Vassiliki Kontaxi, nicknamed Kyra Vassiliki (, ''Lady Vassiliki'', c. 1789–1834), was an

ethnic Greek Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Albania, Anatolia, parts of Italy and Egypt, and to a lesser extent, other countries surrounding the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea. They also fo ...

woman brought up in the

seraglio A seraglio, serail, seray or saray (from , via Turkish, Italian and French) is a castle, palace or government building which was considered to have particular administrative importance in various parts of the former Ottoman Empire. "The S ...

of the Ottoman ruler Ali Pasha.

Life

School of Paul Emil Jacobs - Ali Pasha and Kira Vassiliki

Vassiliki Kontaxi was born in the Greek village of Plisivitsa in

Thesprotia Thesprotia (; , ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Epirus region. Its capital and largest town is Igoumenitsa. Thesprotia is named after the Thesprotians, an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region in antiquity. His ...

. At the age of twelve she sought an audience with the local Ottoman ruler, Ali Pasha, to intercede for her father's life. Having granted her father pardon, Ali Pasha married Vassiliki in 1808 and she joined his

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 ...

. Being allowed to practice her Christian faith, she interceded on behalf of the Orthodox people. She was perhaps contacted by the Greek patriotic organization

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 ...

. During this period she undertook a number of charity initiatives. In 1819–20 she financed a number of restoration works in

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...

. In January 1822, during the last stage of the siege of

Ioannina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...

by the Ottoman Sultan's forces, Vassiliki together with Ali Pasha and his private guard escaped to

Ioannina Island Ioannina Island () is an island in the Lake of Ioannina, Epirus, Greece, a municipal unit of the municipality of Ioannina. Its land area is 0.675 km2, with biggest length 800 meters and biggest width 500 meters. Until the 2011 reform of local ...

. Ali Pasha was executed there on January 22 by an Ottoman delegation, having been declared an outlaw by the Sultan. Following Ali's death, Vassiliki was sent as a prisoner to the Ottoman capital,

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. She was later pardoned and returned to

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 ...

, which meanwhile gained its independence after the successful

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 ...

(1821–30). In 1830, the Greek state gave Vassiliki a medieval tower in

Katochi Katochi () is a village and a community in the municipal unit of Oiniades in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan penin ...

, where she lived the rest of her life. She died of

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

in 1834.

In art and literature

In 1895, the gold-embroidered velvet purse of Vassiliki was bought by Nikolaos Konstantinidis for 25 drachmas. Vassiliki was depicted by various artists. She is mentioned in a number of 19th-century novels, such as in

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

' ''

The Count of Monte Cristo ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Alexandre Dumas. It was serialised from 1844 to 1846, and published in book form in 1846. It is one of his most popular works, along with ''The Three Musketeers'' (184 ...

'' and by English author Richard A. Davenport in his ''The Life of Ali Pasha of Tepeleni, Vizier of Epirus''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vassiliki 1780s births 1834 deaths 19th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century Greek women Ali Pasha of Ioannina Greeks from the Ottoman Empire Deaths from dysentery People from Filiates Albanian royal consorts