Filomousos Eteria

Philomuse Society or Philomousos Society ( el, Φιλόμουσος Εταιρεία, Filomousos Etaireia, Society of Friends of the

Muses In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the p ...

) was the name of two philological organizations founded during the period of Ottoman rule over Greece before the 1821 Greek Revolution, with the aim of educating the Greeks and promoting

philhellenism Philhellenism ("the love of Greek culture") was an intellectual movement prominent mostly at the turn of the 19th century. It contributed to the sentiments that led Europeans such as Lord Byron and Charles Nicolas Fabvier to advocate for Greek i ...

. These organizations were: * the Philomuse Society of Athens, founded by Athenian town elders in 1813 with the help of the English, and * the Philomuse Society of Vienna, founded by Ioannis Kapodistrias in 1814, under the aegis of

Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...

Alexander I of Russia. These societies were founded in the wake of the fall of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's mastery over Europe. The Western-educated Greeks, many of whom had been seized by the spirit of the French Revolution, had invested great hopes in Napoleon, whom they expected to support their aim for independence. Their foundation was part of a wider cultural awakening (" Modern Greek Enlightenment") and a reaction to news of destruction of Greek antiquities by the ignorant population, as well as to calls by pamphlets like the ''

Hellenic Nomarchy ''Hellenic Nomarchy'' ( el, Ελληνική Νομαρχία ''The Greek rule of law'') was a pamphlet written by "an Anonymous Greek" published and printed in Italy in 1806. It advocated the ideals of freedom, social justice and social equal ...

'' to the Greeks to rely on their own strength rather than await foreign assistance. {{italic title Modern Greek Enlightenment Ioannis Kapodistrias