Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis c. 1822 | |
| Native name | Κυριακούλης Μαυρομιχάλης |
| Born | (1765-08-06)6 August 1765 |
| Died | 4 July 1822(1822-07-04) (aged 56) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  First Hellenic Republic |
| Branch |  Hellenic Army |
| Battles / wars | |
| Relations | Petrobey Mavromichalis (brother) Antonios Mavromichalis (brother) Konstantinos Mavromichalis (brother) Georgios Mavromichalis (nephew) Demetrios Mavromichalis (nephew) Periklis Pierrakos-Mavromichalis (nephew) Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis (grandson) |
Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis (Greek:Κυριακούλης Μαυρομιχάλης; 1765–1822) was a Greek revolutionary who fought in theGreek War of Independence.
He was born inLimeni in theMani Peninsula, the son of Pierros Pierrakos and Katerina Koutsogrigorakos. He was the younger brother ofPetrobey Mavromichalis.
When theGreek War of Independence broke out, he organized a band of youngManiots into a fighting force. Kyriakoulis fought atKalamata,Methoni,Koroni and was present at theSiege of Tripolitsa operation as commander-in-charge of theValtetsi headquarters in the nascent revolutionary army.
He successfully defended the camp, twice, in theBattle of Valtetsi, leading a vastly outnumbered force to strengthen their positions, allowing new reinforcements to succeed in repelling the Turkish attack.
With the war againstAli Pasha over, theSouliotes – who had sided with the Albanians against theOttomans – were in mortal danger due toHursid Pasha's constant attacks and siege. To deal with this, an inexpert commanderAlexandros Mavrokordatos, who was not a soldier but a politician and future statesman, chose Kyriakoulis to command an expedition to bring relief and reinforcements.[1]
On his way to Kiafa, his expeditionary force met action with a Turkishvanguard near the seaside villageMourtos, completely defeating their foes and taking a large number of prisoners. His decision to take his captives to imprisonment in the Peloponnesus rather than to massacre them, as was then common, showed his military ethics, but at the same time weakened his already small regiment composed by 500 Maniots plus somePhilhellenes, mostly formerBonapartistFrench soldiers and young romanticItalian revolutionaries.[2]
In his effort against a stronger and much more compact force underOmer Vryonis, but with the overall leadership of the highly skilled Hursid Pasha (an expert in countering guerrilla warfare), his band was at last defeated at an engagement in Splantza. The Maniots showed the sameThermopylae spirit as theirSpartan ancestors fighting up to the last man. Kyriakoulis was killed on 4 July 1822 in Splantza and was buried with honours inMissolonghi.
Maniot tradition and folk songs, show how his younger brother's death strongly hurt the brave Petrobey's soul:
"Πετρόμπεης καθότανε ψηλά στο Πετροβούνικι εσφούγγιζε τα μάτια του μ΄ ένα χρυσό μαντήλι.Τι έχεις Μπέη και χλίβεσαι και χύνεις μαύρα δάκρυα;Σα με ρωτάς Κυριάκαινα και θέλεις για να μάθης;Aπόψε μου ΄ρθαν γράμματα από το Μεσολόγγι...τον Κυριακούλην σκότωσαν, τον πρώτο καπετάνιοκαι στάζουνε τα μάτια μου και τρέχουν μαύρα δάκρυα."[3]
"Petrobey was lying in the highlands ofPetrovouni (Stone Mountain)wiping his eyes with a golden kerchief.What's happening to you Bey, that you're so sad and black tears fall from your eyes?Since you're asking Kyriakaina (Kyriakoulis' wife) and you want to know...Tonight I got news from Missolonghi ... Kyriakoulis was killed, the main captain.This is why my eyes are full with black tears."
He was the grandfather ofKyriakoulis Petrou Mavromichalis, the politician and later Prime Minister but above all, for the Peloponnesians in general and for the Maniots in particular he became the icon of the sacrifice made in behalf of the freedom of Greece.
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