The Mavromichalis family (, , ) is a Greek family from
Mani Peninsula
The Mani Peninsula (), also long known by its medieval name Maina or Maïna (), is a geographical and cultural region in the Peloponnese of Southern Greece and home to the Maniots (), who claim descent from the ancient Spartans. The capital ci ...
, which played a major role in
modern Greek history.
Origin
According to the
Maniot tradition, confirmed by the May 31, 1870 epitaph of Anastasios-Petros Mavromichalis (which may be found in the
Metropolis of Athens), the first members of the clan were
refugees
A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...
from the community of
Kardias in
Eastern Thrace
East Thrace or Eastern Thrace, also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the part of Turkey that is geographically in Southeast Europe. Turkish Thrace accounts for 3.03% of Turkey's land area and 15% of its population. The largest c ...
who escaped Turkish attacks in 1452 and resettled in
Western Mani.
The name is said to derive from an
orphan
An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown, or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew language, Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless". In some languages ...
named (, 'Michael'). Because of the dark clothing worn during times of mourning, orphans were often called (, ). From this '{{Lang, el-Latn, mavros, italic=no Michalis' future generations bore the name of Mavromichalis which is sometimes translated as "Michael the orphan".
Initially they established in
Alika, but due to
blood feuds and conflicts they moved to
Tsimova in the eastern part of the
Messenian Gulf
The Messenian Gulf (, ''Messiniakós Kólpos'') is a sea that is part of the Ionian Sea. The gulf is circumscribed by the southern coasts of Messenia and the southwestern coast of the Mani peninsula in Laconia. Its bounds are Venetiko Island ...
and from there to Tsimova's port village
Limeni where they made their stronghold. After fortifying the village they took advantage of the port taxations during the
Venetian domination which eventually arranged their land's virtual autocephaly.
Fame and glory

The first renowned Mavromichalis leader is the 18th descendant of the orphan boy, Georgios Mavromichalis who was the hegemon of a rebellion that took place on the Peloponnisos peninsula sponsored by
Count Orlov during the
Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774. Together with his sons Ilias-Pierros Mavromichalis and Ioannis "Skilogiannis" Mavromichalis he guided Maniot soldiers to victory over the Turks and their Albanian allies.
Another notable member of the family was a son of Skilogiannis Mavromichalis who is known as Şükür Mehmet Bey. As a child, Bey was captured by Turks during battle, later becoming a Muslim and a
renegade, eventually becoming an
Ottoman Fleet admiral. Although considered a traitor to his motherland and religion Şükür was vital in lobbying for the appointment of his cousin
Petros "Petrobey" Mavromichalis as the head of state of the
Beylik of Mani by the
Sublime Porte
The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( or ''Babıali''; ), was a synecdoche or metaphor used to refer collectively to the central government of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. It is particularly referred to the buildi ...
.
Petrobey Mavromichalis, with support from the leading families of Peloponnisos made the Maniot state and the Mavromichalis family in particular powerful enough to control sizable swaths of territory on the Peloponnisos peninsula and protected them from Greek rebels and Albanian raiders at the encouragement of the Sultan.
However Petrobey's ultimate goal was the freedom of Greeks from Ottoman rule, and he used his local power and autonomy to build support for a large scale Greek rebellion. In 1821 this rebellion formally began in what would become 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 known as a dealmaker and voluntarily ceded leadership of the rebellion to
Theodoros Kolokotronis when it became politically necessary. He contributed vital contingents of troops to liberate
Kalamata
Kalamata ( ) is the second most populous city of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece after Patras, and the largest city of the Peloponnese (region), homonymous administrative region. As the capital and chief port of the Messenia regiona ...
and
Tripolis and participated in the expedition to help the
Souliotes. On this expedition Petrobey's young brother
Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis heroically died fighting the Turks. Under the leadership of Petrobey and his brother
Konstantinos Mavromichalis, Greek forces successfully defeated renowned Ottoman commander
Ibrahim Pasha during the
Egyptian Invasion of Mani. This military victory secured Greek control of the strategically important city of
Nafplio
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 ...
which, after the revolution, would become the first capital city of the modern Greek state.
After the revolution, Petrobey and his brother
Ioannis Mavromichalis were arrested and imprisoned on charges of
high treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...
as a result of stark political disagreements with Greece's first head of state,
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 ...
. In response to their imprisonment, Petrobey's brother Konstantinos and son
Georgios Mavromichalis assassinated Ioannis Kapodistrias.
Aftermath
With the advent of the Modern State of
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 ...
, the Mavromichalis family were key members of the ''"military party"'' and advocated for the formation of a decentralized state with
autonomy
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...
for the provinces, particularly their home province of
Peloponnisos. This clashed with the principles of a homogeneous, western, united, and centralized state championed 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 ...
, the first head of state of independent Greece, and culminated in his assassination 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 ...
in 1831.
In modern times, the most prominent member of the Mavromichalis family was
Kyriakos-Petros Mavromichalis (grandson of
Kyriakoulis the hero of the Independence), who was not a soldier but a lawyer and politician, and later became
Prime Minister of Greece
The prime minister of the Hellenic Republic (), usually referred to as the prime minister of Greece (), is the head of government of the Greece, Hellenic Republic and the leader of the Cabinet of Greece, Greek Cabinet.
The officeholder's of ...
.
Sources
* Κ. Ζησίου, Οι Μαυρομιχάλαι. Συλλογή των περί αυτών γραφέντων, (K. Zisiou, The Mavromichalai. Collection of their own scripts, Athens,1903)
* Ανάργυρου Κουτσιλιέρη, Ιστορία της Μάνης, (Anargiros Koutsilieris, History of Mani, Athens, 1996)
Mavromichalis family
Greek noble families
Greek people of the Greek War of Independence