The 1867 Macedonian Rebellion ( el, Μακεδονική επανάσταση του 1867) was a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

rebellion which aimed at resisting against the arbitrariness of the local Ottoman dynasts, asserting the rights of the

Macedonian Greeks Macedonians ( el, Μακεδόνες, ''Makedónes''), also known as Greek Macedonians or Macedonian Greeks, are a regional and historical population group of ethnic Greeks, inhabiting or originating from the Greek region of Macedonia, in Nor ...

in the area, as well as indirect aiding the already ongoing Cretan Revolt. The rebellion took place mainly in the area of

Western Macedonia Western Macedonia ( el, Δυτική Μακεδονία, translit=Ditikí Makedonía, ) is one of the thirteen Modern regions of Greece, regions of Greece, consisting of the western part of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia. Located in north-western ...

and it peaked with the capture of

Mariovo Mariovo ( mk, Мариово) is a historic region in the southern part of North Macedonia, with an area of 1,390 square km and an elevation 1,050 m, situated among mountains. Geography Mountains * Selečka (highest peak - ''Visoka'' 1,471 m) ...

and its proclamation as "Free Greece".

Background

In 1866 the

Great Cretan Revolution Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

broke out. Simultaneously there appear other revolutionary bases throughout the Greek-inhabited Ottoman Empire, like Thessaly, Epirus. At the end of April 1866, Leonidas Voulgaris disembarked on Ormylia in

Chalkidiki Chalkidiki (; el, Χαλκιδική , also spelled Halkidiki, is a peninsula and regional unit of Greece, part of the region of Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia in Northern Greece. The autonomous Mount Athos region co ...

, at the head of an armed force, and united with the local fighters under captain Georgios from the Mademochoria. The activities of this force ended on June of the same year because of the quick response of the powerful Ottoman forces garrisoned in the area, after the Greek government itself notified the Ottoman authorities to avoid a diplomatic incident. In

and specifically in Monastir, which was the center of Greek culture in the area, operated a nationalist association called "Kazino", since 1852. Revolutionary brewings started in 1866 because of the Cretan Revolution and various armed groups, under

Greek Macedonian Macedonian Greek or Greek Macedonian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Macedonia (Greece), a region in Greece *Macedonians (Greeks), the Greek people of Macedonia * Greeks in North Macedonia, those living as a minority in the neighbo ...

leaders, entered Macedonia from Greece in this period. In 1867 the "New

Filiki Etaireia Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends ( el, Φιλικὴ Ἑταιρεία ''or'' ) was a secret organization founded in 1814 in Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow the Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state. (''retr ...

" was founded in Monastir by Greek Macedonians, such as the educator

Anastasios Pichion Anastasios Pichion ( el, Αναστάσιος Πηχιών) or Picheon (Πηχεών) (1836 – 24 March 1913) was a Greek of Aromanian descent who was an educator and revolutionary of the Macedonian Struggle. Biography He was born in Ohrid dur ...

from

Ohrid Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...

, the gymnasium headmaster Nikolaos Filippidis from Monastir, the doctor Ioannis Argyropoulos from

Kleisoura, Kastoria Kleisoura (formerly Vlachokleisoura; el, Κλεισούρα, also Βλαχοκλεισούρα, ''Vlachokleisoúra''; rup, Clisura, or ) is a traditionally Aromanian (Vlach) settlement and a former municipality in Kastoria regional unit, Mac ...

. They were joined by many others such as the Nymfaians Michael and Anastasios Tsirlis, as well as Ioannis Boutaris (great-great-grandfather of the mayor of

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

Yiannis Boutaris Yiannis Boutaris ( el, Γιάννης Μπουτάρης; born 13 June 1942) is a Greek businessman and politician, former mayor of Thessaloniki. Biography Yiannis Boutaris was born in Thessaloniki in 1942, the son of winemaker Stelios Boutaris ...

). The organisation aimed at the morally elevating Macedonian Hellenism and conducting revolutionary operations.

Revolt

During the Cretan Revolt, the appropriate distraction was found and a coordinated revolt commenced, armed bands of Macedonian

klepht Klephts (; Greek κλέφτης, ''kléftis'', pl. κλέφτες, ''kléftes'', which means "thieves" and perhaps originally meant just "brigand": "Other Greeks, taking to the mountains, became unofficial, self-appointed armatoles and were know ...

s who had trained on guerilla warfare for some time, in the Macedonian mountains. The most important were, Naoum Kyrou from Zelovo, A. Kordistas from

Neveska Nymfaio ( el, Νυμφαίο, before 1926: Νέβεσκα - ''Neveska'', rup, Nevesca) and in Ancient Greece: Νυμφαῖον or Νύμφαιον (9th century bc), is a village and a former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, community in ...

, Nikolaos Pinis (also known as Kole Pinas) from Flampouro, brothers Nikolaos and Stefanos Dalipis from Sfika, Naoum Konstantinidis (Orlinis) from Ieropigi, Kastoria and his lieutenant Naidos, Arkoudas, Giaresis and others. After continuous battles with Ottoman forces in the area, they managed to take control of the area of

, which they declared "Free Greece". The general revolt ended in fall of 1867, when the rebels withdrew because of winter, but also because of pressure from the Ottoman army. For the next two years the situation was unstable, as armed Macedonians frequently clashed with Ottoman forces. Though these actions were uncoordinated and soon the revolution ended completely.

Aftermath

The outcome of the revolt was predetermined, as the rebels were isolated in

, surrounded by significant numbers of Ottoman troops. Already since the summer of 1867 the revolutionary cells in

Thessaly Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thes ...

and

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinrich ...

Ψυχογιός, Το ιστορικό πλαίσιο του ΙΜΑΡΕΤ, Γιάννης Καλπούζος
/ref> had been suppressed and there was no prospect of aid from the

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label=Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, where ...

. Greece offered no help, and soon the revolt was crushed. What it managed to do however was to rouse Macedonian Hellenism and create a new lot of rebels, who had to become klephts in the mountains, in order to survive. Therefore, a significant reserve of fighters was created who would come to be useful in the future.

References

External links

lexovitis, Digital newspaper with news from the area of Amyntaio – Flotina, Tuesday, 8 November 2016, Olga Mousiou Mylona, President of the Democratic Council of Florina

Bibliography

* Ioannes Cholevas, The Slavophone Greeks of Macedonia, Athens, Resos Publications, 1991, republication: Pelasgos, , 1999 {{Rebellions in the Ottoman Empire History of Macedonia (Greece) Conflicts in 1866 Conflicts in 1867 19th-century rebellions Macedonia under the Ottoman Empire Macedonia 1867 Greece–Ottoman Empire relations 1866 in Greece 1867 in Greece History of Greece (1863–1909) 1866 in the Ottoman Empire 1867 in the Ottoman Empire Macedonian Question