Athanasios Diakos: He died today – The horrible death of the hero of the Greek Revolution – Newsbomb – News

It was April 24, 1821 when Athanasios Diakos, one of the most important heroes of the Greek Revolution, breathed his last, while his death was described as the most martyrdom, after a deeply episodic trial.

“I was born a Greek, I will die a Greek!”

After the battle of Alamana, Athanasios Diakos, seriously wounded in his right shoulder, was captured by five Chamides and taken to Lamia before Omer Bryonis. He knew him from their earlier joint tenure at the court of Ali Pasha. Because of the esteem he held in his person, he offered to make him a senior officer in the Ottoman army if he would convert and embrace Islam. Diakos refused, characteristically replying “I was born a Greek, I will die a Greek!”. Omer Pasha showed sympathy towards Diakos, but Halil Bey from the city begged for his immediate and exemplary execution, influencing also Kiose-Mehmet, who was hierarchically superior to Omer Bryonis. So the next day, Athanasios Diakos suffered a martyr’s death, as he was dismembered, which is popularly referred to as “being impaled”.

Athanasios Diakos faced his martyrdom with too much courage, he suffered horrible tortures, while only one complaint came out of his lips, predicting the already coming resurrection of Hellenism: “Look at the time that grace has chosen to take me, now that they are blooming the branches and the earth brings forth grass.”

The abominable death sentence was carried out in Zitouni, Lamia on April 24, the day after the battle in Alamana. After his death, the Turks threw his remains into a nearby ditch. The Christians, however, went out secretly at night and buried his body, in the area where Isaiah Street begins today.

Chief Petty Officer First Class

The burial place of Athanasios Diakos had been forgotten and was discovered by lieutenant colonel Rouvalis in 1881. Then, in 1886, his first memorial service was held and the current bust was placed. The draft board had previously recognized him as a first class officer and awarded a monthly pension to his sister until her death in 1873.

Who was Athanasios Diakos?

He was born in the area of ​​Ano Mousounitsa of Fokida or Artotina of Fokida on January 4, 1788. He was a Greek general among the protagonists of the first year of the Greek Revolution of 1821, who operated in Central Greece. He came from mountainous Phocis and according to one version, his real name was Athanasios Grammatikos or according to others Athanasios Massavetas. However, he himself chose “Diakos” as his last name.

He was initiated into the Friendly Society in 1818 and in 1820 he became a charioteer in Livadia. In April 1821, in collaboration with other chieftains, he captured the fortress of Livadia and, using it as a base, fought many victorious battles. He occupied the bridge of Alamana and on April 23, 1821 he fought the troops of Omer Bryonis. In this battle he was captured and after being transferred to Lamia, he was murdered on April 24, 1821, after torture.

The Battle of Alamana

Hursit Pasha, commissioned by the Sultan, sent two of his ablest commanders from Thessaly, Omer Bryonis and Kiose-Mehmet Pasha, at the head of 8,000 Turkish infantry and 1,000 cavalry with orders to suppress the revolt at Rumeli and then advance in the Peloponnese and to stop the siege of Tripolitsa. Hursit relied on the skills of Omer Bryonis. Bryonis, of Albanian origin and Pasha of Berati, was a very capable general and knew very well the territories and the Greek chieftains, most of whom he had met at the court of Ali Pasha. They were joined by the Arvanite leaders of Telekhavei, Hasan Tomaritsas, and Mehmet Tsaparas.

Diakos and his detachment, reinforced by the fighters Panourgias and Diovouniotis, decided to cut off the Turkish advance to Roumeli by taking defensive positions near Thermopylae. The Greek force of 1,500 men was divided into three divisions: Diovouniotis would defend the Gorgopotamos bridge, Panourgias the heights of Chalkomata and Diakos the Alamana bridge, on the Sperchios River.

Encamping at Lianokladi, near Lamia, the Turks quickly divided their force. The main Turkish force attacked Diako. The other attacked Dyovouniotis, whose detachment was quickly driven into retreat, and the rest at Panourgias, whose men retreated when he was seriously wounded, while among the other men, the bishop of Salonos Isaias and his brother Papagiannis died a heroic death . With the majority of the Greeks retreating, the Turks concentrated their offensive force against Diakos’ position at the Alamana bridge. Seeing that it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed by the enemy, Busgos, who was fighting alongside Diakos, suggested that they retreat. Diakos chose to stay and fight alongside those of his fellow warriors who wanted to stay in a desperate hand-to-hand battle, hours before they crashed. “Diakos does not leave, nor abandons his companions” was the answer and he was left with 48 lads.

According to Io. Philemons over 200 Greeks were dead. Turkish losses were limited to 150 dead according to Philemon, 600 according to Pouqueville.

The battle of Alamana is a milestone for the revolution and modern Hellenism. Held at the site of the ancient battle of Thermopylae, it was, like her, an untouchable example of heroism and self-sacrifice. Perhaps even greater than that of Leonidas, if we consider that the Spartans would be killed, according to the laws of the city, if they returned defeated. But Diakos had options and time to escape. He preferred to sacrifice himself on the altar of debt and proved that heroes never stopped being born in the Greek land.

The brave decision of Athanasios Diakos, to stay and fight to the end, helped Kolokotronis, who was besieging Tripolitsa, to gain a few days of time, since Omer Bryonis delayed his advance until May 7 to regroup and resupply his army. The latter had been informed that there was a greater force of Greeks in the Morea and feared, after the heroic example of Diakos, that the situation was now serious and had nothing to do with simple mutiny movements, but with a generalized revolution.

Odysseas Androutsos does not appear on those match days, while his help would be important. He makes his appearance after the battle of Alamana, perhaps because he did not catch the events or there was some other reason, if we also consider his break with Diakos earlier, but also his bad relationship with Panourgias when, during the time Androutsos was in orders of Ali Pasha, he took him captive to Ioannina asking Ali to spare his life. The enmity between them seems to have died down, after the battle of Alamana, so that they cooperated and resisted with courage for a whole day, in the inn of Gravia, reinforcing the delay of the advance of Omer Bryonis in the Peloponnese.

The brave example of Diakos, which inspired many, would also be followed by Grigorios Dikaios (Papaflessas), four years later, in the heroic treatment of Ibrahim in Maniaki, on May 20, 1825.

*With information from Wikipedia