Revolution of September 3, 1843
The events in Greece that forced King Otto to introduce a constitution and thus lead to the transition of Greece from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy are referred to as the revolution of September 3, 1843 ( September 15, 1843 greg. ) .
Situation in Greece
Eight years after King Otto came of age , the situation was dramatic. Big problems in the economy and in education led to a general dissatisfaction in the population. The country's economic situation was extremely tense due to the obligation to repay a loan of 60 million French francs, which was taken out in 1833 under the guarantee of the three signatory states France, Great Britain and Russia. King Otto was committed to a strict austerity policy that included layoffs of civil servants and cuts in salaries. The budget of the royal family was also cut by 20%. In addition, all ambassadors had to be called back. In Athens, the new Greek capital, property prices were at a peak and there was excessive interest rates in many places. The palace's absolutist style of ruling had also led to a few minor uprisings, which, however, were immediately suppressed by government troops. The palace has generally been the subject of political controversy and popular anger.
preparation
The general and revolutionary hero Giannis Makrygiannis created in 1840 what was - in the opinion of King Otto - illegal organization with the aim of introducing a constitution. Former leaders and fighters of the Greek Revolution who had been sidelined by the palace were soon introduced into the organization. The members of the organization were sworn by an oath to their homeland and the Christian faith. These included Theodoros Grivas , Mitros Deligiogis, Krizeotis and others. a.
Subsequently, Makrygiannis focused his attention on attracting politicians. He managed to win over the leader of the Russian party Andreas Metaxas , an important figure of the time, followed shortly afterwards by the leader of the English party Andreas Lontos. This in turn succeeded in introducing some of the most famous personalities of the time into the organization, such as Rigas Palamidis, Konstantin Kanaris , Chrysanthos Sisinis, Konstantin Zografos, and others. a. For the company to be successful, however, cooperation with parts of the army was necessary. To this end, the organization contacted Colonel Dimitrios Kallergis , won him over to their goals and arranged for his transfer from Argos to Athens and even for his appointment as military commander over Athens. Shortly before the movement began, a three-person commission was formed, with Metaxas as the head of the political part of the movement, with Makrygiannis as the people's representative and Kallergis as the army representative.
The revolution of September 3, 1843
The originally planned date for the movement to start was March 25, 1844, the anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821. The overly enthusiastic Makrygiannis spread this confidential fact to too many like-minded people, with the result that the beginning of the revolutionary movement was brought forward significantly had to. The movement was to begin in the barracks and lead to the rapid shutdown of all of King Otto's units. During the night between September 2nd and 3rd, a large number of initiates came to Makrygiannis' house. The Greek gendarmerie noticed the suspicious movements and immediately arranged for Makrygiannis' house to be moved. Kallergis realized how critical the situation was and went to the barracks, where he set the officers in motion with the slogan Long live the constitution . He ordered one company each to dismantle the conversion of Makrygiannis' house and to open the prison in the Athens madrasa, while he himself marched towards the palace with 2,000 soldiers. Furthermore, the royal mint, the national bank, the public treasury and various ministries were occupied. The arrival of the army with loud cheers and various slogans prompted many Athenian citizens to come to the palace and join the army. The king sent his adjutant Grivas Gardikiotis and the army minister Alexander Vlachopoulos to sound out the situation and try to change the mind of the army. However, both were immediately arrested on the orders of Kallergis. King Otto now sent his royal crier Steinstorf to Schninas to fetch artillery pieces from there. The latter, however, instead joined the revolutionaries. At around 3 a.m. the political dissidents and members of the State Council Andreas Metaxas , Andreas Lontos, Konstantinos Zografos, and Richard Church came and called the other members of the State Council to a meeting to ratify the revolutionary proclamations. The State Council recognized the movement, ordered a national assembly to be convened, and appointed a commission to submit all decisions to the king. A new government with members from all political parties was formed, including a. with Metaxas as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Lontos as Minister of the Army and Kanaris as Minister of the Navy.
The day after the revolution
The assembly of people and army broke up around 3 p.m. after the participants had been informed that all claims had been recognized by the king. Finally, by royal decrees, September 3rd was declared a national holiday and Kallergis was declared the leader of the revolutionary movement.
After the Revolution: The Athens National Assembly of 1843
General elections were held in October and November 1843, from which authorized representatives emerged, who formulated a constitution that was signed by King Otto. The square in front of the palace was renamed Syntagma Square shortly afterwards .
literature
- The third of September 1843 in Athens. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1843, p 60. urn : nbn: de: bvb: 12-bsb10447072-0
- Ioannis Tsourouktsoglou: Ο Γαλλικός τύπος απέναντι στα γεγονότα του κινήματος της 3ης Σεπτεμβρίου 1843. Greek Historical Society, 7th Protocol-Panhellenic Athens.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kallergis writes to the Bavarian ambassador in Vienna that he marched with 2000 soldiers and 20,000 citizens from the people, which, however, seems to be exaggerated
- ↑ Τρύφων Ευαγγελίδης: Ιστορία του Όθωνος Βασιλέως της Ελλάδος 1832-1862 , 2η έκδοση. Edition, Αριστείδης Γαλανός, Αθήνα 1894, p. 204.
- ↑ Comment by a contemporary historian: Without Makrygiannis and Metaxas the revolution would not have taken place, without Kallergis it would not have been successful.
swell
- Tasos Bournas: Ιστορία της Νεότερης και Σύγχρονης Ελλάδας. Publisher: Πατάκη, Athens 1997, ISBN 960-600-524-0
- Ε΄ Ιστορικά, Η επανάσταση της 3ης Σεπτεμβρίου. Eleftherotypia , Athens 2000
- The Movement of September 3 Foundation of the Hellenic World
- Encyclopedia “Δομή”
- Newspaper “Αθήνα” September 6, 1843 (Athens) [1]