32 Facts About Markos Botsaris

Markos Botsaris was a Souliot chieftain, general of the Greek revolutionary army and hero of the Greek War of Independence.

Markos Botsaris was killed during the Battle of Karpenisi and was buried in Missolonghi with full honors.

Markos Botsaris clan were one of the oldest clans from Souli.

The Markos Botsaris had built a church dedicated to Saint Donatus in the areas of Souli they directly controlled.

In 1800, George Markos Botsaris received a large sum and the position of the armatolos of Tzoumerka, and the Markos Botsaris clan left Souli and settled in Vourgareli of Arta.

The departure of the Markos Botsaris clan weakened Souli as they were a significant part of its force and Souli was led to surrender to Ali in 1803, after a three-year siege.

Kitsos Markos Botsaris who had succeeded his father as armatolos of Tzoumerka became a target.

Markos Botsaris gathered his clan and 1,200 Souliots who retreated to Agrafa.

Markos Botsaris returned to the Pashalik of Yanina in 1813 when Ali Pasha gave him again the armatolik of Tzoumerka but as soon as he returned he was murdered by a Gogos Bakolas.

Markos Botsaris lived since the age of fourteen in the Ionian Islands, in particular in Lefkada where the family resettled.

In Lefkada he lived in the same household like his father Kitsos who headed the household even after Markos Botsaris was married, his father's third wife, his own wife, his brothers and sisters, his deceased uncle's widow and their housemaid.

Markos Botsaris accused his wife of cheating in the petition to get a divorce, she defended herself by claiming that her father-in-law would have killed her as is the custom of the Albanians if such an accusation was true.

Markos Botsaris eventually was remarried, this time to Chrysoula Kalogerou, the daughter of Christos Kalogeros, commander of the third order of the Albanian Regiment, where Markos Botsaris's father served as a major.

Markos Botsaris had joined with other Souliots the Albanian Regiment of the French army at an early age.

Markos Botsaris served the regiment until 1813 and became one of the regiment's officers.

In 1820, with other Souliotes and his uncle Notis Markos Botsaris, he came back to Epirus and fought against Ali Pasha and the Ottoman army at the Siege of Ioannina, but soon the Souliotes changed side and fought the Ottoman army together with the troops of Ali Pasha, in exchange for a promise of regaining their former region, Souli.

In 1821, Markos Botsaris took part in the revolution against the Ottoman Empire.

Several battles took place at Bogortsa, Variades, Pente Pigadia and Derviziana; in the latter, Markos Botsaris used an elaborate plan to terminate a Turkish mercenary regiment from Macedonia.

Markos Botsaris sought reinforcements from the Greek revolutionaries and gained the support of Alexandros Mavrokordatos.

On 12 October 1822, Markos Botsaris was promoted to general of Western Central Greece upon the request of Alexandros Mavrokordatos.

Markos Botsaris exploited this and prolonged the negotiations, thus giving time to reinforcements coming from Morea.

In protest, Markos Botsaris tore apart his own certificate of rank, stating that he never sought higher commanding offices, but solely the revolution's success.

Finally, Markos Botsaris moved northwards, to Karpenisi, where Mustafa Pasha and his army were located, to halt the Ottoman advance before it reached Missolonghi.

However, Markos Botsaris was killed by being shot in the head and the revolutionaries were forced to withdraw.

Markos Botsaris's body was carried back to Missolonghi and buried with full honors.

Markos Botsaris's dictionary includes Greek entries corresponding to the translation of Italian entries from Bortoli's dictionary up to letter "r" in the same sequence as the translations are found in Bortoli's dictionary.

Lexicologist Dinos Georgoudis concludes that Markos Botsaris was not responsible for compiling the dictionary, but for writing down what was dictated to him and for contributing information about its Albanian part, and that the dictionary is not useful as a proof of the language spoken in Souli in the early 19th century or of Markos Botsaris's Greek education.

The Greek part of the dictionary is influenced both by the Greek of Epirus and the Greek of Corfu and the Ionian Islands, where the dictionary was written and Markos Botsaris lived for many years.

Jochalas noticing that some Greek words are translated into Albanian in more than one way, believes that Markos Botsaris was writing the Greek words and the elders were translating into Albanian.

Markos Botsaris thinks that many of the entries seem unlikely to be useful for the Souliotes or the Albanians of that time and circumstances, and as such the dictionary was composed after Pouqueville's initiative, possibly as a source for a future French-Albanian dictionary.

Markos Botsaris is honoured in poems of Kalvos, Palamas, Balaorites as well as in plays of Zampelios, Alkeos and Soutsos.

Markos Botsaris's memory is still celebrated in popular ballads in Greece.