Yiannis Xykis (Greek:Γιάννης Ξύκης; 1757–1831), more commonly known asDyovouniotis (Greek:Δυοβουνιώτης), was aGreek chieftain inRoumeli and a hero of theGreek War of Independence.

He was born in 1757 to Triantafyllia and Kostas Xykis, at the village ofDyo Vouna inPhthiotis.^[1][2] At the age of 13 he saw his father getting hanged by the Ottomans, an event which had a decisive influence on his life. As a teenager, he went to thearmatoliki of Andrikos Verousis and became his henchman.^[1][3]

In 1770 he participated in theOrlov Revolt against the Ottomans.^[1]

In 1820 he joined theFiliki Eteria and since then he started to lay the groundwork for the beginning of the revolution inCentral Greece.^[4] Around the same time he met withAthanasios Diakos who decided to halt the Ottoman advance intoRoumeli by taking defensive positions nearThermopylae. During this battle (Battle of Alamana) Dyovouniotis defended the bridge ofGorgopotamos. However, the battle was lost andDiakos was impaled.^[5]

After the catastrophe in theBattle of Alamana, Dyovouniotis was called byAli Pasha of Ioannina to serve him. However he refused, resulting in Ali Pasha kidnapping his son and holding him hostage.^[4] His son somehow managed to escape, but was then captured again, this time byHurshid Pasha. Despite the kidnapping of his son, Dyovouniotis headed toGravia and took key positions in thefierce battle which took place on 8 May.^[4] After the end of the battle, he called on the chiefs to close the passage to theVasilika ofBoeotia, believing that the Ottomans would seek to pass through that point. On the eve of the battle, Hurshid Pasha was forced to exchange Dyovouniotis' son with anOttoman soldier who had been taken hostage by theGreeks.^[4]

His most important contribution during theGreek War of Independence was his intelligent plan to intercept the army of Beyran Pasha at theBattle of Vasilika on August 26, 1821. Dyovouniotis, along with other chieftains of Roumeli, waited for the army in the straits of the village and literally decimated it. The victory in this battle thwarted the Ottomans' plans to strengthen thebesieged Tripolitsa and destroy the Greek Revolution.^[1][3] At the age of 65, he was forced to resign from the command of his military corps and was awarded the honorary title of general.^[4]

• 1757 births
• 1831 deaths
• Greek generals
• Greek military leaders of the Greek War of Independence
• Members of the Filiki Eteria
• People from Phthiotis

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• Use dmy dates from December 2021
• Articles containing Greek-language text