Markos Botsaris

Markos Botsaris
1788–1823
Place of birth	Souli, Epirus, Ottoman Empire
Place of death	Karpenisi, Eurytania, Ottoman Empire
Allegiance	Greece
Years of service	1821-1823
Battles/wars	Greek War of Independence

Markos Botsaris (Greek: Μάρκος Μπότσαρης, Albanian: Marko Boçari) (c. 1788 – 21 August 1823) was a leader of the Souliotes and a hero of the War of Greek Independence.

Early life

Botsaris was born into one of the leading clans of the Souliotes, in Epirus^[1]. He was the second son of captain Kitsos Botsaris, who was murdered in Arta in 1809 by order of Ali Pasha. The Botsaris clan came from the village of Dragani (today Ambelia), near Paramythia.

Greek War of Independence

In 1803, after the capture of Souli by Ali Pasha, Botsaris with the remnants of the Souliotes, crossed over to the Ionian Islands, where he ultimately took service in a French regiment. In 1814, he joined the Greek patriotic society known as the Filiki Eteria, and in 1820, with other Souliots, made common cause with the Greeks against the Ottoman Empire. On the outbreak of the Greek revolt, he distinguished himself by his courage, tenacity and skill as a partisan leader in the fighting in western Greece, and was conspicuous in the defence of Missolonghi during the first siege (1822-1823). On the night of 21 August 1823 he led the celebrated attack at Karpenisi of 350 Souliots on around 1000 Ottomans who formed the vanguard of the army with which Mustai Pasha was advancing to reinforce the besiegers. Botsaris managed to take Mustai Pasha as a prisoner during the raid but he was shot in the head - most probably by Lleshi i Zi, a Catholic Mirdite mercenary - while leaving the encampment.

Markos's brother Kostas (Constantine) Botsaris, who fought at Karpenisi and completed the victory, lived to become a respected Greek general and parliamentarian in the Greek kingdom. He died at Athens on the 13 November 1853. Markos's son, Dimitrios Botsaris, born in 1813, was three times minister of war during the reigns of Otto of Greece and George I of Greece. He died at Athens on 17 August 1870. His daughter, Katerina "Rosa" Botsaris, was in the service of Queen Amalia of Greece.

Legacy

Many Philhellenes visiting Greece admired Botsaris' courage and numerous poets wrote poems about him. American poet Fitz-Greene Halleck wrote a poem entitled Marco Bozzaris,^[2] Juste Olivier also wrote an award-winning poem for him, in 1825. His memory is still celebrated in popular ballads in Greece. Botsaris is also the author of a Greek-Albanian lexikon written in Corfu in 1809, at the instance of François Pouqueville, the French consul in Ioannina. The dictionary is of importance for our knowledge of the Suliot dialect.^[3]

Botsaris was depicted on the reverse of the Greek 50 lepta coin of 1976-2001.^[4] He often adorns posters in Greek classrooms as a member of the Greek pantheon of national heroes. His family became key figures of the Greek political establishment.

Gallery

An oil painting on canvas of Markos Botsaris by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1874.

Tomb of Markos Botsaris, monument created by French sculptor David d'Angers, Messolonghi, Greece.

The death of Markos Botsaris. Painting by Ludovico Lipparini, Civico Museo Sartorio, Trieste, Italy.

References

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Markos Botsaris

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• Botsaris, 180 Years from the Greek Revolution