16 Facts About Yannis Makriyannis

Yannis Makriyannis's family was forced to flee to Levadeia, where Makriyiannis spent his childhood up to 1811.

Yannis Makriyannis was held captive for 90 days but managed to escape and, in August 1821, first took up arms against the Ottomans under chieftain Gogos Bakolas.

Yannis Makriyannis fought alongside several other chieftains during the successful siege of Patratziki, which had been fortified with considerable Ottoman forces.

Yannis Makriyannis ordered the construction of makeshift fortifications, as well as the gathering of provisions.

Yannis Makriyannis opposed what he considered Kapodistrias's personal authoritarianism and, on a more personal level, was concerned about whether his home region would be included or not in the liberated Greek state.

Yannis Makriyannis did condemn the assassination itself in the strongest terms.

Yannis Makriyannis often voiced his demand for constitutional rule, even though the royal administration initially held him in high esteem and given him the rank of colonel.

Yannis Makriyannis played a crucial part in paving the way for this, having started as early as 1840.

Yannis Makriyannis was elected as a representative of Athens to the National Assembly, and headed an informal group of 63 representatives loyal to him.

Yannis Makriyannis personally proposed various recommendations during the course of the proceedings.

Yannis Makriyannis was always outspoken about his views, and as a result he stirred negative reactions among his opponents.

Yannis Makriyannis opposed what he perceived as a continued degradation of the veterans of the War of Independence, and had repeatedly been considered suspect of plotting against King Otho.

Yannis Makriyannis's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the King, but he only spent 18 months in prison.

Yannis Makriyannis was finally pardoned and released on 2 September 1854, thanks to the Crimean War.

Yannis Makriyannis's condition did not improve with the death of one of his younger sons in the cholera epidemic that struck Athens.

Yannis Makriyannis was promoted to the rank of general on 20 April 1864, and died on 27 April.