Angelis Gatsos ( el, Αγγελής Γάτσος; bg, Ангел Гацов) (1771–1839) was a Slavophone Greek military commander during the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

. He was born in the village of Sarakinovo, today known as Sarakinoi (

Almopia Almopia ( el, Αλμωπία), or Enotia, also known in the Middle Ages as Moglena (Greek: Μογλενά, Macedonian and Bulgarian: Меглен or Мъглен), is a municipality and a former province (επαρχία) of the Pella regional uni ...

municipality, Pella regional unit). Despite Gatsos'

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

origin, in the first half of the 19th century, the religion was the key factor of identification of the local communities in the Ottoman Empire, while yet united Orthodox fraternity, espoused pro-Greek sentiments.In Ottoman times the Slavs of Macedonia generally referred to themselves and were known as "Bulgarians". For more see: Koliopoulos, John S.; Veremis, Thanos M. (2010). Modern Greece: A History since 1821. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell, p. 48. He played an important role during the

, not only in Macedonia, but also in

Central Greece Continental Greece ( el, Στερεά Ελλάδα, Stereá Elláda; formerly , ''Chérsos Ellás''), colloquially known as Roúmeli (Ρούμελη), is a traditional geographic region of Greece. In English, the area is usually called Central ...

. He joint the ''

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 ...

'' bands of Central Macedonia at the age of 20 and played a leading role during the liberation of Naousa from the Ottomans in February 1822. After the city was destroyed by the Ottoman Army, he escaped with

Anastasios Karatasos Anastasios Karatasos ( el, Αναστάσιος Καρατάσος; 1764 – 21 January 1830) was a Greek military commander during the Greek War of Independence was born in the village of Dovras (Δοβράς or Δορβρά), Imathia and is cons ...

to southern Greece where he took part in many battles of the Revolution. In 1826 he went to

Euboea Evia (, ; el, Εύβοια ; grc, Εὔβοια ) or Euboia (, ) is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only at its narrowest poin ...

, where he created his own band and participated in the battle of

Atalanti Island Atalanti ( el, Αταλάντη) or Atalantonisi (Αταλαντονήσι) or Talandonísi (Ταλαντονήσι) is a small uninhabited island in the North Euboean Gulf, about 600 m off the coast near the town Atalanti, Phthiotis, Greece. Th ...

. After the creation of the independent

Greek State Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, he joined the army and died in

Chalkida Chalcis ( ; Ancient Greek & Katharevousa: , ) or Chalkida, also spelled Halkida (Modern Greek: , ), is the chief town of the island of Euboea or Evia in Greece, situated on the Euripus Strait at its narrowest point. The name is preserved from ...

with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in 1839.

References

1771 births 1839 deaths Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia Greek revolutionaries Greek military leaders of the Greek War of Independence Macedonian revolutionaries (Greek) Hellenic Army officers Greek colonels 19th-century Greek military personnel {{Greece-mil-bio-stub People from Aridaia

See also

References