Angelis Gatsos (; ) (1771–1839) was a Slavophone Greek military commander during the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

. He was born in the village of Sarakinovo, today known as Sarakinoi (

Almopia Almopia (), or Enotia (Greek: Ενωτία), also known in the Middle Ages as Moglena (Greek: Μογλενά, Macedonian and Bulgarian: Меглен or Мъглен), is a municipality and a former province (επαρχία) of the Pella regional ...

municipality, Pella regional unit). Despite Gatsos' Bulgarian origin, in the first half of the 19th century, the religion was the key factor of identification of the local communities in the Ottoman Empire, while yet united Orthodox fraternity, espoused pro-Greek sentiments.In Ottoman times the Slavs of Macedonia generally referred to themselves and were known as "Bulgarians". For more see: Koliopoulos, John S.; Veremis, Thanos M. (2010). Modern Greece: A History since 1821. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell, p. 48. He played an important role during the

, not only in

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

, but also in Central Greece. He joint the ''

klepht Klephts (; Greek κλέφτης, ''kléftis'', pl. κλέφτες, ''kléftes'', which means "thieves" and perhaps originally meant just "brigand": "Other Greeks, taking to the mountains, became unofficial, self-appointed armatoles and were know ...

'' bands of Central Macedonia at the age of 20 and played a leading role during the liberation of Naousa from the Ottomans in February 1822. After the city was destroyed by the Ottoman Army, he escaped with Anastasios Karatasos to southern Greece where he took part in many battles of the Revolution. In 1826 he went to

Euboea Euboea ( ; , ), also known by its modern spelling Evia ( ; , ), is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete, and the sixth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by ...

, where he created his own band and participated in the battle of Atalanti Island. After the creation of the independent Greek State, he joined the army and died in

Chalkida Chalcis (; Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: , ), also called Chalkida or Halkida (Modern Greek: , ), is the chief city of the island of Euboea or Evia in Greece, situated on the Euripus Strait at its narrowest point. The name is preserved from ...

with the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in 1839.

References

1771 births 1839 deaths Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia Greek revolutionaries Greek military leaders of the Greek War of Independence Macedonian revolutionaries (Greek) Hellenic Army officers Greek colonels 19th-century Greek military personnel {{Greece-mil-bio-stub People from Aridaia People from the Ottoman Empire

See also

References