Georgios Karaiskakis
Georgios Karaiskakis ( Greek Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης , * 1782 in Skoulikaria (today the municipality of Georgios Karaiskakis ), Epirus ; † May 5, 1827 in Athens ) was a general of the Greek War of Independence .
youth
Karaiskakis was born in a small cave near the village of Skoulikaria and spent a week after his birth in the monastery of St. George in Mavrommati ( Greek Μαυρομμάτι ) in the Agrafa Mountains in Karditsa in Thessaly, where he was baptized and named after St. Georgios. His father Dimitris Iskos or Karaiskos was Armatole , his mother was called Zoitsa Dimiski. After the father died, the mother became a nun. As a “nun's boy” and known as a “gypsy” because of his dark skin color, he became Klephte at a young age with a Klephten unit in the Agrafa Mountains. He soon rose to the position of "protopalikaro" or lieutenant in the Klephten organization. At the age of 15 he was captured by Ali Pasha's troops and imprisoned in Ioannina . Impressed by his courage, intelligence and fighting strength, Ali Pasha released him and entrusted him to his personal bodyguards. He served Ali Pasha as a bodyguard for a few years until he lost his favor and fled to the mountains to continue his life as a Klephte.
Freedom fighter
At the beginning of the Greek War of Liberation Karaiskakis served in a unit in the Peloponnese; he took part in the intrigues that divided the Greek leadership. However, realizing the need for a stable Greek government, he supported Ioannis Kapodistrias , who became the first Greek head of state.
Karaiskakis' reputation grew as the war continued. He supported the lifting of the first siege of Messolongi in 1823 and endeavored to save the city from the second siege in 1826.
In 1826 he was appointed supreme commander of the Greek armed forces in central Greece (Roumeli). He did not work effectively with the other leaders of the liberation movement and the foreign sympathizers, but achieved military successes against the Ottomans.
His most famous - and especially valuable in view of defeats suffered elsewhere - he won at Arachova ( Greek Αράχωβα ), where his army defeated a force of Turkish and Albanian troops under Mustafa Bey and Kehagia Bey.
In 1827 Karaiskakis took part in the unsuccessful attempt to break the siege of Athens. Karaiskakis fell on April 23, 1827. The Karaiskakis Stadium in Neo Faliro is named after him because he was fatally wounded in the area. According to his wish, he was buried at Salamis .
Georgios Karaiskakis is the namesake of a district of Mavrommati, today the municipality of Mouzaki , and the municipality of Georgios Karaiskakis at his place of birth.
Honor
Between 1976 and 1986, a coin with a face value of 2 Drachmai or 2 Drachmes was minted in Greece, which showed a portrait of Georgios Karaiskakis.
Web links
- Georges Karaiskakis , entry in the Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 (English)
- Portrait on the pages of the Georgios Karaiskakis (Greek) parish
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Karaiskakis, Georgios |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Καραϊσκάκης, Γεώργιος (Greek) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | General of the Greek War of Liberation |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1782 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Skoulikaria (today the municipality of Georgios Karaiskakis ) |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 5, 1827 |
| Place of death | Athens |