Jump to content

Athanasios Diakos: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
 
(158 intermediate revisions by 91 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Greek general (1788–1821)}}
{{Otheruses|Diakos}}
{{Other uses|Diakos (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Military Person
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
|name=Athanasios Diakos
{{Infobox military person
|born=1786
| honorific_prefix = General
|died= 1821
| name = Athanasios Diakos<br><small>{{nobold|{{Lang|el|Αθανάσιος Διάκος}}}}</small>
|placeofbirth=[[Artotina]], [[Phocis]]
| native_name = Αθανάσιος Νικόλαος Μασσαβέτας
|placeofdeath=[[Battle of Alamana|Alamana]], [[Phthiotis]]
|image= [[Image:Athanasios Diakos.JPG|300px]]
| image = Athanasios Diakos.JPG
| caption = Portrait by [[Dionysios Tsokos]]
|nickname=Diakos
| birth_name = Athanasios Nikolaos Massavetas
|allegiance=[[Greece]]
| nickname = ''Diakos'' (Deacon)<br><small>Διάκος</small>
|serviceyears=1821
| birth_date = 1788 or 1791<ref>Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" [Athanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle]. Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 11.</ref>
|rank=[[Captain (land and air)|Captain]]
| birth_place = [[Athanasios Diakos, Greece|Ano Mousounitsa]] or [[Artotina]], [[Ottoman Empire]] (now [[Greece]])
|commands=
| death_date = 24 April 1821 (aged 30 or 33)
|battles=[[Greek War of Independence]]
| death_place = [[Lamia (city)|Lamia]], [[Ottoman Empire]] (now [[Greece]])
|awards=
| allegiance = [[File:Greek Revolution flag.svg|23px]] [[Greek War of Independence|Revolutionary Greece]]
|portrayedby=[[Dionysios Tsokos]]
| branch = {{army|Greece}}
| serviceyears = 1821
| rank = [[General]] (posthumously)
| commands = Commander of his armed band
| battles = {{tree list}}
*[[Greek War of Independence]]
**[[Battle of Alamana]]{{Executed}}
{{tree list/end}}
| battles_label = Wars
| laterwork = Monk<br>Member of the [[Filiki Etaireia]]
| memorials = [[Athanasios Diakos, Greece|Athanasios Diakos]] (village)<br>and others
}}
}}

'''Athanasios Diakos''' ({{lang-el|Αθανάσιος Διάκος}}) (1788–1821), a [[Greeks|Greek]] military commander during the [[Greek War of Independence]] and a [[national hero]], was born '''Athanasios Nikolaos Massavetas''' ({{lang-el|Αθανάσιος Νικόλαος Μασσαβέτας}}) in the village of Ano Mousounitsa, [[Phocis]].
'''Athanasios Nikolaos Massavetas'''
or '''Grammatikos''' ({{langx|el|Αθανάσιος Νικόλαος Μασσαβέτας-Γραμματικός}}; 1788 – 24 April 1821) also known as '''Athanasios Diakos''' ({{langx|el|Αθανάσιος Διάκος}}) was a [[Greeks|Greek]] military commander during the [[Greek War of Independence]], considered a venerable [[Folk hero|national hero]] in [[Greece]].


==Early life==
==Early life==
Athanasios Nikolaos was born in [[Phocis]], either in the village of [[Athanasios Diakos, Greece|Ano Mousounitsa]] or, according to other sources, in nearby [[Artotina]]. His family's surname was originally either "'''Grammatikos'''"<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.govostis.gr/product/7978/athanasios-diakos.html|title=ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΣ ΔΙΑΚΟΣ - Ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του Αγώνα|last=Μπόπης|first=Δημήτριος|date=April 2007|journal=ΣΤΡΑΤΙΩΤΙΚΗ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Το συναξάρι του Μεγαλομάρτυρα Αθανασίου Διάκου|first=Ευάγγελος|last=Παππάς|isbn=978-960-696-159-5|year=2014|location=Αθήνα|page=88}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Άπαντα για τον Αθ. Διάκο|last=Μελάς, Λέων Αγαπητός, Αγαπητός Γούδας, Αναστάσιος Φόρτης, Σπ. Γ. Συλλογικό έργο|first=Μελάς, Λέων Αγαπητός, Αγαπητός Γούδας, Αναστάσιος Φόρτης, Σπ. Γ. Συλλογικό έργο|publisher=Μέρμηγκας|year=2009|isbn=978-960-87909-3-3|location=Αττική|pages=192}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title = Σουλιώτες και Ρουμελιώτες καπεταναίοι του 1821|last = Γούδας|first = Αναστάσιος|publisher = Βεργίνα|year = 2004|isbn = 960-86360-2-7|location = Αττική|pages = 221}}</ref> or "'''Massavetas'''".<ref name="neuralvilos23">[http://www.neural.uom.gr/dixori/artotina-vilos2_3.htm «Πού εγεννήθη ο Αθανάσιος Διάκος»] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523212529/http://www.neural.uom.gr/dixori/artotina-vilos2_3.htm |date=2009-05-23 }}, Μελέτη Κων. Παπαχρήστου</ref> The grandson of a local outlaw, or [[klepht]], he was drawn to religion from an early age and was sent away by his parents to the [[Monastery]] of St. [[John the Baptist]] ({{langx|el|Αγίου Ιωάννου Προδρόμου}}), near Artotina, for his education. He became a [[monk]] at the age of seventeen and, due to his devotion to his faith and good temperament, was ordained a [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox]] [[deacon]] not long afterwards.<ref name=":0">{{cite web | url=http://www.greekencyclopedia.com/diakos-athanasios-moysoynitsa-parnassidas-1786-lamia-1821-p2122.html | title=Διάκος, Αθανάσιος (Μουσουνίτσα Παρνασσίδας, 1786 - Λαμία, 1821) | publisher=Εκδοτική Αθηνών | work=Παγκόσμιο Βιογραφικό Λεξικό - Τόμος: 3 | access-date=7 July 2020}}</ref>
The grandson of a local outlaw, or [[klepht]], he was drawn to religion from an early age and was sent away by his parents to the [[Monastery]] of St. [[John The Baptist]] ({{lang-el|Αγίου Ιωάννου Προδρόμου}}), near Artotina, for his education. He became a [[monk]] at the age of seventeen and, due to his devotion to his faith and good temperament, was ordained a [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox]] [[deacon]] not long afterwards.


Popular tradition has it that while at the monastery, an [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Pasha]] visited with his troops and was impressed by Athanasios's good looks. The young Athanasios took offence to the Turk's remarks (and subsequent proposal) and the ensuing altercation resulted in the death of the Turkish official. Athanasios was forced to flee into the nearby mountains and become a [[klepht]]. Soon afterwards he adopted the [[pseudonym]] "Diakos", or ''Deacon''.
Popular tradition has it that while at the monastery, an [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Pasha]] visited with his troops and was impressed by Athanasios's good looks. The young Athanasios took offence to the Turk's remarks (and subsequent proposal) and the ensuing altercation resulted in the death of the Turkish official. Athanasios was forced to flee into the nearby mountains and become a [[klepht]]. Soon afterwards he adopted the [[pseudonym]] "Diakos", or ''Deacon''.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}


==Klephtis and Armatolos==
==Klepht and Armatolos==
Diakos served under a number of local [[klepht]] leaders in the region of [[Central Greece|Roumeli]], distinguishing himself in various encounters with the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]]. He also served for a time as a [[mercenary]] in the army of [[Ali Pasha]] at [[Ioannina]], [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]], where he befriended [[Odysseas Androutsos]], another klepht. When Androutsos became the captain of a unit of [[armatoloi]] at [[Livadeia]], Diakos served for a time as his ''protopallikaro'' (literally ''"first warrior"'', or [[lieutenant]]). In the years leading up to the [[Greek War of Independence]], Diakos had formed his own band of klephtes and, like many other [[klepht]] and [[armatoloi]] captains, had become a member of the [[Filiki Eteria]].
Diakos served under a number of local [[klepht]] leaders in the region of [[Central Greece (geographic region)|Roumeli]], distinguishing himself in various encounters with the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]]. He also served for a time as a [[mercenary]] in the army of [[Ali Pasha of Ioannina]] in [[Epirus]], where he befriended [[Odysseas Androutsos]], another klepht. When Androutsos became the captain of a unit of [[armatoloi]] at [[Livadeia]], Diakos served for a time as his ''protopallikaro'' (literally "first warrior", or [[lieutenant]]). In the years leading up to the [[Greek War of Independence]], Diakos had formed his own band of klephtes and, like many other [[klepht]] and [[armatoloi]] captains, he had become a member of the [[Filiki Eteria]].<ref name=":0" />


==Independence fighter==
==Independence fighter==
{{See|Battle of Alamana}}
Soon after the outbreak of hostilities, Diakos and a local brigand captain and friend, Vasilis Bousgos, led a contingent of fighters to capture the town of [[Livadeia]]. On 1 April 1821, after three days of vicious house-by-house fighting, and the burning of Mir Aga's residence, including the [[harem]], the Greeks liberated the town [[Greeks]]. [[Hursid Pasha]] sent two of his most competent commanders from [[Thessaly]], [[Omer Vryonis]] and Köse Mehmed, at the head of 8,000 men with orders to put down the revolt in [[Central Greece|Roumeli]] and then proceed to the [[Peloponnese]] and lift the siege at [[Tripolitsa]].


[[File:Maxi tis Alamanas by Isaias.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''The Battle of Alamana'', by Alexandros Isaias]]
Diakos and his band, reinforced by the fighters of [[Dimitrios Panourgias]] and Yiannis Dyovouniotis, decided to halt the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] advance into Roumeli by taking defensive positions near [[Thermopylae]]. The Greek force of 1500 men was split into three sections. Dyovouniotis was to defend the bridge at [[Gorgopotamos]], Panourgias the heights of Halkomata, and Diakos the bridge at [[Battle of Alamana|Alamana]].
Soon after the outbreak of hostilities, Diakos and a local brigand captain and friend, Vasilis Bousgos, led a contingent of fighters to capture the town of [[Livadeia]]. On 1 April 1821, after three days of vicious house-by-house fighting, and the burning of Mir Aga's residence, including the [[harem]], the Greeks liberated the town. [[Hursid Pasha]] sent two of his most competent commanders from [[Thessaly]], [[Omer Vryonis]] and Köse Mehmed, at the head of 8,000 men with orders to put down the revolt in [[Central Greece (geographic region)|Roumeli]] and then proceed to the [[Peloponnese]] and lift the siege at [[Tripolitsa]].<ref>Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" [Athanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle]. Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 15–17.</ref>


Diakos and his band, reinforced by the fighters of [[Dimitrios Panourgias]] and Yiannis Dyovouniotis, decided to halt the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] advance into Roumeli by taking defensive positions near [[Thermopylae]]. The Greek force of 1,500 men was split into three sections. Dyovouniotis was to defend the bridge at [[Gorgopotamos]], Panourgias the heights of Halkomata, and Diakos the bridge at [[Battle of Alamana|Alamana]].<ref>Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" [Athanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle]. Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 17–18.</ref>
[[Image:Athanasios Diakos 1821.svg|thumb|160px|left|The flag used by Athanasios Diakos and his army of irregulars.]]


[[File:Athanasios Diakos 1821.svg|thumb|160px|left|The flag used by Athanasios Diakos and his army of irregulars]]
Setting out from their camp at Lianokladi, near [[Lamia (city)|Lamia]], the Ottoman Turks soon divided their force. The main force attacked Diakos. The other attacked Dyovouniotis, whose force was quickly routed, and then Panourgias, whose men retreated when he was wounded. The majority of the Greek force having fled, the Ottomans concentrated their attack on Diakos's position at the Alamana bridge. Seeing that it was a matter of time before they were overrun by the enemy, Bousgos, who had been fighting alongside Diakos, pleaded with him to retreat to safety. Diakos chose to stay and fight with 48 men; they put up a desperate hand-to-hand struggle for a number of hours before being overwhelmed.


Setting out from their camp at Lianokladi, near [[Lamia (city)|Lamia]], the Ottoman Turks soon divided their force. The main force attacked Diakos. The other attacked Dyovouniotis, whose force was quickly routed, and then Panourgias, whose men retreated when he was wounded. The majority of the Greek force having fled, the Ottomans concentrated their attack on Diakos's position at the Alamana bridge.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.greekencyclopedia.com/diakos-athanasios-moysoynitsa-parnassidas-1786-lamia-1821-p2122.html | title=Διάκος, Αθανάσιος (Μουσουνίτσα Παρνασσίδας, 1786 - Λαμία, 1821) | publisher=Εκδοτική Αθηνών | work=Παγκόσμιο Βιογραφικό Λεξικό - Τόμος: 3 | access-date=7 July 2020}}</ref> Seeing that it was a matter of time before they were overrun by the enemy, Bousgos, who had been fighting alongside Diakos, pleaded with him to retreat to safety. Diakos chose to stay and fight with 48 men; they put up a desperate hand-to-hand struggle for a number of hours before being overwhelmed.<ref>Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" [Athanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle]. Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 18.</ref>
The severely wounded Diakos was taken before Vryonis {{Request quotation|date=March 2009}}, who offered to make him an officer in the Ottoman army if he converted from [[Christianity]] to [[Islam]]. Diakos refused the offer, replying "I was born a Greek, I shall die a Greek" ("Εγώ Γραικός γεννήθηκα, Γραικός θε να πεθάνω" transliterated as: ''Ego Graikos yennithika, Graikos the na pethano''). The next day he was [[impalement|impaled]]. According to popular tradition, as he was being led away to be executed, he said:


The severely wounded Diakos was taken before Vryonis, who offered to make him an officer in the [[Ottoman Army]] if he converted from [[Christianity]] to [[Islam]]. Diakos refused the offer, replying "I was born a Greek, I shall die a Greek" ("{{Lang|el|Εγώ Γραικός γεννήθηκα, Γραικός θε να πεθάνω}}" transliterated as: {{Transliteration|el|Ego Grekos gennithika, Grekos the na pethano}}). The next day he was [[impalement|impaled]]. According to popular tradition, as he was being led away to be executed, he said:
<blockquote>Look at the time [[Charon (mythology)|Charon]] chose to take me, now that the branches are flowering, and the earth sends forth grass ([[Greek (language)|Greek]]: Για δες καιρό που διάλεξε ο Χάρος να με πάρει, τώρα π' ανθίζουν τα κλαριά και βγάνει η γης χορτάρι - Ya thes kero pou dialexe o Haros na me parei, tora p' anthizoun ta klaria kai vganei i yis hortari).</blockquote>


<blockquote>Poetic: Oh, what a moment Death chose for me to perish.
Spring grass everywhere and branches with blossoms to cherish. Literally: Look at the time [[Charon (mythology)|Charon]] chose to take me, now that the branches are flowering, and the earth sends forth grass ({{Langx|el|Για δες καιρό που διάλεξε ο Χάρος να με πάρει, τώρα π'ανθίζουν τα κλαριά και βγάνει η γης χορτάρι|translit=Gia des kero pou dialexe o Haros na me parei, tora p'anthizoun ta klaria ke vganei i gis hortari}}).</blockquote>
[[File:Zografos-Makriyannis 04 Battles of Alamana, Agia Marina, Parakitsi.jpg|thumb|220px|right|The Battle of Alamana, by [[Panagiotis Zographos]] and [[Yannis Makriyiannis|Makriyannis]]. Diakos's death is visible close to the center of the painting.]]
This was a metaphor for the independence and freedom of Greece.
This was a metaphor for the independence and freedom of Greece.


The brutal manner {{Request quotation|date=March 2009}} of Diakos's death initially struck fear into the populace of [[Central Greece|Roumeli]], but his final stand near [[Thermopylae]], echoing the heroic defence of the [[Sparta]]n King [[Leonidas I|Leonidas]], made him a [[martyr]] for the Greek cause. A monument now stands at the bridge near Alamana, the site of his final battle. His birthplace, the village of Ano Mousounitsa, was later renamed ''[[Athanasios Diakos, Greece|Athanasios Diakos]]'' in his honour. Also streets and statues in several parts of Greece as well as in nearly every one of the larger towns and cities bears his name.
The brutal manner<ref name=art>{{Citation|author=Aiolos |title=Turkish Culture: The Art of Impalement |year=2004 |work=Hellenic Lines: The National conservative newspaper |url=http://www.e-grammes.gr/2004/11/souvlisma_en.htm |access-date=9 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525072835/http://www.e-grammes.gr/2004/11/souvlisma_en.htm |archive-date=25 May 2011}}</ref> of Diakos's death initially struck fear into the populace of [[Central Greece (geographic region)|Roumeli]], but his final stand near [[Thermopylae]], echoing the heroic defence of the [[Sparta]]n King [[Leonidas I|Leonidas]], made him a [[martyr]] for the Greek cause. A monument now stands at the bridge near Alamana, the site of his final battle. His alleged birthplace, the village of Ano Mousounitsa, was later renamed ''[[Athanasios Diakos, Greece|Athanasios Diakos]]'' in his honour. The [[Greek Army]] honoured him with the rank of general. Also streets and statues in several parts of Greece as well as in nearly every one of the larger towns and cities bear his name.<ref>Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" [Athanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle]. Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 19.</ref>


==References==
==References==
=== Citations ===
{{No footnotes|date=March 2009}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Refimprove|date=March 2009}}
*Diamantopoulos, N. and Kyriazopoulou, A. ''Elliniki Istoria Ton Neoteron Hronon''. OEDB, (1980).
*Brewer, David. ''The Greek War of Independence''. The Overlook Press (2001). ISBN 1-58567-172-X.
*Paroulakis, Peter H. ''The Greeks: Their Struggle For Independence''. Hellenic International Press (1984). ISBN 0-9590894-1-1.
*Stratiki, Poti. ''To Athanato 1821''. Stratikis Bros, (1990). ISBN 960-7261-50-X.


=== General bibliography ===
==External Links==
* Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" [Athanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle]. Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 10–19.
* [http://www.athanasios-diakos-museum.gr Athanasios Diakos Museum] at Athanasios Diakos, Fokida prefecture, Greece (in Greek)
* Brewer, David. ''The Greek War of Independence''. The Overlook Press (2001). {{ISBN|1-58567-172-X}}.
* Diamantopoulos, N. and Kyriazopoulou, A. ''Elliniki Istoria Ton Neoteron Hronon''. OEDB, (1980).
* Paroulakis, Peter H. ''The Greeks: Their Struggle For Independence''. Hellenic International Press (1984). {{ISBN|0-9590894-1-1}}.
* Stratiki, Poti. ''To Athanato 1821''. Stratikis Bros, (1990). {{ISBN|960-7261-50-X}}.

==External links==
{{commonscat}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180202113740/http://www.athanasios-diakos-museum.gr/ Athanasios Diakos Museum] at Athanasios Diakos, Phocis, Greece (in Greek)


{{Greek War of Independence|state=collapsed}}
{{Greek War of Independence|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Diakos, Athanasios}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diakos, Athanasios}}
[[Category:1788 births]]
[[Category:1788 births]]
[[Category:1821 deaths]]
[[Category:1821 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century executions by the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Greek people imprisoned in the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Armed priests]]
[[Category:Christians executed for refusing to convert to Islam]]
[[Category:Executed Greek people]]
[[Category:Executed revolutionaries]]
[[Category:Greek Christian monks]]
[[Category:Greek generals]]
[[Category:Greek military leaders of the Greek War of Independence]]
[[Category:Greek torture victims]]
[[Category:People executed by impalement]]
[[Category:People from Kallieis]]
[[Category:People from Phocis]]
[[Category:People from Phocis]]
[[Category:Deaths by impalement]]
[[Category:Greek Christian monks]]
[[Category:Greek revolutionaries]]
[[Category:People of the Greek War of Independence]]

[[ca:Athanasios Diakos]]
[[de:Athanasios Diakos]]
[[el:Αθανάσιος Διάκος]]
[[es:Athanasios Diakos]]
[[fr:Athanásios Diákos]]
[[it:Athanasios Diakos]]
[[pt:Athanasios Diakos]]
[[sv:Athanasios Diakos]]
[[war:Athanasios Diakos]]

Latest revision as of 03:41, 24 December 2024

For other uses, see Diakos (disambiguation).

General

Athanasios Diakos
Αθανάσιος Διάκος
Portrait by Dionysios Tsokos
Native name
Αθανάσιος Νικόλαος Μασσαβέτας
Birth nameAthanasios Nikolaos Massavetas
Nickname(s)Diakos (Deacon)
Διάκος
Born1788 or 1791[1]
Ano Mousounitsa or Artotina, Ottoman Empire (now Greece)
Died24 April 1821 (aged 30 or 33)
Lamia, Ottoman Empire (now Greece)
Allegiance Revolutionary Greece
Service / branch Hellenic Army
Years of service1821
RankGeneral (posthumously)
CommandsCommander of his armed band
Wars
MemorialsAthanasios Diakos (village)
and others
Other workMonk
Member of the Filiki Etaireia

Athanasios Nikolaos Massavetas or Grammatikos (Greek: Αθανάσιος Νικόλαος Μασσαβέτας-Γραμματικός; 1788 – 24 April 1821) also known as Athanasios Diakos (Greek: Αθανάσιος Διάκος) was a Greek military commander during the Greek War of Independence, considered a venerable national hero in Greece.

Early life

[edit]

Athanasios Nikolaos was born in Phocis, either in the village of Ano Mousounitsa or, according to other sources, in nearby Artotina. His family's surname was originally either "Grammatikos"[2][3][4][5] or "Massavetas".[6] The grandson of a local outlaw, or klepht, he was drawn to religion from an early age and was sent away by his parents to the Monastery of St. John the Baptist (Greek: Αγίου Ιωάννου Προδρόμου), near Artotina, for his education. He became a monk at the age of seventeen and, due to his devotion to his faith and good temperament, was ordained a Greek Orthodox deacon not long afterwards.[7]

Popular tradition has it that while at the monastery, an Ottoman Pasha visited with his troops and was impressed by Athanasios's good looks. The young Athanasios took offence to the Turk's remarks (and subsequent proposal) and the ensuing altercation resulted in the death of the Turkish official. Athanasios was forced to flee into the nearby mountains and become a klepht. Soon afterwards he adopted the pseudonym "Diakos", or Deacon.[citation needed]

Klepht and Armatolos

[edit]

Diakos served under a number of local klepht leaders in the region of Roumeli, distinguishing himself in various encounters with the Ottomans. He also served for a time as a mercenary in the army of Ali Pasha of Ioannina in Epirus, where he befriended Odysseas Androutsos, another klepht. When Androutsos became the captain of a unit of armatoloi at Livadeia, Diakos served for a time as his protopallikaro (literally "first warrior", or lieutenant). In the years leading up to the Greek War of Independence, Diakos had formed his own band of klephtes and, like many other klepht and armatoloi captains, he had become a member of the Filiki Eteria.[7]

Independence fighter

[edit]
Further information: Battle of Alamana
The Battle of Alamana, by Alexandros Isaias

Soon after the outbreak of hostilities, Diakos and a local brigand captain and friend, Vasilis Bousgos, led a contingent of fighters to capture the town of Livadeia. On 1 April 1821, after three days of vicious house-by-house fighting, and the burning of Mir Aga's residence, including the harem, the Greeks liberated the town. Hursid Pasha sent two of his most competent commanders from Thessaly, Omer Vryonis and Köse Mehmed, at the head of 8,000 men with orders to put down the revolt in Roumeli and then proceed to the Peloponnese and lift the siege at Tripolitsa.[8]

Diakos and his band, reinforced by the fighters of Dimitrios Panourgias and Yiannis Dyovouniotis, decided to halt the Ottoman advance into Roumeli by taking defensive positions near Thermopylae. The Greek force of 1,500 men was split into three sections. Dyovouniotis was to defend the bridge at Gorgopotamos, Panourgias the heights of Halkomata, and Diakos the bridge at Alamana.[9]

The flag used by Athanasios Diakos and his army of irregulars

Setting out from their camp at Lianokladi, near Lamia, the Ottoman Turks soon divided their force. The main force attacked Diakos. The other attacked Dyovouniotis, whose force was quickly routed, and then Panourgias, whose men retreated when he was wounded. The majority of the Greek force having fled, the Ottomans concentrated their attack on Diakos's position at the Alamana bridge.[10] Seeing that it was a matter of time before they were overrun by the enemy, Bousgos, who had been fighting alongside Diakos, pleaded with him to retreat to safety. Diakos chose to stay and fight with 48 men; they put up a desperate hand-to-hand struggle for a number of hours before being overwhelmed.[11]

The severely wounded Diakos was taken before Vryonis, who offered to make him an officer in the Ottoman Army if he converted from Christianity to Islam. Diakos refused the offer, replying "I was born a Greek, I shall die a Greek" ("Εγώ Γραικός γεννήθηκα, Γραικός θε να πεθάνω" transliterated as: Ego Grekos gennithika, Grekos the na pethano). The next day he was impaled. According to popular tradition, as he was being led away to be executed, he said:

Poetic: Oh, what a moment Death chose for me to perish. Spring grass everywhere and branches with blossoms to cherish. Literally: Look at the time Charon chose to take me, now that the branches are flowering, and the earth sends forth grass (Greek: Για δες καιρό που διάλεξε ο Χάρος να με πάρει, τώρα π'ανθίζουν τα κλαριά και βγάνει η γης χορτάρι, romanized: Gia des kero pou dialexe o Haros na me parei, tora p'anthizoun ta klaria ke vganei i gis hortari).

The Battle of Alamana, by Panagiotis Zographos and Makriyannis. Diakos's death is visible close to the center of the painting.

This was a metaphor for the independence and freedom of Greece.

The brutal manner[12] of Diakos's death initially struck fear into the populace of Roumeli, but his final stand near Thermopylae, echoing the heroic defence of the Spartan King Leonidas, made him a martyr for the Greek cause. A monument now stands at the bridge near Alamana, the site of his final battle. His alleged birthplace, the village of Ano Mousounitsa, was later renamed Athanasios Diakos in his honour. The Greek Army honoured him with the rank of general. Also streets and statues in several parts of Greece as well as in nearly every one of the larger towns and cities bear his name.[13]

References

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" [Athanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle]. Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 11.
  2. ^ Μπόπης, Δημήτριος (April 2007). "ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΣ ΔΙΑΚΟΣ - Ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του Αγώνα". ΣΤΡΑΤΙΩΤΙΚΗ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ.
  3. ^ Παππάς, Ευάγγελος (2014). Το συναξάρι του Μεγαλομάρτυρα Αθανασίου Διάκου. Αθήνα. p. 88. ISBN 978-960-696-159-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Μελάς, Λέων Αγαπητός, Αγαπητός Γούδας, Αναστάσιος Φόρτης, Σπ. Γ. Συλλογικό έργο, Μελάς, Λέων Αγαπητός, Αγαπητός Γούδας, Αναστάσιος Φόρτης, Σπ. Γ. Συλλογικό έργο (2009). Άπαντα για τον Αθ. Διάκο. Αττική: Μέρμηγκας. p. 192. ISBN 978-960-87909-3-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Γούδας, Αναστάσιος (2004). Σουλιώτες και Ρουμελιώτες καπεταναίοι του 1821. Αττική: Βεργίνα. p. 221. ISBN 960-86360-2-7.
  6. ^ «Πού εγεννήθη ο Αθανάσιος Διάκος» Archived 2009-05-23 at the Wayback Machine, Μελέτη Κων. Παπαχρήστου
  7. ^ a b "Διάκος, Αθανάσιος (Μουσουνίτσα Παρνασσίδας, 1786 - Λαμία, 1821)". Παγκόσμιο Βιογραφικό Λεξικό - Τόμος: 3. Εκδοτική Αθηνών. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  8. ^ Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" [Athanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle]. Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 15–17.
  9. ^ Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" [Athanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle]. Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 17–18.
  10. ^ "Διάκος, Αθανάσιος (Μουσουνίτσα Παρνασσίδας, 1786 - Λαμία, 1821)". Παγκόσμιο Βιογραφικό Λεξικό - Τόμος: 3. Εκδοτική Αθηνών. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  11. ^ Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" [Athanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle]. Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 18.
  12. ^ Aiolos (2004), "Turkish Culture: The Art of Impalement", Hellenic Lines: The National conservative newspaper, archived from the original on 25 May 2011, retrieved 9 March 2011
  13. ^ Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" [Athanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle]. Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 19.

General bibliography

[edit]
  • Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" [Athanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle]. Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 10–19.
  • Brewer, David. The Greek War of Independence. The Overlook Press (2001). ISBN 1-58567-172-X.
  • Diamantopoulos, N. and Kyriazopoulou, A. Elliniki Istoria Ton Neoteron Hronon. OEDB, (1980).
  • Paroulakis, Peter H. The Greeks: Their Struggle For Independence. Hellenic International Press (1984). ISBN 0-9590894-1-1.
  • Stratiki, Poti. To Athanato 1821. Stratikis Bros, (1990). ISBN 960-7261-50-X.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Athanasios Diakos.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Athanasios_Diakos&oldid=1264906393"