Athanasios Nikolaos Massavetas or Grammatikos (; 1788 – 24 April 1821) also known as Athanasios Diakos () was a

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

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 ...

, considered a venerable national hero in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Early life

Athanasios Nikolaos was born in

Phocis Phocis (; ; ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. It stretches from the western mountainsides of Parnassus on the east to the mountain range of Vardousia on the west, upon the Gu ...

, either in the village of Ano Mousounitsa or, according to other sources, in nearby Artotina. His family's surname was originally either "Grammatikos" or "Massavetas".«Πού εγεννήθη ο Αθανάσιος Διάκος»
, Μελέτη Κων. Παπαχρήστου The grandson of a local outlaw, or

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 ...

, he was drawn to religion from an early age and was sent away by his parents to the

Monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

of St.

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

(), near Artotina, for his education. He became a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

at the age of seventeen and, due to his devotion to his faith and good temperament, was ordained a

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

not long afterwards. Popular tradition has it that while at the monastery, an Ottoman

Pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

visited with his troops and was impressed by Athanasios's good looks. The young Athanasios took offence to the Turk's remarks (and subsequent proposal) and the ensuing altercation resulted in the death of the Turkish official. Athanasios was forced to flee into the nearby mountains and become a

. Soon afterwards he adopted the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

"Diakos", or ''Deacon''.

Klepht and Armatolos

Diakos served under a number of local

leaders in the region of Roumeli, distinguishing himself in various encounters with the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

. He also served for a time as a

mercenary A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...

in the army of Ali Pasha of Ioannina in

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

, where he befriended Odysseas Androutsos, another klepht. When Androutsos became the captain of a unit of

armatoloi The armatoles (; ; ; ), or armatole in singular, were irregular soldiers, or militia, commissioned by the Ottoman Empire, Ottomans to enforce the sultan's authority within an administrative district called an armatoliki ( in singular, , in plura ...

Livadeia Livadeia ( ''Livadiá'', ; or , ''Lebadia'') is a town in central Greece. It is the capital of the Boeotia Regional units of Greece, regional district. Livadeia lies north-west of Athens, west of Chalkida, south-east of Lamia (city), Lamia, ...

, Diakos served for a time as his ''protopallikaro'' (literally "first warrior", or

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

). In the years leading up to the

, Diakos had formed his own band of klephtes and, like many other

and

captains, he had become a member of the

Filiki Eteria Filiki Eteria () or Society of Friends () was a secret political and revolutionary organization founded in 1814 in Odesa, Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman Empire, Ottoman rule in Ottoman Greece, Greece and establish an Independenc ...

Independence fighter

Soon after the outbreak of hostilities, Diakos and a local brigand captain and friend, Vasilis Bousgos, led a contingent of fighters to capture the town of

. On 1 April 1821, after three days of vicious house-by-house fighting, and the burning of Mir Aga's residence, including the

harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...

, the Greeks liberated the town. Hursid Pasha sent two of his most competent commanders from

Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...

, Omer Vryonis and Köse Mehmed, at the head of 8,000 men with orders to put down the revolt in Roumeli and then proceed to the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

and lift the siege at Tripolitsa. Diakos and his band, reinforced by the fighters of Dimitrios Panourgias and Yiannis Dyovouniotis, decided to halt the Ottoman advance into Roumeli by taking defensive positions near

Thermopylae Thermopylae (; ; Ancient: , Katharevousa: ; ; "hot gates") is a narrow pass and modern town in Lamia (city), Lamia, Phthiotis, Greece. It derives its name from its Mineral spring, hot sulphur springs."Thermopylae" in: S. Hornblower & A. Spaw ...

. The Greek force of 1,500 men was split into three sections. Dyovouniotis was to defend the bridge at Gorgopotamos, Panourgias the heights of Halkomata, and Diakos the bridge at Alamana. Athanasios Diakos 1821

Setting out from their camp at Lianokladi, near Lamia, the Ottoman Turks soon divided their force. The main force attacked Diakos. The other attacked Dyovouniotis, whose force was quickly routed, and then Panourgias, whose men retreated when he was wounded. The majority of the Greek force having fled, the Ottomans concentrated their attack on Diakos's position at the Alamana bridge. Seeing that it was a matter of time before they were overrun by the enemy, Bousgos, who had been fighting alongside Diakos, pleaded with him to retreat to safety. Diakos chose to stay and fight with 48 men; they put up a desperate hand-to-hand struggle for a number of hours before being overwhelmed. The severely wounded Diakos was taken before Vryonis, who offered to make him an officer in the

Ottoman Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922. Army The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...

if he converted from

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. Diakos refused the offer, replying "I was born a Greek, I shall die a Greek" ("" transliterated as: ). The next day he was impaled. According to popular tradition, as he was being led away to be executed, he said:

Poetic: Oh, what a moment Death chose for me to perish. Spring grass everywhere and branches with blossoms to cherish. Literally: Look at the time
Charon In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon ( ; ) is a psychopomp, the ferryman of the Greek underworld. He carries the souls of those who have been given funeral rites across the rivers Acheron and Styx, which separate the worlds of the living and ...
chose to take me, now that the branches are flowering, and the earth sends forth grass ().

This was a metaphor for the independence and freedom of Greece. The brutal manner of Diakos's death initially struck fear into the populace of Roumeli, but his final stand near

, echoing the heroic defence of the

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

n King Leonidas, made him a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

for the Greek cause. A monument now stands at the bridge near Alamana, the site of his final battle. His alleged birthplace, the village of Ano Mousounitsa, was later renamed '' Athanasios Diakos'' in his honour. The

Greek Army The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches of the Hellenic Armed F ...

honoured him with the rank of general. Also streets and statues in several parts of Greece as well as in nearly every one of the larger towns and cities bear his name.Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" thanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 19.

References

Citations

General bibliography

* Bopis, Dimitris (2007). "Αθανάσιος Διάκος, ο πρώτος μάρτυρας του αγώνα" thanasios Diakos, the first martyr of the struggle Στρατιωτική Ιστορία ("Military History") (in Greek). Περισκόπιο ("Periskopio") (128): 10–19. * Brewer, David. ''The Greek War of Independence''. The Overlook Press (2001). . * Diamantopoulos, N. and Kyriazopoulou, A. ''Elliniki Istoria Ton Neoteron Hronon''. OEDB, (1980). * Paroulakis, Peter H. ''The Greeks: Their Struggle For Independence''. Hellenic International Press (1984). . * Stratiki, Poti. ''To Athanato 1821''. Stratikis Bros, (1990). .

External links

Athanasios Diakos Museum
at Athanasios Diakos, Phocis, Greece (in Greek) {{DEFAULTSORT:Diakos, Athanasios 1788 births 1821 deaths 19th-century executions by the Ottoman Empire Greek people imprisoned in the Ottoman Empire Armed priests Christians executed for refusing to convert to Islam Executed Greek people Executed revolutionaries Greek Christian monks Greek generals Greek military leaders of the Greek War of Independence Greek torture victims People executed by impalement People from Kallieis People from Phocis