Vasileios Goudas ( el, Βασίλειος Γούδας; c. 1779 – 1845 ) was a fighter of 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 ...

and an officer of the

Greek Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...

from

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 ...

Biography

Goudas was born in

Ioannina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...

or around 1779. He took part in the Greek War of Independence, being closely associated with the

Souliot The Souliotes were an Orthodox Christian Albanian tribal community in the area of Souli in Epirus from the 16th century to the beginning of the 19th century, who via their participation in the Greek War of Independence came to identify with the ...

clan of Botsaris. At first he served as a secretary and adjutant of

Markos Botsaris Markos Botsaris ( el, Μάρκος Μπότσαρης c. 1788 – 21 August 1823) was a chieftain of the Souliotes and hero of the Greek War of Independence, and general of the Greek army.Brigands with a Cause, Brigandage and Irredentism ...

and he fought in several battles under Botsaris' command.''Σύγχρονος Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Ελευθερουδάκη'', vol. 7, p. 84. In July 1821, he contributed to the uprising of the area of . In 1823 he oversaw on behalf of the revolutionary government the liquidation of the assets following the requisition of an Italian ship, which resulted in proceeds of 8000

kuruş Kuruş ( ; ), also gurush, ersh, gersh, grush, grosha, and grosi, are all names for currency denominations in and around the territories formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. The variation in the name stems from the different languages it is us ...

. After Markos Botsaris' death, Goudas served as secretary of his brother

Kostas Botsaris Kostas (Kitsos) Botsaris ( el, Κώστας (Κίτσος) Μπότσαρης, it, Costa Bozzari, c. 1792–1853), also known as Constantine Botzaris, was a Greek general and senator. He was also a captain and a hero of the War of Greek Indepen ...

. In September 1824, after the report of Kostas Botsaris that described very positively Goudas’ contribution to the revolution so far, the latter was promoted to

chiliarch Chiliarch is a military rank dating back to antiquity. Originally denoting the commander of a unit of about one thousand men (a chiliarchy) in the Macedonian army, it was subsequently used as a Greek translation of a Persian officer who functioned ...

. In early January 1826, he went to the headquarters of the Legislative Corps in

Nafplio Nafplio ( ell, Ναύπλιο) is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece and it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important touristic destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the ...

as envoy of the guard of the monastery of Mega Spilaion which was under the leadership of Tousias Botsaris. From late 1827 until mid-1828, because of a serious health problem, Goudas, starting from the Ionian Islands, travelled to various European cities (

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic S ...

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, etc.) meeting various important people of the time like

Ioannis Kapodistrias Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (10 or 11 February 1776 – 9 October 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias ( el, Κόμης Ιωάννης Αντώνιος Καποδίστριας, Komis Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias; russian: � ...

, Metropolitan Ignatius of Hungary-Wallachia, the French

General Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

and

Jean-Gabriel Eynard Jean-Gabriel Eynard (born in Lyon on 28 December 1775 – died in Geneva on 5 February 1863) was a Swiss banker and huge benefactor of the Greek cause. Biography Jean-Gabriel Eynard although belonging to a family who had settled in Switzerland ...

. Vasileios Goudas died in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

in 1845 having the military rank of Lieutenant. His brother, Stavros Goudas, was a fighter of the Revolution as well, but later he became a monk. His nephew was the doctor, writer and politician Anastasios Goudas.Magazine ''Ζωσιμάδες'', issue 43, p. 9.
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References

Bibliography

*Nikolaos Spiliadis, ''Απομνημονεύματα'', Εκ του Τυπογραφείου Χ. Ν. Φιλαδελφέως, Αθήνησιν, 1851. *''Σύγχρονος Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Ελευθερουδάκη'', vol.7. *Περιοδικό ''Ζωσιμάδες'', issue 43.

Sources

*''Αρχεία της Ελληνικής Παλιγγενεσίας'', Έκδοσις της Βιβλιοθήκης της Βουλής των Ελλήνων, vol. 7, 10, 13. *''Γενική Εφημερίς της Ελλάδος'', 30 June 1828.

External links

Vassilis Goudas: Brief Biography, by the Institute for Neohellenic Research
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goudas, Vasileios 1779 births 1845 deaths Greek people of the Greek War of Independence People from Ioannina (regional unit)