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People
Greek War Of Independence (1821-1829)
Civil Wars
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Disputes, lack of discipline and lust for power have together been the greatest blight of the Greek Nation and have plagued it in times of crisis throughout its thousands of years of history. It is therefore only to be expected that these things would show their head during the Struggle for Freedom from Ottoman occupation.
From the defeat of Mahmud Dramali Paşa (1780-1822, Ottoman General born in Drama {Δράμα}) until 1825, the Peloponnese {Peloponnisos ~ Πελοπόννησος} suffered no more Ottoman invasions. But the Greeks did not use this opportunity to take control of the few fortresses that were still held by the Ottomans and prepare to repel a new invasion. Instead, they started squabbling over power.
The civil wars were caused by the division of the Greeks into two political camps: the military party led by Kolokotronis [People] and Androutsos [People], and the politicians' party led by Mavrokordatos [People], Negris {Νέγρης} and Kolettis {Κωλέττης}.
The first civil war was triggered by the fact that the majority of ministers in 2nd National Assembly at Astros {Άστρος} (March 1823) were from the politicians' party. Because the new government (the Executive {Nomotelestikon ~ Νομοτελεστικόν}) was made up of four politicians and one military figure, Kolokotronis, the military, led by Kolokotronis (having won over the President of the Petrombeis [People] Government), moved its seat to Tripolis {Τρίπολις} and petitioned for the dissolution of the National Assembly (November 1823). But the Assembly did not dissolve itself. Instead it elected a new government under Georgios Koundouriotis [People] with its seat in Kranidi {Κρανίδι}. The new government had the support of the Procrites {Prokritoi ~ Πρόκριτοι} (community leaders under Ottoman occupation) of the Peloponnese, Mainland {Sterea ~ Στερεά} Greece and the islands. Faced with the strength of the new government, Kolokotronis backed down for the good of the country and was pardoned.
The second civil war began in October 1824. The Procrites of the Peloponnese sided with Kolokotronis against the Koundouriotis government. As the government did not have many forces in Morias {Μοριάς}, it summoned the regiments of Gkouras {Γκούρας} and Karaiskakis [People] with the intervention of Kolettis, its Minister from Ipiros {Ήπειρος}, and overcame its rivals. Although Kolokotronis, who was grief-striken by the murder of his son Panos {Πάνος}, asked for a compromise to be worked out, he was arrested along with another 24 Procrites from the Peloponnese and imprisoned on the island of Idra {Ύδρα} (January 1825). The government then turned against Androutsos [People], accusing him of holding discussions with the Ottomans. When Androutsos was promised a pardon, he gave himself up to Gkouras, but Gkouras took him to Athens [Place Names] in chains and imprisoned him on the Acropolis {Ακρόπολις}. On June 5th, 1825, the hero of Gravia {Γραβιά} was found dead below the walls. Gkouras' men had thrown him over. Androutsos was later discovered to have been the innocent victim of anger, so the Nation reinstated his honour and placed him among the ranks of heroes along with Kolokotronis and Karaiskakis.
So the civil wars, which were a dark cloud in the history of 1821, came to an end. But they had fractured national unity, and anger and anarchy reigned for a long time, almost bringing devastation on the nation of the revolution.
04-23-2004