Ipsilanti, Alexander Konstantinovich

Of the fanariots , he belonged to the politically active family of Ipsilanti . Grandson of Alexander Ipsilanti (senior) and son of Konstantin Ipsilanti , Wallachian rulers ; his associate was brother Dmitry . Despite the disappointments experienced by his father, he built his plans on Russian support. Alexander Ipsilanti served in the Russian army, participated in campaigns of 1812 and 1813 , lost his right hand in the battle of Dresden , was an adjutant to Emperor Alexander I. Major General of the Russian Army (1817), commander of the 1st Hussar Brigade ^[2] .

His active participation in the struggle for the independence of Greece began in 1820, when he, on the advice of his friend I. Kapodistrias (at that time the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia), accepted the proposal of the members of Filiki Eteria (Friendly Society) to become its chairman. On March 6, 1821, Alexander Ipsilanti, taking advantage of the death of the ruler of Wallachia and Moldavia, Alexander Sutsu , with a group of figures crossed the Prut and called on the people of the Danube principalities to rebel against the Turkish yoke .

This enterprise was doomed to failure from the very beginning. The living conditions of the people who were supposed to raise the banner of the uprising were not taken into account: it was forgotten that the fanariots in their midst did not at all enjoy love and that feudal dependence on their own boyars was no less difficult for the people than the Turkish yoke. In addition, Alexander Ipsilanti himself did not possess the qualities necessary for the leader of the uprising. He naively believed in his destiny and in his rights to the crown of Greece, was conceited, arrogant and weak-minded; in Iasi, he surrounded himself with a yard and hesitated for a week, distributing titles. He approved the massacre organized by one of the participants in the uprising, Vasily Karavliy, in the Galati taken by him; extorted money from rich people, arresting them and demanding a ransom. In his proclamation, he said that "one great power" promised him his help, and with this false assurance pushed Emperor Alexander I from himself. The Patriarch of Constantinople Gregory V excommunicated Alexander Ipsilanti from the church, which, however, did not save Gregory from execution. Ipsilanti assured everyone that the official statements of Russia were nothing more than a diplomatic maneuver.

In June 1821, after the defeat at Dragashan (see The Battle of Dragashani ), Ipsilanti headed to the Austrian border with the goal of reaching Triestrian Greece through Trieste , but instead of the promised transit, Ipsilanti and his escort were imprisoned by the Austrians: they spent 2 years in prison Palanok castle in Mukachevo , and in 1823 were transferred to the Terezin fortress in the Czech Republic ^[3] . After a change in Russian politics, he was released at the request of Emperor Nicholas I on November 22, 1827, being already seriously ill. A trip from Terezin to Vienna in winter conditions exacerbated his already grave condition. On January 19, the ethereal Lassanis informed him that John Kapodistrias was heading to Greece to lead the country and was already in Malta. Alexander managed to whisper "Glory to you, Lord" and soon died in the arms of his beloved princess Constantia Razumovskaya. The fate of the relatives of Ipsilanti also happened tragically: a few weeks later his brothers Nikolai and George, who came out seriously ill from the Austrian dungeons, died, and then Princess Razumovskaya went crazy.

The news of the death of Alexander was received by Kapodistrias when he had already taken over the rule of the country. Alexander's brother Dimitri received a message about his death from Kapodistrias, being the commander of the army of Middle Greece, in a Greek camp in the city of Megara , Attica . On May 15, in Megara, at the command of Demetrius, 7 thousand rifles launched a salvo in honor of the man who launched the Liberation War. Demetrius was destined to end the war begun by his brother in her last and victorious battle - the Battle of Peter ).

In the view of the Greek people, he remained the hero and martyr of the struggle for independence. The remains of Alexander Ipsilanti after 137 years were transported to Greece and are resting today at the church on the Field of Mars (Πεδιο του Αρεως) in Athens ^[4]

Ipsilanti and éterets are a constant subject of interest, political and artistic, Russian romantic writers and public figures (in particular, the Decembrists ). His references to Pushkin (in particular, in the novel “The Shot ”), who lived during the Ipsilanti uprising in Chisinau and closely watched the activities of Eteria, are repeated:

The first step of Alexander Ipsilanti is beautiful and brilliant. He began happily - and, dead or victorious, from now on he belongs to history - 28 years, a severed arm, a generous goal! - an enviable fate ^[5] .

• Holy detachment (1821)

• Vodovozov V.V. Ipsilanti // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.

• Alexandros Ipsilantis, translation from Greek (inaccessible link)