Theodoros Kolokotronis (April 3, 1770 – February 4, 1843)
Born in Ramovouni, Messinia, southwest Peloponnese, he was Field Marshal & Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Greek Forces, during the Greek War of Independence of 1821.
He came from a long line of Greek Fighters & Patriots. His father & 2 uncles, fought the Turks during the Orlov Revolt (1770), a precursor to the Revolution of 1821.
Kolokotronis operated as a Klepht throughout the Peloponnese. He fought the Turks everywhere, disrupting their operations throughout the region. When they caught wind of his activities they issued death warrants, as a result, Kolokotronis fled to Zakynthos, which was then under the control of the British and he joined the Greek Army Corps of the British Army to fight against Napoleon, reaching the rank of Major by 1810.
Fighting in the Napoleonic Wars, opened Kolokotronis’ eyes to the future possibilities for the Greek people and nation. Generally, people thought that Kings and Emperors were Gods on Earth, obeying everything they said & did all that was asked of them. This change of mindset, allowed Kolokotronis and later the rest of the Greeks, to believe that they could rule themselves.
By 1818, Kolokotronis was initiated into Filiki Etaireia and returned to the Peloponnese to prepare the groundwork for the Greek Revolution.
Kolokotronis participated in, led and won numerous battles against the Turks. He liberated various regions & removed Turkish authority & rule in many places. He led the Siege of Tripolitsa in 1821, which was a seminal moment and marked an early & decisive victory for the Greek Revolutionaries over the Turks.
After Independence, Kolokotronis became a great supporter of another Patriot, Ioannis Kapodistrias, Greece’s 1st Modern Head of State.
After Kapodistrias’ assassination in 1831, Kolokotronis denounced the appointment of the foreign Bavarian Prince Otto as King of Greece. Because of this, Kolokotronis was charged with “treason” and sentenced to death. He was pardoned, thanks in large part to the refusal of politicians Anastasios Polyzoidis and Georgios Tertsetis to sign his death sentence.
In the twilight of his life, Kolokotronis learned to write & completed his memoirs, which have been translated into other languages. Kolokotronis’ helmet, along with his weapons and armour, are in the National Historical Museum of Greece in Athens.
Theodoros Kolokotronis, was the Highest-Ranked and the most important Commander of the Greek War of Independence. He died on this day in 1843.
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