Demetrios Ypsilantis (alternatively spelled Demetrius Ypsilanti; , ; , ; 179316 August 1832) 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 ...

army officer who served in both the

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

and the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

. Ypsilantis played an important role in 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 ...

, leading several key battles. He was also 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 ...

and the younger brother of

Alexander Ypsilantis Alexandros Ypsilantis (12 December 1792 – 31 January 1828) was a Greek nationalist politician who was member of a prominent Phanariot Greeks, Phanariot Greek family, a prince of the Danubian Principalities, a senior officer of the Imperial R ...

Early life

A member of

Phanariote Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots (, , ) were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is located, who traditionally occupied ...

noble

Ypsilantis family The House of Ypsilantis or Ypsilanti (; ) was a Greek Phanariote family which grew into prominence and power in Constantinople during the last centuries of Ottoman Empire and gave several short-reign '' hospodars'' to the Danubian Principalities. ...

, he was the second son of Prince Constantine Ypsilantis of Moldavia and

Elisavet Ypsilanti Elisabeth Ypsilantis (; 1768–1866), (; ), was a Greek aristocrat and an important figure during the period before the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence in 1821. Biography Elisabeth Ypsilantis was born in 1768 in Iași, Moldavia. She w ...

. He was sent to France where he was educated at a French military school.

Union of Moldavia and Wallachia

He distinguished himself as a

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n officer in the campaign of 1814. In 1821 he took part in the Wallachian uprising under the leadership of his brother Alexandros, that indirectly benefited the Principalities of Moldavia and

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

.East, ''The Union of Moldavia and Wallachia, 1859'', p. 8.

The Greek War of Independence

After the failure of the uprising in Wallachia, he went to the

Morea Morea ( or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used by the Principality of Achaea, the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the O ...

(Peloponessus), where the

had just broken out, as representative of Filiki Etaireia and his brother. He was one of the most conspicuous of the Phanariote leaders during the early stages of the revolt, though he was much hampered by the local chiefs and by the civilian element headed by

Alexandros Mavrokordatos Alexandros Mavrokordatos (; 11 February 179118 August 1865) was a Greek statesman, diplomat, politician and member of the Mavrocordatos family of Phanariotes. Biography In 1812, Mavrokordatos went to the court of his uncle John George Caradja ...

; as a result the organisation of a regular army was slowed and operations were limited. He took part in the sieges of Tripolitsa, Nafplion and the

Battle of Dervenakia The Battle of Dervenakia () was the Greece, Greek victory over the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman forces on 6–8 August 1822, an important event in the Greek War of Independence. It resulted in the defeat of a major expedition by Mahmud Dramali Pasha, ...

, securing the Greek dominion in Morea. On 15 January 1822, he was elected president of the legislative assembly. However, due to the failure of his campaign in central Greece, and his failure to obtain a commanding position in the national convention of Astros, he was compelled to retire in 1823. After the landing of Ibrahim at Morea, he took part in the defence of Naplion in the

Battle of the Lerna Mills The Battle of the Lerna Mills was fought on 25 June 1825, in Lerna, Greece between the Egyptian forces of Ibrahim Pasha and Greek forces led by General Yannis Makriyannis, Demetrios Ypsilantis, Andreas Metaxas and Konstantinos Mavromichal ...

. In 1828, he was appointed in the new established regular army by

Ioannis Kapodistrias Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (; February 1776 –27 September 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias, was a Greek statesman who was one of the most distinguished politicians and diplomats of 19th-century Europe. Kapodistrias's ...

as commander of the troops in eastern Greece. On 25 September 1829, he successfully compelled Aslan Bey to capitulate at the Pass of Petra ( Battle of Petra), thus ending the active operations of the war.

Personal life

He was known for an affair with Manto Mavrogenous, who was a Greek heroine of the Greek War of Independence.

Death

Funerary monument of Demetrios Ypsilantis 02

He died due to illness in

Nafplion Nafplio or Nauplio () is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important tourist destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the Middle Ages du ...

on 16 August 1832.

Legacy

*The city of

Ypsilanti Ypsilanti ( ), commonly shortened to Ypsi ( ), is a college town and city located on the Huron River in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, US; founded in 1823, during the Greek struggle for independence; is named after him. A bust of Demetrios Ypsilanti stands between American and Greek flags at the base of the landmark

Ypsilanti Water Tower The Ypsilanti Water Tower is a historic water tower in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. The tower was designed by William R. Coats and built as part of an elaborate city waterworks project that began in 1889. Located on the highest point in Y ...

. * Ypsilanti, North Dakota, US, was named by a person from Ypsilanti, Michigan, and is thus also indirectly named after Demetrios Ypsilantis. *Ypsilanti in

Talbot County, Georgia Talbot County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2020 census showed a population of 5,733. The county seat and largest city is Talbotton. History Talbot County was created from a portion of Mus ...

, US, was once a relatively important cotton growing centre but “is now (2010) merely a crossroads with a reported five residences."

References

Sources

*East, ''The Union of Moldavia and Wallachia, 1859 – An Episode in Diplomatic History'',

Thirlwall Prize Since 1884, the Thirlwall Prize was instituted at Cambridge University in the memory of Bishop Connop Thirlwall, and has been awarded during odd-numbered years, for the best essay about British history or literature for a subject with original res ...

Essay for 1927, Cambridge University Press (1929).

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ypsilantis, Demetrius 1793 births 1832 deaths 19th-century heads of state of Greece 19th-century prime ministers of Greece Eastern Orthodox Christians from Greece Members of the Filiki Eteria Members of Sacred Band (1821) Greek generals Hellenic Army generals

Demetrios Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumitru, Demitri, Dhim ...

Greek military leaders of the Greek War of Independence Russian military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Phanariotes Constantinopolitan Greeks Speakers of the Hellenic Parliament Military personnel from Istanbul Sons of princes regnant