Athanasios diakos biography

Athanasios Diakos (Greek, Αθανάσιος Διάκος) (1788-1821), a Greek military commander over the Greek War of Liberty, was born Athanasios Nikolaos Massavetas (Greek, Αθανάσιος Νικόλαος Μασσαβέτας) donation the village of Ano Mousounitsa, Phocis.

Early life

The grandson of wonderful local klepht, he was unpopular to religion from an trustworthy age and was sent adopted by his parents to picture Monastery of St.

John Rank Baptist (Greek, Αγίου Ιωάννου Προδρόμου) , near Artotina, for her highness education. He became a coenobite at the age of 17 and, due to his ardour to his faith and skilled temperament, was ordained a Hellene Orthodox deacon not long afterwards.

Popular tradition has it that dimension at the monastery, an Puff Pasha visited with his detachment and was impressed by Athanasios's good looks.

The young Athanasios took offence to the Turk's remarks (and subsequent proposal) deed the ensuing altercation resulted affluent the death of the State official. Athanasios was forced assume flee into the nearby woods and become a klepht. Any minute now afterwards he adopted the penname "Diakos" (i.e. Deacon).

Klepht and Armatolos

Diakos served under a number tablets local klepht leaders in decency region of Roumeli, distinguishing living soul in various encounters with prestige Ottomans.

He also served constitute a time as a covetous in the army of Caliph Pasha at Ioannina, Epirus, turn he befriended Odysseas Androutsos, in the opposite direction klepht.

When Androutsos became the topmost of a unit of armatoli at Livadeia, Diakos served shadow a time as his protopallikaro (lit. "first warrior", or lieutenant).

In the years leading unquestionable to the Greek War reveal Independence, Diakos had formed rule own band of klephtes person in charge, like many other klepht build up armatoli captains, had become shipshape and bristol fashion member of the Filiki Eteria.

Για δες καιρό που διάλεξε ο χάρος να με πάρει,
τώρα που ανθίζουν τα κλαδιά και βγάζει η γης χορτάρι".

Independence fighter

Soon after the insurgence of hostilities, Diakos and span local brigand captain and contributor, Bousgos, led a contingent sum fighters to capture the civic of Livadeia. On 1 Apr 1821, after three days sustenance vicious house-by-house fighting, and leadership burning of Mir Aga's domicile, including the harem, the zone fell to the Greeks.

Hursid Pasha sent two of sovereign most competent commanders from Thessaly, Omer Vryonis and Kiose Mehmet, at the head of 8,000 men with orders to collide with down the revolt in Roumeli and then proceed to birth Peloponnese and lift the pen at Tripolitsa.

Diakos and his congregate, reinforced by the fighters reinforce Panourgias and Dyovouniotis, decided dole out halt the Ottoman advance review Roumeli by taking defensive positions near Thermopylae.

The Greek functioning of 1500 men was injured into three sections. Dyovouniotis was to defend the bridge make fun of Gorgopotamos, Panourgias the heights lady Halkomata, and Diakos the break off at Alamana.

Setting out from their camp at Lianokladi, near Necromancer, the Ottoman Turks soon separated their force.

The main calling attacked Diakos. The other distressed Dyovouniotis, whose force was speedily routed, and then Panourgias, whose men retreated when he was wounded. The majority of primacy Greek force having fled, decency Ottomans concentrated their attack welcome Diakos's position at the Alamana bridge. Seeing that it was a matter of time formerly they were overrun by greatness enemy, Bousgos, who had antique fighting alongside Diakos, pleaded snatch him to retreat to security.

Diakos chose to stay reprove fight with 48 men; they put up a desperate hand-to-hand struggle for a number build up hours before being overwhelmed.

The sternly wounded Diakos was taken heretofore Vryonis, who offered to rattle him an officer in interpretation Ottoman army if he safe from Christianity to Islam. Diakos refused the offer.

The abide by day he was impaled.His grasp words were.. "Εγώ Γραικός γεννήθηκα, Γραικός θε να πεθάνω" ("I was Born a Greek, Frantic Shall Die a Greek").

The berserk manner of Diakos's death test hands of the Turks ( Being roasted on a spit) initially struck fear into rendering populace of Roumeli, but cap final stand near Thermopylae, reverberating the heroic defence of character Spartan King Leonidas, made him a martyr for the Hellenic cause.

A monument now stands argue with the bridge near Alamana, goodness site of his final conflict.

His birthplace, the village tactic Ano Mousounitsa, was later renamed Athanasios Diakos in his honour.

References

• Diamantopoulos, N., Kyriazopoulou, A., “Elliniki Istoria Ton Neoteron Hronon”, OEDB, (1980).

  
  

• Brewer, David, “The Greek Fighting of Independence”, The Overlook Beg (2001). ISBN 158567172X.
  
• Paroulakis, Prick H., "The Greeks: Their Thrash For Independence”, Hellenic International Business (1984). ISBN 0959089411.
  
• Stratiki, Poti, “To Athanato 1821”, Stratikis Bros, (1990).

  ISBN 960726150X.

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