Ilias Mavromichalis or Bezande-Ilias (1795 - 1822) was a fighter of the
Greek Revolution of 1821
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 ...
and scion of the historic family of
Mavromichali. He went down in history as the "Fairyborn" chieftain due to his beauty - which according to popular tradition he inherited from his grandmother (daughter of the Doge of Venice,
Francesco Morosini
Francesco Morosini (26 February 1619 – 16 January 1694) was the Doge of Venice from 1688 to 1694, at the height of the Great Turkish War. He was one of the many Doges and generals produced by the noble Venetian family of Morosini.Encyclopæd ...
).
Also known by the nickname "Bezande" (beyizade, son of the bey in Turkish) to distinguish him from his cousin of the same name, who was nicknamed Katsakos. His self-sacrifice at Styra in Euboea, on January 12, 1822, had all the characteristics of the heroic death of an ancient Spartan warrior. It was the first loss of a high-ranking member of the
Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
from the Peloponnese.
Biography
He was born in Mani and was the eldest son of
Petrobey Mavromichalis
Petros Mavromichalis (; 1765–1848), also known as Petrobey ( ), was a Greek general, politician and the leader of the Maniot people during the first half of the 19th century. His family had a long history of revolts against the Ottoman Empi ...
and Fotini Dimitrakarakou. Ilias was one of the first in the Peloponnese to be initiated into the
Filiki Eteria
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 Empire, Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek ...
. He represented the Peloponnesians in the pre-revolutionary assembly of chieftains in
Lefkada
Lefkada ( el, Λευκάδα, ''Lefkáda'', ), also known as Lefkas or Leukas (Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, ''Leukás'', modern pronunciation ''Lefkás'') and Leucadia, is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Gr ...
. At the beginning of the war, he took part in the liberation of
Kalamata
Kalamáta ( el, Καλαμάτα ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula, after Patras, in southern Greece and the largest city of the homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia reg ...
where, as the leader of the Maniates, he succeeded in liberating the city without a fight, in the
Battle of Valtetsi
The Battle of Valtetsi was fought on 24 May ( N.S.), 1821 in Valtetsi between the Ottoman army and Greek revolutionaries.
Background
The Greek War of Independence officially began on 25 March 1821. During the war, the city of Tripoli in Arca ...
, Arcadia (12-13 May 1821) where he distinguished himself, together with his uncle
Kyriakoulis, for his strategic virtues and boldness, he also took part in the
Siege of Tripolitsa
The siege of Tripolitsa or fall of Tripolitsa ( el, Άλωση της Τριπολιτσάς, Álosi tis Tripolitsás, ), also known as the Tripolitsa massacre ( tr, Tripoliçe katliamı), was an early victory of the revolutionary Greek forces ...
, the Siege of Acrocorinth, the
Siege of the Acropolis and battles in Euboea, where he was sent with his uncle Kyriakoulis to assist Bishop of Karystos Neophytos and the chieftains
Mavrovouniotis and
Kriezotis.
When he was appointed chief of the Arms of Attica, in November 1821, he was renowned as the warlord with the Doric style and Apollonian aspect. He went down in history as the "Fairyborn"
[{{Cite journal, url=https://www.govostis.gr/product/9904/stratiwtiki-istoria-teyxos-289.html, title=ΗΛΙΑΣ ΜΑΥΡΟΜΙΧΑΛΗΣ (1795-1822) Ο «Νεραϊδογέννητος» Οπλαρχηγός, last=Μπόπης, first=Δημήτρης, date=September 2021, journal=ΣΤΡΑΤΙΩΤΙΚΗ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ] chieftain. According to popular tradition, he owed his extraordinary beauty to his grandmother - who was the daughter of the Doge of Venice, Francesco Morosini. His grandfather, Giorgakis Mavromichalis, had found her unconscious on the rocks of Mani, left there by a pirate ship with which her father had fled, because she was in danger from her stepmother.
The youthful enthusiasm, bravery and philanthropy that characterized Ilias Mavromichali were paid for with his own life. His death caused deep sadness, depriving the Revolution of a very important leader, gifted at the same time with excellent diplomatic skills, at only 26 years of age.
Ioannis Filimon
Ioannis Filimon ( el, Ιωάννης Φιλήμων; 1798/99–1874) was a 19th-century Greek historian, militant journalist and publisher of the newspaper ''Aion'' for more than fifteen years, from 1838 up to 1854. He also participated actively ...
writes: "if Doris he lost
Athanasios Diakos
Athanasios Nikolaos Massavetas ( el, Αθανάσιος Νικόλαος Μασσαβέτας; 1788 – 24 April 1821) also known as Athanasios Diakos ( el, Αθανάσιος Διάκος) was a Greek military commander during the Greek War of ...
, Laconia also he lost Ilias Mavromichali".
References
Sources
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*''Χρίστος Δρακούλη Γούδης: Λόγος για τη Μάνη,εκδόσεις Αδούλωτη Μάνη, σελ 51-53.''
*Φιλήμων, Ι. (1861). Δοκίμιον ιστορικόν περί της Ελληνικής Επαναστάσεως, Τόμος 4. Αθήνα: Εκ του τυπογραφείου Π.Β. Μωραϊτίνη.
*Φωτιάδης, Δ., Η επανάσταση του 1821, Εκδόσεις Ζαχαρόπουλος Σ. Ι., Αθήνα 2018.
*Παπαρρηγόπουλος, Κ., Ιστορία Ελληνικού Έθνους, τ.6, Εκδόσεις Ελευθερουδάκη, Αθήνα 1930.
*Τερτσέτης, Γ., Ο γέρων Κολοκοτρώνης. Διήγησις συμβάντων της ελληνικής φυλής από τα 1770 έως τα 1836, Εκδόσεις Τύποις Χ. Νικολαϊδου Φιλαδελφέως, Αθήνα 1851.
*Κόκκινος, Δ., Η Ελληνική Επανάστασις, τ.2, σελ. 416–419, 6η έκδοση, Εκδόσεις Μέλισσα, Αθήνα 1974.
*Καπετανάκης, Σ., Οι Μανιάτες στην Επανάσταση του 1821, Εκδόσεις Εταιρείας Λακωνικών Σπουδών, Αθήνα 2015.
*Μπόπης, Δημήτριος, «ΗΛΙΑΣ ΜΑΥΡΟΜΙΧΑΛΗΣ (1795-1822) Ο «Νεραϊδογέννητος» Οπλαρχηγός», ΣΤΡΑΤΙΩΤΙΚΗ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ, τεύχο
289(09/2021), Εκδόσεις Γκοβόστη
.
1795 births
1822 deaths
Mavromichalis family
Greek people of the Greek War of Independence