Did a Turk or a Greek kill Georgios Karaiskakis?

The title of the text is not fake. Nor to “pull” readers’… clicks. It’s a real question that will probably never be answered. The only thing that can be done (and is done) is that various historians and not only try to put all the pieces of the “puzzle” together and reach some logical conclusions.

In reality, however, whoever comes to this conclusion is probably arbitrary, no matter how many arguments they make. Only one person knew if the person who shot and killed Georgios Karaiskakis was Greek or Turkish and unfortunately that person died before he could reveal the identity of the assailant. This man was Georgios Karaiskakis!

The open-mouthed nun’s son

Georgios Karaiskakis was born on January 23, 1780 (or in 1782, with the most likely version being the first. He saw the first light of day in a cave near the village of Mavrommati Karditsa. However, there are various versions about this as well. One is that he was born in Skoulikaria Artas, a mountain village.In fact, the “controversy” about where he was born continues to this day.

His first biographers said that he was born in Karditsa. The same conclusion was reached by the committee set up by the Ministry of the Interior in 1927. Logically, this conflict would have ended but in 1997, as part of the “Kapodistrias Plan” to optimize the operation of Local Government, the name “Georgios Karaiskakis” was given to new municipality to which Skoulikaria belongs to today. So the “controversy” flared up again. In reality, however, this “contra” has little meaning, especially since we are talking about one of its greatest leaders Revolution of 1821.

Georgios Karaiskakis was the fruit of the “illegal” love of the charioteer Dimitris Karaiskos and the nun Zoe Dimiskis, sister of the thief Costas Dimiskis and cousin of the warlord Gogos Bakolas.

His mother died when he was only 8 years old. He had left his upbringing in a Sarakatsan family as she herself could not bear the outcry of the world for giving birth to a child out of wedlock.

Because of the way he grew up, Georgios Karaiskakis, was a tough but affectionate child. Although he was young, he took care at every opportunity to show that he is one of those who do not lift a fly on their sword. Somehow, at the age of 15, he formed his own thieving group made up of children of the same age as him. About three years later, he was captured by Turks who led him before Ali Pasha. There, instead of cowering and being afraid, he showed how fearless, unruly and foul-mouthed he was. Pasha, instead of executing him, ordered him to be imprisoned. Some time later he placed him in his personal guard because he appreciated how much of a Levantine he was.

It is said that at some point, Alis Pasha asked Georgios Karaiskakis what he would like to offer him in return for his services. Then the “Son of Kalogria” answered him in a mouth-watering way: “If you know me worthy to be a master, make me master, if for a slave, make me a slave, if for nothing throw me into the lake»!

To this day, the period when Karaiskakis was next to Ali Pasha is considered the “darkest” in the life of the great commander. This period ended in 1804, when Karaiskakis joined the group of the famous thief Antonis Katsantonis, who is characterized by many as the forerunner of the Revolution of 1821. When Katsantonis was arrested and executed, Karaiskakis assumed the leadership of his group together with Lepeniotis.

When this group disbanded, Karaiskakis returned to the Court of Ali Pasha, Golfo Psarogiannopoulou, with whom he had two daughters and a son, the military and politician Spyridon Karaiskakis.

Karaiskakis left and returned (for the last time) to the Pasha’s Court once more. In January 1821 he participated in the meeting of Lefkada, in which it was decided to prepare the rebellion in Central Greece, his life changed and he dedicated himself to the great cause.

With the outbreak of the Revolution, Karaiskakis participates in battles but is also involved in a decisive dispute with Alexandros Mavrokordatos. This rivalry will be seen during the first Greek civil war where Karaiskakis will be tried for… utter treason! In the second civil war (unfortunately for him) Karaiskakis participates in the shameful raid and subsequent looting in Kalavryta.

In July 1826 he was appointed commander-in-chief of Roumeli. A few days later he starts a campaign to relieve the besieged in the Acropolis of Athens, he defeats the Turks at Haidari. While in November 1826 she also defeats him in her battle Arachova. This was the battle that magnified the legend of Karaiskakis. It was the worst defeat for the Turks after the one in Dervanakia!

Did a Turk or a Greek kill Karaiskakis?

After the brilliant victory in Arachova, Karaiskakis returned to Athens to continue what he left in the middle. He besieges the besiegers of the Acropolis and defeats the Turks at Keratsini and the monastery of Agios Spyridon.

In April 1827, Karaiskakis and his men camped at Faliro and they are preparing for another great battle against Kiutachi. The general command of the attack was given, according to the decision of the Third National Assembly of Troizena, to the English Philhellenes Richard Chorts and Thomas Cochran. Karaiskakis was tired from successive hard battles and seriously ill, and despite the fact that he disagreed with the decision of the National Assembly, he did not have the strength to disagree in practice and decided to retire to his tent and rest until the operation began.

On April 22, 1827, and while there was still no order to attack the forces of Kioutachi, a group of Greek fighters attacked the Turks. When Karaiskakis was informed, he left his tent, took his horse and went to the scene of the fight in order to stop the conflict before it became general. Then a bullet hit him in the stomach. Karaiskakis fought to stay alive but breathed his last at 4 am on April 23, 1827. A day like today, the day of his name day.

Karaiskakis realized that his wound was mortal. He immediately called a priest, confessed, took communion, asked forgiveness from all present and asked to be buried in the church of Agios Dimitrios in Salamis. Nikolaos Kasomoulis, one of the most important fighters and historian of the Revolution of 1821, wrote that when Karaiskakis felt that the fatal moment had arrived, he said his last words which were: “I know the cause, and if I live we all get the kaki (ss: revenge), or if I die, let him call me the potion too».

And now the question of a million: Greek or Turk killed Karaiskakis. It is said that the heavily wounded commander-in-chief of Roumeli called the warlords Christodoulos Hadjipetros and Gardikiotis Grivas and said to them:tomorrow if I’m still alive, come and tell you a secret». No one knows what that secret was. Many say that Karaiskakis knew who shot him, that he was Greek and wanted to expose him, he just wanted to make sure he would stay alive.

“For many years now, I have been drawn to the stunning form of the Son of Kalogria. Many times I said to start writing his life and again decided against it. My greatest hesitations were due to the fact that I could not give a clear answer to this problem: was Karaiskakis killed or murdered? Now I am also sure, like Vlachogiannis, that the volley that took his life was not fired by a Turkish, but by a murderous hand. But this opinion of ours does not reach the reader, of course. That is why we will retell, in every detail, how he was beaten” wrote Dimitris Fotiadis in the monograph of “Karaiskakis” (published by S.I. Zacharopoulos).

“Cochran and Chorts, within the few days they were in Piraeus, realized that one had the power to oppose their plans, Karaiskakis. The order they had received was to stifle the revolution on the Mainland, so that England could succeed in her diplomatic game, the limitation, that is, of the liberation movement of Morea, in order to have the small, weak and semi-independent naval state that would were created under her control. (…) Karaiskakis was a victim of English policy in Greece and initiators of satanism murder Cochran, Tsorts and Mavrokordatos stood up to him”, wrote Yiannis Vlachogiannis in his book entitled “Karaiskakis” (Mermigas publications).

The vast majority of primary sources, including eyewitnesses, accept that Karaiskakis was shot by Turks. Gennaios Kolokotronis writes that two Turks who were in the mantra-fortification, recognized Karaiskakis and shot him in the stomach. Many agreed with this assessment but the point is that the direction of the fatal bullet (from top to bottom) was different and could have come from there.

Theoretically, the man who killed Karaiskakis was at a higher point than him, so he either actively participated in the battle and was standing on his horse, or he was acting as a… sniper and was perched on a tree.