What did foreigners think of Kolokotronis?
How to read history and stay alert: an example
Theodoros Kolokotronis is widely considered the most influential fighter of the Greek War of Independence and a figure that defined Modern Greek history like none other. In a country where people tend to be polarised and often critical of all personalities of their more recent history, Kolokotronis still receives wide respect and admiration. In a national poll that was held some years ago, he was voted the third greatest Greek of all time, only behind Alexander the Great and Georgios Papanikolaou, the inventor of the Pap smear test for the diagnosis and the prevention of cervical cancer.
But how was Kolokotronis perceived by foreign contemporaries of his? I found a collection of opinions about him to be particularly enlightening about how history is written, how it is always informed by the source's personal circumstances, beliefs and perspective. Like Edward Hallett Carr said, the relationship between a historian and their facts is analogous to the relationship of persons to their environment. One can only expect this phenomenon to get stronger in documentation penned by sources who are not academic historians. It is thus necessary for the reader of historical sources to always remain alert, examine the sources' political, financial and other interests and motives, find the potential common ground between disagreeing sources, and to be able to read behind the lines.
It is twice as essential for Greeks and Greek history readers, because they have a tendency to blindly trust foreign sources and frown upon domestic historiography as partial. Are the western european sources immune to bias though?
For example, do you think some of the opinions I will state immediately afterwards would be mayhaps different, if Kolokotronis was not reportedly hostile against the involvement of the British and other Europeans in the matters of the Greek Revolution??? Keep that in mind and let's see:
"His thick, long and dense black hair that framed his face, which was always covered by an ancient-looking helmet, the dark bohemian complexion, his small and slightly lazy eyes, his fearless and deep stare, covered under dense eyebrows, his wide and prudent forehead, his dense mustache under the hawk-like nose, his wide mouth with one tooth protruding up to the rough and thick upper lip, moreover his thunderous like a lightning voice, which sometimes exploded in an expression of passion and sometimes in a burst of fierce desire; all of these compose an appearance, that a painter could not ask for a better one, to represent a bandit*. But regardless of how one judges the appearence of this genuine bandit, it is certain that he presided upon all matters, he had endless influence on the people and transmitted them the courage and the faith in the victory, which were also filling his own chest. The outer appearance of a Rinaldo Rinaldini** hid a hero, who had an unusual faith in himself and the struggle of his nation. " - Karl Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1838 - 1897), German historian.
*With the term "bandit" the German historian refers to Kolokotronis being a klepth. The klephts were highwaymen turned anti-Ottoman insurgents, and warlike mountain-folk who lived in the countryside when Greece was a part of the Ottoman Empire.
**Rinaldo Rinaldini is the main character of the German romance "Rinaldo Rinaldini, the Robber Captain".
Kolokotronis with the helmet the German historian describes as ancient-looking. The truth is that it was a British helmet from his days of serving as a mercenary in British troops and he had modified it by putting that large white cross in the front. He hated it with a passion nonetheless. His tragedy was that apparently the rest of us all love it for some reason and we see it transform into some ancient Greek grandeur on him and so we have many statues and paintings with him wearing it and even German historians share the sentiment. He's probably rolling in his grave 180 years now.
"When I arrived at the Peloponnese, I had not seen in him but the fearsome captain of the largest troop. In the beginning he had no other goal but to gather riches and the fall of Tripolitsá had provided those to him. In time his perspective broadened, as well as the incidents in which he was the protagonist: after the riches he desired honours and seeked the title of the marshal of the Peloponnese, which Mavromichalis also desired. - Olivier Voutier (1796 - 1877), French Philhellene
Voutier however adds to his recollection the words Kolokotronis himself once told him.
"Who are these new people who arrived just yesterday in Greece and they seized the power and they want to enforce laws on us? What right do they have to command us? Is it because they obtained in Europe knowledge that we are deprived of in these unfortunate lands? It is not with the careful language and the sophisticated manners that we will get our freedom back. It is by the sword. It is thanks to our harsh training up in the mountains once, that they could enjoy the sweetness of the civilized world." - Theodoros Kolokotronis to Voutier
By "these new people" Kolokotronis refers to rich educated Greek expats of Europe who came to take the political control of the rebelling and freshly declared independent Greek state, often with the support of the British and the French, who however turned against the local Greek warriors who were the ones doing the fighting in the battlefield (such as Kolokotronis himself) and whose influence on the Greek people they tried to minimize.
"About 68 years old but still in his prime. Thin face, a stare that is steady and harsh, a massive black mustache and wavy hair. In his waist he carries a knife and two pistols. A man of war." - Eugene de Villeneuve, French philhellene
A death mask of Theodoros Kolokotronis, the waistband for his weapons and his notorious surviving helmet.
"Kolokotronis? Nobody can deny his inherent skill in war affairs. He is completely illiterate. Taller than average, unkempt appearance, ferocious face, with a harsh and wild expression. Thanks to his build and his iron health he is able to withstand the most harsh adversities." - Jean Francois Maxime Raybaud (1795 - 1894), French philhellene
"It was a man in his 50s or 60s, with a grandiose look that reminded of the generation of heroes. A lively face, tanned by the hot sun, shadowed by gigantic mustaches. A handsome face with all the Greek proportions, decorated with black wavy hair. This is a portrait of the chief of the Irregulars, who spent his entire life in military camps. Beholding his colossal stature, you would think he was a descendant of Hercules, if this ancient god still mattered in Greece." - F. R. Sank*, French enthusiast of classical antiquity.
*Disclaimer: The source I use is in Greek so I did a direct transliteration of the French man's initials and surname from the Greek letters and it is probably totally inaccurate. Anyway, you can see how his love for classical antiquity informs positively his perception of Kolokotronis. I have no reason to doubt that this is happening in the perceptions I added above and below too, whether they are painted in a positive or a negative light.
"When I saw Kolokotronis seated among his companions and the guards who surrounded him full of respect, I was reminded of Satan in the council of Torquato Tasso*. His unkempt gray hair fell on his wide shoulders and was tangled with his rough beard, which he had left unshaven since the day of his imprisonment**, a symbolism of grief and wish for revenge. His build is hard and robust, his warlike and wild face reminds of the gray rocks of the Aegean Sea... Surely Kolokotronis is not a man of average measure." - Ginseppe Pecchio (1785 - 1835), Italian philhellene
*Torquato Tasso (1544 - 1595) was an Italian poet of the Renaissance.
** Kolokotronis was imprisoned by the aforementioned Greek expatriate politicians during the civil war, which took place while the independence war was still in its zenith! These politicians decided to let him free when they realised Greece started losing the war against the Ottomans, while Kolokotronis was kept behind the bars.
Kolokotronis watches his soldiers dance after the victory in Dervenakia. Lithograph by Peter von Hess.
"While we were about to go to bed, we were visited by a famous Greek general. Kolokotronis. He is almost 50 years old, with great status, intense characteristics and a determined personality. He is a very grandiose man and a great fighter. The Greek soldiers are asking for him to support them to their fight for freedom. His appearance is impressive and he seldom leads them to battle without winning it. - William Fleming, American sailor of "USS Constitution".
The British philhellene James Emerson Tennent (1804 - 1869), who was apparently in his late teens - early twenties during his involvement in the Greek War of Independence (!) somehow visited the imprisoned Peloponnesian war chiefs in Hydra island (the imprisonment was for the reasons I mentioned earlier). In this context, we understand that such accessibility was possible for him thanks to the open British support to Greek politicians such Alexander Mavrokordatos, who were largely responsible for imprisoning these men. He wrote:
"Most of them were not remarkable at all. They were like their fellow countrymen, wild looking, dressed in embroidered waistcoats and dirty fustanellas (kilts). You could easily spot Kolokotronis though. He's wilder than the rest, and more savage. Short, but with a Herculian body. His bovine neck supports his very large head, proportionate to the rest of the body. So, with his thorny eyebrows, his dark mustache, the unshaven beard (symbol of grief or unsatiated thirst for revenge) and with the black hair that fell on his back in waves, he was a proper study for a painter."
Emerson and Kolokotronis disagreed over the formation of a regular army, which the British supported. Kolokotronis thought this structure was vastly different from the guerilla warfare the Greeks were used to and could be competent at. Furthermore, he believed Greeks could potentially be against it because they would view it as opposed to their traditions. When Emerson told him that in this way progress and culture would cease to exist in Greece, the illiterate Kolokotronis answered: "We must first ensure political stability. Then, in time, culture will come back."
(I am sorry for intercepting but.... what "progress and culture" would cease to exist, my man Emerson?! The irregular war was already the established reality for CENTURIES at that point!!!!)
Another British man, James Hamilton Browne, close friend of Lord Byron, and as such perhaps keener of the warriors than the politicians, wrote that Kolokotronis' fans and soldiers worshipped him. In his words, "the indisputable leader, the guide, the one who encouraged them and supported them in danger, the one who rewarded them in the great victories".
It is interesting how vastly perception varies even among men of the same nation, usually based on their alliances and ideologies.
The British officer and philhellene Edward Blaquiere (1779 - 1832) was often in ideological disagreement with Kolokotronis, however he wrote: "Precipitous and violent, he was an Ajax with unbelievable bravery... it was impossible to find a more competent captain than him."
George Finley (1799 - 1875), a Scottish historian and philhellene, was a fierce critic of Kolokotronis. He wrote: "A man of a robust build, he was as complacent as is needed to maintain a pleasant mood. Rough in his manners, but as much as it was needed in order to hide his natural hypocrisy, he had adopted a manner of conspicuous honesty. His patriotism was egotistical and the deeds of magnanimity he committed, he owns them to the circumstances and they can't erase the memory of his egocentric ambition and his vulgar avarice in the period of his biggest power. He was gifted by nature with a sharp mind and a tough heart, but he did not manage to broaden and better his feelings with the education and the experience of life."
"He was no different at all from his people, unless we take his dirt into consideration. He looks like a brigand of the mountains and I did not see in him the virtues that befit a good general or captain. He is not famed for his bravery, he does not know how to read or write and the worst is that he does not fulfill his duties towards his soldiers like any proper leader. There is no discipline, neither are there any provisions and the soldiers fight without bread. And even if they find bread, it's going to be of the worst kind, and some family will be left behind starving." - George Jarvis (1797 - 1828), American philhellene
"I was amused by his shenanigans, for I knew this old hypocrite is a notorious enemy of the English and he publicly blames the british government that it plans to take and enslave Morea. His manners have nothing burgeois and they fit absolutely, just like his looks and attire indicate, the manners of a notorious warlord. - George Waddington (1793 - 1869), English priest and explorer.
Waddington spontaneously admits his negative predisposition towards Kolokotronis, which was based on Kolokotronis' open hostility towards the British meddling in the Greek war. This is why I wondered in the beginning of the post whether some of these impressions about him, especially the ones coming from the British, would be different if they were not aware of Kolokotronis' feelings.
"He genuinely loathes the tyranny that tortured his fatherland all this time and he would feel truly happy to make it independent and happy. But his misfortune and shame is that his patriotism goes hand in hand with his self-interest. For even though he loves his country, he loves riches and power more. Even if he is brave and bold, he is also greedy and avaricious... his avarice has spotted even his most praiseworthy achievements. In short, he acquired wealth, massive wealth, while his countrymen were purged from hunger. He's a brigand and a son of a brigand." - Henry A.V. Post, American philhellene
I think it's time to say, because his greediness and love for wealth have been pointed out by many accounts by now, that interestingly Kolokotronis did NOT acquire the massive wealth Post and the others claim. He was indeed the member of a powerful clan of brigands but he gave most of his possessions during the war. The loots he got from the sack of Tripolitsá, all went into sustaining his army for the battles to come. This is ultimately proven by his will in 1841, which shows that his personal fortune was modest. Not desperate, but modest. Certainly not of one who "has accumulated massive wealth and his love for money is bigger than his love for his homeland".
"Kolokotronis is not a bad general, but it's as a figher that nobody can match him. He's brave, strict in discipline, cautious and he takes advantage of every opportunity and uses it appropriately. But his personal qualities as a general are the most notable. He knows every single man of his troops personally, he is loved and admired by his soldiers. And because either they cannot or they don't want to see beyond their nose, they think he is a steadfast patriot and a good man... He was the most fearsome enemy of the consitutional government after Odysseus Androutsos". - Samuel Gridley Howe (1801 - 1876), American doctor and philhellene.
Again, Howe too mentions his animosity with the temporary government of the time, which was pro-British.
"They all sat on the ground without bowing to the prince (D. Ypsilantis). Ypsilantis introduced us to Kolokotronis, but he did not even deign to look at us, speak to us. Only a couple captains addressed a few words to us. We stood up and left offended, because it was impossible to tolerate Kolokotronis' behaviour and the authoritative expression he took as he was speaking to the prince and the captains. He had a smug expression and a treacherous appearance", wrote the Italian officer Bringeri. However, Bringeri also wrote the following: "One day he treated somebody with warmth, the other day with absolute disdain, depending on his intentions. However, despite his repulsion for us, he was a good host to us. He sent sheep, lambs, wine, cognac and plenty of other stuff in abundance, even though we knew he would gladly poison us all, and Mavrokordatos* first and foremost."
*Like I said, Mavrokordatos was the head of the temporary government, a Greek expat with mostly British affiliations. It was Mavrokordatos' workings which sent Kolokotronis to prison.
It goes further than that, as the French colonel Joseph Balestra, who was born in Crete and was killed in 1822, suggested to D. Ypsilantis to murder Kolokotronis! "Your Highness, although you have committed some mistakes that resulted in you relying on Kolokotronis, there is a way, if you truly love your country, to be immortalized. Revolutions do not succeed without bloodshed. We have the precedent of Italy. All the Europeans are by your side. You saw how Kolokotronis behaves after the sack of Tripolitsá, where he seized so many treasures that could be enough to buy Greece's independence. The time has come. If you give us the permission, tomorrow morning Kolokotronis and his satellites will not exist. His riches will pass to your hands. You will put those brutes aside and create troops that are able to ensure the independence of your homeland. Kolokotronis will be your worst enemy, even if you manage to make a government of your own. His only desire is to continue his life as a brigand, which was his profession up to this point."
... I don't know how to approach this, because I want to leave room to the reader to think for themselves, but I have to state some facts. As we see, Balestra offers to have Kolokotronis' murdered for Yspilantis' sake, warning him that he was going to be his biggest enemy and that if he killed him, Ypsilantis would be "immortalised".
What's certain is that if Ypsilantis killed Kolokotronis, he would be "mortalised" very quickly by other Greeks. Balestra says "all Europeans were by Ypsilantis' side". No European was by Ypsilantis side. This text is so disorienting that it feels malicious. The biggest tragedy is that Ypsilantis and Kolokotronis were friendly!!!! They fought in many battles together and they had a lot of respect for each other!!!
And here's the cherry on top: during the civil war (1823-1825), Ypsilantis and Kolokotronis were on the same side!!! Against Alexander Mavrokordatos and the promoted government of Central Greece. Yet somehow this french colonel saw in Kolokotronis Ypsilantis' supposedly biggest enemy, while the Italian above was scandalised by how Kolokotronis treated him, a prince, in such an informal and smug way. Given that we know the men were friendly and collaborative with each other, let alone on the same side during the civil war, I believe that these people, used in the ways of their own countries, totally and constantly misinterpreted the Greek lifestyle and mentality. Demetrios Yspilantis was a Greek prince but he was a Greek hegemon appointed by the Ottomans to control Wallachia and Moldavia. Such a status, while surely respectable, was not perceived as royalty worthy of other Greeks' pleasantries. To Kolokotronis, Yspilantis was a nobleman but not HIS prince. Ypsilantis was in Peloponnese as an aspiring troop leader and fighter for independence, not as a ruler of the other captains. The smugness Kolokotronis had was probably because of the fact that Ypsilantis was many decades his junior and only knew the western regular type of fighting, which as we saw Kolokotronis considered totally unfit for the Greek cause. But an anecdote is that despite their differences, both men always worked to bridge the gap between them. Ypsilantis started toughening up and adjusting to Kolokotronis' ways and fighting style, while Kolokotronis addressed him as respectfully as he could with his nonexistent education, calling him "príntsepa" (prince), a strange mix of the Greek "príngipa" with the Italian "principe".
And there were actually people, foreign people, who actually deemed it appropriate and beneficial to cause bloodshed or at least animosity between these two men, two Greeks, during the independence war. Beneficial to whom, really? If you get really suspicious about all this, it would almost seem like the French colonel attempted to violently remove Ypsilantis from Kolokotronis' influence, so that he could then persuade him to change sides. But we cannot know for sure, so maybe, he really was this genuinely misled to believe in what he was suggesting to Ypsilantis. Thankfully, the prince ignored this message.
Prince Demetrios Ypsilantis. Detail from the painting of Spyridon Prosalentis.
As a final addition, even genuine Philhellene fighters had been swayed by the rumours spread at the expense of Kolokotronis. The Swiss doctor Johann Jakob Meyer, who was penning the newspaper "Hellenic Chronicles" from his base in the besieged town of Missolongi (yesterday was the 200th anniversary of the tragic sortie of Missolongi by the way) wrote: "Brave and miserable Kolokotronis. Fatherland honoured you and made you rich... instead of taking revenge for your son, pull out your sword and spend your money to besiege Patras". From tissue 95, 22 November 1824.).
Some context is needed here too. Do you remember earlier how at least a couple sources said that when Kolokotronis was in prison, he had left his beard grow as a sign of grief and a will for revenge? Conveniently, none of these sources explained the reason behind this sentiment. During the civil war, the GREEK government of Alexander Mavrokordatos hired 25 Bulgarians to attack and murder his son, Panos Kolokotronis, who was also fighting in the independence war, like the whole Kolokotronis family. So, essentially, what everyone is telling him is "stop whining that this government is not good and our plans are not effective and stop being mad that they killed your son and imprisoned you, just shut up and save the government's ass by fighting for it because you are admittedly the best fighter, otherwise you are a corrupted greedy hypocritical vermin and you don't love your country, despite being like 60 and still fighting in the frontline for it".
And you know what the irony is? When released, Kolokotronis did go back to fighting in the battles against theOttomans and did not resume his wish for revenge or the further polarisation of the civil unrest. On the contrary, he became a voice for unity and he supported the next, significantly more competent and infinitely more moral, governor Ioannis Kapodistrias, while other war chiefs were still rebelling. Do the western sources tell anything about this? Well, no, because Kapodistrias had Russian affiliations and thus they hated both equally.
If you read the, like, I don't know, two foreign books out there which explore modern Greek history nowdays, this old propaganda remains the standard narrative. One example I have analyzed in depth is the book The Greeks by Roderick Beaton, which is a decent book with an all of a sudden unacceptable chapter about the Greek Revolution, so ridiculous that even unaware foreign readers in Goodreads comment that they found this chapter abruptly off and weirdly underwhelming. It spoke volumes that the single source Beaton, a historian supposedly specialised in Byzantine and Modern Greek history, used for this chapter was the British consulate in Greece. Seriously. For a history book of a foreign country. The British consulate!
Do you think that the context I provided changed even a little the way you would perceive this topic, if you had only read the recollections of these European men? If so, remember to always scrutinize the source, no matter what you read, especially in historiography, the most violated scientific field.
Here's however what shines as consistent and therefore reliable information throughout both positive and negative accounts:
Kolokotronis had a particularly rough, very unkempt yet impressive appearance that inspired and spread very excited descriptions. While nobody admits it openly, it seems like he could intimidate people with his presence alone (herculian body, ferocious face, steady intense eyes, thunderous voice etc). This is also pretty consistent with Greek accounts. As an example, according to some accounts, Greeks and Turks thought of him as a "demigod" so to speak, and when a Greek person once saw him up close for the first time, he cried: "Well he is just an ordinary man!" By the way, this is one of the reasons I have said before it is easier to cast someone as a Greek god than as Kolokotronis. No actor ever tried to look and act like him and managed to not be ridiculous at it.
Nobody denies him his sharp intellect, strategic genius and military skill, despite his illiteracy and crude manners
Both his fans and critics agree that he was by no means an average man, and most see in him both positive and negative qualities that were out of the ordinary
There is a repeated contradiction of many of these sources accusing him of greed and selfishness, as we already analyzed, yet begrudgingly acknowledging in him an unprecedented bravery and passion. Only one source counterargues that he did not see any bravery in him. The positive accounts are particularly enthusiastic about his heroism and strength. Similarly, in Greece he is viewed as the primary example of unconditional devotion to the struggle for freedom.
Michalis Stoukas for the newspaper Proto Thema (https://www.protothema.gr/stories/article/1304714/theodoros-kolokotronis-ti-grafoun-filellines-gia-ton-gero-tou-moria/AMP/)
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