | The Nun's Son |
| Born | 23 January 1782 |
| Died | 23 April 1827 (aged 45) |
| Buried | Agios Demetrios church,Salamis |
| Allegiance |  First Hellenic Republic |
| Branch |  Hellenic Army |
| Years of service | 1796–1827 |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards |  Grand Cross of theOrder of the Redeemer |
| Spouse | Engolpia Skylodimou |
| Children | Pinelopi Karaiskaki (daughter) Eleni Karaiskaki (daughter) Spyridon Karaiskakis (son) Dimitrios Karaiskakis (son) |
| Relations | Sitsa Karaiskaki |
| Signature |  |
Georgios Karaiskakis (Greek:Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης; 23 January 1782 – 23 April 1827), bornGeorgios Karaiskos (Greek:Γεώργιος Καραΐσκος), was aGreek military commander and a leader of theGreek War of Independence.
Karaiskakis was aSarakatsani.[1][2][3][4][5][6] His father was thearmatolos of the Valtos district, Dimitris Iskos orKaraiskos, his mother Zoe Dimiski (from Arta, Greece, who was also the niece of a local monastery abbot) and cousin ofGogos Bakolas, captain of the armatoliki of Radovitsi.[citation needed] There is some debate regarding the birthplace of Karaiskakis. Historians have generally put it either at a monastery inSkoulikaria inEpirus or a cave near the village ofMavrommati inThessaly. A committee set up by the Ministry of the Interior in 1927 to resolve the issue concluded that Mavrommati was his birthplace. Nevertheless, in 1997, as part of theKapodistrias reform, it was decided to give the name "Georgios Karaiskakis" to thenewly established municipality of which Skoulikaria belongs to. In 2005, by presidential decree, a public holiday of local importance was officially established in Skoulikaria in honor of Karaiskakis, further intensifying the controversy regarding his birthplace.[citation needed]
At a very early age he became aklepht in the service ofKatsantonis, a famous localAgrafiote brigand captain. He rose quickly through the ranks, eventually becoming aprotopalikaro, or lieutenant.
At the age of fifteen he was captured by the troops of the Albanian rulerAli Pasha and imprisoned atIoannina, where he learned Albanian. Ali Pasha, impressed by Karaiskakis' courage and intelligence, released him from prison and had him serve as a member of his personal bodyguards.
During his service under Ali Pasha, he fought against another Ottoman warlord,Osman Pazvantoğlu, in 1798.[7][8]
Karaiskakis served in the army of Ali Pasha in his war against the Ottomans (1820–1822), but after his defeat and death, Karaiskakis fled toVonitsa.[7]
In July 1821 he joined the Greek rebels in theBattle of Komboti [el] against Pliasa Ismail Pasha,[7] but he soon left to pursue his long-held ambition of seizing thearmatolik ofAgrafa, then held by the family ofIoannis Boukouvalas.[7] Karaiskakis gathered supporters fromValtos and other areas, and was joined byYannakis Rangos. In this way, he was able to take over Agrafa and was recognized as holder of thearmatolik not only by the local captains, but also by the Ottoman authorities, who were too busy with suppressing the Greek uprising in theMorea (Peloponnese).[7]
Despite his recognition by the Ottomans, he attacked the Ottoman army retreating from the failedfirst siege of Missolonghi in early 1823,defeating a 3,000-strong detachment [el] that tried to cross the Agrafa area at the pass of Agios Vlasios.[7] WhenMustafa Pasha Bushatli, thePasha of Scutari, arrived atLarissa in 1823, he ordered Karaiskakis to come before him and reaffirm his loyalty in person, rather than through a representative as was usual. Although heavily ill, Karaiskakis left Agrafa with about 300 men and made forProusos Monastery. There he stayed to recuperate, while his men joinedMarkos Botsaris'Souliotes, and eventually fought with them in theBattle of Karpenisi.[7] As his health did not improve, Karaiskakis left forIthaca, thenruled by the British, to consult with local physicians. In his absence, Yannakis Rangos declared himself as leader of Karaiskakis' men.[7]
Karaiskakis' reputation grew during the middle and latter stages of the war. He helped lift thesecond siege of Missolonghi in 1823, and did his best to save the town from its third siege in 1826.[9]
That same year (1826), he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Greek revolutionary forces inRumeli, achieving mixed results: while failing to cooperate effectively with other leaders of the independence movement or with the foreign sympathizers fighting alongside the Greeks, he gained some military successes against theOttomans.[9]
His most famous victory was at thebattle of Arachova, where his forces crushed a force ofTurkish andAlbanian troops under Mustafa Bey and Kehaya Bey.
In 1827, Karaiskakis participated in the failed attempt to raise thesiege of Athens and later also participated in the massacre of the Ottoman garrison stationed in the convent ofSaint Spyridon inPiraeus.
He was killed in action on his Greek name day, 23 April 1827, after being fatally wounded by a rifle bullet during theBattle of Phaleron. He was buried in the church of Saint Dimitrios on the island ofSalamis, according to his expressed desire to be buried on the island.[8]
KingOtto of Greece posthumously conferred Karaiskakis the Grand Cross of theOrder of the Redeemer.[10]
Karaiskakis was famous among the fighters of the revolution for his tirade manner of speaking.[citation needed]
Karaiskaki Stadium in NeoFaliro, Piraeus is named after him as he was mortally wounded in the area.
Dionysis Savvopoulos wrote both the music and lyrics to the popular Greek song "Ode to Georgios Karaiskakis" (Greek:"Ωδή στο Γεώργιο Καραϊσκάκη"). Savvopoulos wrote the song forChe Guevara, but he chose this title to pass thecensorship of theGreek military junta.
Karaiskakis was married to Engolpia Skylodimou, and had four children: daughters Pinelopi and Eleni, and sonsSpyridon and Dimitrios.
Έτσι, όπως κι αν το φέρομε, από Σαρακατσάνικη ρίζα βγαίνει ο Καραϊσκάκης [...] Κοντά στους Σαρακατσάνους γίνεται από μικρός, δέκα χρονώ, κλέφτης.
Due dei piu grande clefti erano quasi certamente sarakatsani dei monti Agrafa: Katsandonis e Karaiskakis
...Σαρακατσάνων στην εθνογένεση και στους εθνικο-απελευθερωτικούς αγώνες, καθώς και σε προσωπικότητες όπως ο Κατσαντώνης, ο Καραϊσκάκης...
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Karaiskakis, Georges".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 674.