Emmanouil Tombazis (, c. 1784–1831) 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 ...

naval captain from Hydra, active 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 ...

, who was appointed

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

for the Greek provisional government in 1823–1824 and naval minister for a short period in 1828. The Tombazis family migrated from Vourla, Smyrna to the island of Hydra in 1668. It was originally named ''Yakoumakis'' (). Emmanouil Tombazis was the son of Nikolaos Tombazis and brother of Iakovos Tombazis. During the early years of the War of Independence, he participated in several naval battles and served as a representative for his native island in the national assemblies of

Epidaurus Epidaurus () was a small city (''polis'') in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: ''Palaia Epidavros'' and ''Nea Epidavros''. Since 2010 they belong to the new municipality of Epi ...

and Astros. Appointed Commissioner for Crete in early 1823, he arrived on the island on 21 May 1823 at the

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

Kissamos Kissamos () is a town and a municipality in the west of the island of Crete, Greece. It is part of the Chania regional unit and of the former Kissamos Province which covers the northwest corner of the island. The town of Kissamos is also known as ...

with a small fleet of five warships, three transports and 600, mostly

Epirote Epirus () is a geographical and 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 of Vlorë and the Acroceraunian Mountains in ...

, volunteers. His arrival gave new impetus and hope to

Cretan Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

insurgents An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well ...

, notably since the

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...

at the fort surrendered shortly after his arrival, on May 25, and this was followed by other victories.Detorakis, ''Turkish rule in Crete'', p. 377 However, Tombazis was criticised for his delay in organising a military force to repel the expected arrival of 12,000 Turkish-Egyptian soldiers under the command of Hussein Bey, a son-in-law of

Muhammad Ali of Egypt Muhammad Ali (4 March 1769 – 2 August 1849) was the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Albanians, Albanian viceroy and governor who became the ''de facto'' ruler of History of Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty, Egypt from 1805 to 1848, widely consi ...

. When he finally gathered 3,000 insurgents at Gergeri they were no match for the larger and better-trained force at the battle of Amourgelles on 20 August 1823.Detorakis, ''Turkish rule in Crete'', p. 379 In 1828 he was appointed by Governor

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 Minister for Naval Affairs, but resigned shortly after when he disagreed with his policies. He died at Hydra in 1831, leaving behind a son, Nikolaos (1815–1896).

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tombazis, Emmanouil 1780s births 1831 deaths Greek military leaders of the Greek War of Independence Greek revolutionaries People from the Ottoman Empire Ministers of naval affairs of Greece People from Hydra (island)