Daskalogiannis

Daskalogiannis bust in Anopoli

Daskalogiannis ( Greek Δασκαλογιάννης ), actually Ioannis Vlachos ( Greek Ιωάννης Βλάχος ; * around 1725 in Anopoli; † June 17, 1771 in Heraklion ) was the leader of an uprising of the Greek population of the island of Crete against the Ottoman rule in the 18th century.

biography

Ioannis Vlachos came from the village of Anopoli in Sfakia , a region in southwest Crete that was never completely ruled by the Ottomans . He was born between 1722 and 1730. His name indicates a Vlachian or Aromanian origin of his family. His father, a wealthy shipowner , sent him abroad for training; the education he gained there earned him the nickname Daskalogiannis ('Teacher Giannis'). He is mentioned around 1750 as the chief official of the Sfakia region and as the owner of four merchant ships.

The 1770 uprising

During the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) , the brothers Grigori Grigorjewitsch Orlow and Fyodor Grigorjewitsch Orlow tried to persuade the Greek subjects of the Ottoman Empire to rebel on behalf of the Russian Tsarina Catherine II ; the elevations they instigated are named after them Orlofika ( Greek Ορλόφικα ) . They got in touch with Daskalogiannis in early 1770. The latter then organized an uprising of 2,000 Sfakiots against the Turkish rule and equipped them with weapons at their own expense. He trusted the Russians' promise to support him. The uprising began on March 25, 1770, when the Greek flag was hoisted at the church of Agios Georgios in Anopoli. However, the uprising was unable to spread much. The Russian fleet, under the command of Grigory Orlov in the Aegean Sea , did not appear before Crete. Without their support, the rebels could not hold their own and the uprising was brutally suppressed by the Turkish armed forces. The Pasha of Chania promised Daskalogiannis peace negotiations. In the hope of being able to save the lives of his fellow fighters, Daskalogiannis surrendered at Frangokastello together with 70 fellow fighters. However, the pasha punished him terribly: he ordered Daskalogiannis' skin to be peeled off while he was alive . This was carried out on June 17, 1771 in Heraklion . Daskalogiannis' brother is said to have been forced to attend this ordeal and lost his mind over it.

Post fame

Monument in Anopoli

Numerous folk tales and songs have kept the memory of Daskalogiannis alive and made him immortal. The best known is a ballad by the poor dairyman Barba-Pantzelios by Mouri - To tragoudi tou Daskalogianni (1786):

... Φτάνουν στο Φραγκοκάστελο και στον πασά ποσώνου,

κι εκείνος δούδει τ 'όρντινο κι ευτύς τσοι ξαρματώνου.

Ούλους τσοι ξαρματώσασι και τσοι μπισταγκωνίζου

και τότες δα το νιώσασι πως δεν ξαναγυρίζου.

... you come to Frangokastello to surrender,

The pasha orders them to be disarmed immediately.

They lay down their arms full of dark foreboding:

that none of them will ever return home.

The Chania airport "Ioannis Daskalogiannis" (CHQ / LGSA) is named after Daskalogiannis, also a ferry, numerous streets and clubs. In his birthplace Anopoli as well as in Heraklion monuments remind of him.

Web links

• Daskalogiannis- Skinned alive (English)