Greek battalion of Balaclava (Russian Empire)

In 1779, protecting the Christian population and at the same time undermining the economy of the Crimean Khanate, the Russian Empire removed 32 thousand from the indigenous Greek population of Tauris, as well as Armenians from Crimea ^[4] . Immigrants settled on the northern coast of the Sea of ​​Azov , in the area of ​​today's Mariupol . But almost immediately, as a result of the Russo-Turkish war and the Archipelago expedition of the Russian fleet , Russia began to further encourage, beginning in 1762, the migration of Greeks from mainland Greece and the islands of the Archipelago to its new Black Sea lands and to Crimea.

As a result of the uprising of the Greek population caused by the Archipelago expedition ( Peloponnesian uprising ), its defeat and the bloody terror inflicted by the Ottomans, a mass exodus was observed in Austria, Hungary and Russia ^[5] .

During the Archipelago expedition, 8 battalions of the Greek army were manned from Greek rebel forces. They were sent to the fleet under the command of A. Orlov and participated in battles against the Turks ^[6] .

After the war, many of the participants in the uprising, in order to avoid persecution, were resettled with their families in Crimea. An important role was played by A. Orlov himself. The move was made under the auspices of the Empress , the former military ranks and salaries were preserved. In 1775, a delegation of Greeks arrived in St. Petersburg, under the command of S. Mavromihali, who became famous during the war, and by that time had become a colonel and first commander of the Balaklava battalion ^[7] . The result of his trip was the Highest Rescript in the name of Alexei Orlov. It confirmed the benefits promised to the Greeks, measures for their resettlement and accommodation were ordered to be taken directly to Count Orlov. In 1775, Kerch and Yenikol in the Azov province began to settle in the Greeks. In the same year, Potemkin, Grigory Alexandrovich was appointed Governor General of the Novorossiysk and Azov Provinces. The Greeks played a special role in the annexation of Crimea and the expulsion of the Ottoman Empire from the region.

After the signing of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhinsky peace treaty , the independence of Crimea from Turkey was declared. In 1777-1778, with the support of the Turks, the Crimean Tatars revolted. The Greeks had a special role in pacifying them; they also took part in the battles for Kafu ( Theodosius ) and the occupation of Sudak , occupied by Turkish troops. The Greeks were awarded a certificate of honor for their courage. After the pacification of the Tatars, Potemkin began to form a Greek infantry regiment of 20 companies. With this step, Potemkin secured the Crimea from a possible Turkish landing and the prevention of a new rebellion of the Tatars. The little-known highlands and lack of roads contributed to an irregular war. For this reason, it was necessary to keep mobile units in the Crimea with experience of mountain warfare. From the resettled Greeks, an infantry regiment was formed, which was stationed in Balaclava. The regiment carried cordon service from Sevastopol to Feodosia and oversight of the order on the peninsula. In the vicinity of Balaklava, the Greeks were allocated lands near modern suburbs and the villages of Oboronnoye and Chernorechenskoye ^[8] . The highest order of February 18, 1784 prescribed: "Balaklava correcting, as it is, to keep it settled by the Greek army." The soldiers settled in Balaclava with their families, for a total of about 500 adults in 1778. The number increased to 1700 in 1802. ^[3]

Kondaraki wrote that due to the small number of women: "The Greeks began unceremoniously abducting daughters from the Tatars and Karaites and, having married them, strengthened their tribe." ^[9] . By decree of the Empress in Balaclava, it was forbidden to have real estate for persons not belonging to the Greek army. The commander of the troops received 240 dess. land, officers were assigned 60 dessiatines., lower ranks - 20 dessiatins. Potemkin announced the release of the Greeks from taxes and the granting of land to him for life. ^[10]

In 1787, a new Russian-Turkish war began . Most of the Greeks were sent to the fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Voinovich . Those who remained in Balaclava carried out cordon service. The Greeks were sent to the flotilla of rowing ships and fought in the Dnieper estuary under the command of Colonel S. Mavromihali. They participated in the defeat of the Turkish fleet in the estuary (July 6, 1787) and in the destruction of the fleet by the head of the Dnieper rowing flotilla, Prince Nassau Siegen (July 1, 1788), in the battle of the Kinburn Spit (October 1787), were participants in the capture of Ochakov (December 1788).

In 1789, the Greeks under the command of Rear Admiral F.F. Ushakov participated in an expedition off the coast of Anatolia. They also participated in the battles of July 8, 1790 of the Strait of Yenikal and the Kuban, and in the naval battle of August 28-29, 1790 near the island of Tendra . After the war ended, the Greeks returned to Balaklava and continued to patrol the Tauride coast from Sevastopol to Feodosia.

In 1787, Catherine II began an inspection tour in Tauris , which lasted from January to July. The tour was attended by diplomatic representatives of England, France, King of Poland Stanislav Poniatowski and Emperor of Austria Joseph II . The purpose of the tour was to show the economic and military capabilities of Russia and newly acquired territories. On this occasion, Potemkin was inspired to form a military unit of women, as a staging of mythical Amazons. By order of Commander K. Zaponis and his friend P. Sarantis (Sarantov), ​​about a hundred wives and daughters of Greek soldiers were brought in to form the “Amazon battalion” led by Elena Ivanovna Saranta, the wife of Ioannis Sarantos. The latter was a friend of Potemkin, and then was appointed adviser in a court of Crimea. Women underwent intensive military training in riding, fencing and shooting. On May 24 (June 4), 1787, the Amazon Battalion met Catherine in the village of Kadikoy, on horseback, in colorful uniforms, armed with rifles with a long barrel. The spectacle impressed foreign visitors, Joseph II expressed satisfaction with hugs, as well as a visit to the camp of the battalion while other diplomats marked him as part of the exciting events organized by Potemkin to impress Catherine and foreign guests. Elena Sarantova was awarded the title of captain , as well as a diamond bracelet. The battalion was awarded the sum of 10,000 rubles. "Amazons" accompanied Catherine on a tour and "disappeared" after its completion. . ^[eleven]

On January 30, 1797, by decree of Paul I, the Greek infantry regiment was transferred to the department of the military collegium under the name of the Greek battalion . In accordance with the imperial decree of April 4, 1797, the battalion consisted of three companies, each of which consisted of 100 soldiers. Together with officers and other employees, its number reached 396 people. Since 1787, the red-green form and armament were approved, which lasted until 1833 ^[12] . The organization of the battalion and its operations were modeled on the armed units of the Don Cossacks, as they were closer to the Greek character and traditions. April 4, 1797 the location of the battalion was established - from the St. George Monastery to Feodosia . During the existence of the battalion, its commanders were Captain Stefanos Mavromihalis (1775–1779, 1794–1801), Major Konstantin Zaponis (1790–1794), General Revelioti, Theodosius (1809–1831), and Lt. Col. Likurgos Katsonis the son of the national hero of Greece and the Russian officer Katson Lambrosa ^[13] , (1831-1859). ^[3] .

Attempts were made, by analogy with the Balaclava Greek battalion, to form a unit of the Greeks settled in Odessa. In 1819, part of the personnel of the disbanded Greek battalion of Odessa was transferred to Balaclava ^[14] .

In 1812, the battalion carried cordon service and maintained order in the Crimea. In the same year, Major Revelioti, at the head of a part of the battalion, dispersed the Tatars who tried to raise a rebellion. The battalion carried quarantine during epidemics in the Crimea, including the plague of 1812 . In 1829, an outbreak of plague was again in Sevastopol. In 1830, there was an outbreak of cholera in the Crimea. Carrying quarantine cordons, cordoning off areas covered by the epidemic, allowed it to be localized and prevented from spreading throughout southern Russia. The battalion was marked by Emperor Alexander I during his visit to the Crimea in 1818 and in 1825. In both cases, the battalion was on guard duty under the emperor. Alexander I did a lot for the Greek battalion. Under him, a pension was established which distinguished itself, officers' salaries were increased, plots were extended and land provided with land. Alexander also took care of the fate of the children and widows of the dead Greeks; schools were opened in Balaklava. In 1837, Nicholas I visited Crimea. The Greeks were again entrusted with the duty of duty under the Emperor. In 1842, two companies from the Greek battalion were transferred to serve in the Caucasus, where they were until the start of the Crimean War (1853-1856).

The battalion entered the Crimean War under the command of Colonel Matvey Afanasevich Manto, who had led it since 1848. ^[15]

After trying to stop the allies on Alma, the Russian army retreated to Sevastopol, leaving the road to Balaklava open. The number of the city garrison, which were the units of the battalion, was 118 people. ^[16] Observation posts were set up in advance in the villages around the city. ^[15] At five o'clock in the evening of September 13, one of the posts saw army units identified as English.

In the evening of September 13, M. A. Manto ordered the treasurer of the battalion to evacuate the banners, but the order was not executed, and they were buried in the garden of one of the non-commissioned officers ^[16] .

On the night of September 13-14, 1854, the British approached Balaclava. Their vanguard numbering 3 - 4 thousand people. ^[17] , when approaching the city, at the city barrier , he was unexpectedly greeted with gun and cannon fire. After an hour of battle, when the enemy attempted to evade the flank, the commander gave the order to retreat. In this shootout, only one battalion soldier was wounded - Private Konstantin Leontyev ^[18] . Further, the battalion entrenched in the ruins of the Genoese fortress . At the disposal of the defenders there were only four mortars .

Not expecting shelling, the British opened artillery fire, but in a hurry their shells went through the fortress. On the other side of the Fortress Mountain, British ships embarked on a raid. The defenders of the fortress began to shell the bay. The British began to shoot through the fortress in the direction of the city, from where the bay was fired, causing damage to the English infantry. In confusion, the artillery of the English land corps fired at the fortress and the English fleet, and the English fleet bombarded the English land corps. The confusion lasted about six hours, until the shells of the defenders of the fortress ended. Only after that did the British go on an attack. The garrison resisted to the last opportunity. The wounded Colonel Monto, six officers and about 60 soldiers, almost all wounded, were captured. Struck by the courage of a handful of Greeks, the British, questioning the company commander Captain S. M. Stamati, asked what he hoped, trying to keep the company troop unit? To which they received the answer: “Of course, by surrendering I would have incurred the anger of my superiors and your contempt, but now my conscience is calm, I have fulfilled my duty to the end.” ^[19] . ^[3]

Boris Akunin stated that the heroic defense of Balaklava by soldiers and retirees of the Greek battalion was to become a textbook episode of Russian history ^[20] .

Some Greeks broke into the mountains. But in the area of ​​the Baidar Gate pass, they fell into a Tatar ambush. The heroism and skills of the soldiers of the battalion allowed them to recapture the Tatars and reach Yalta , where they were met by Russian troops. After a short rest, the Greeks carried out guard duty on the coast. Thanks to them, they managed to suppress an attempt to rebel the local Tatars, and prevent the landing of an English assault from Yalta. Two companies of the battalion, sent to the Caucasus before the war, with the outbreak of hostilities in the Crimea, requested transfer to Sevastopol , but during the crossing from Taman to Feodosia they were intercepted by French warships. Due to the fact that they were on a transport vessel and accompanied the wounded, they were forced to surrender. But the prisoners fought a fight with the Turks, and therefore the French had to guard them. The Greeks demanded a respectful attitude and defended their dignity by force ^[21] .

After the end of the Crimean War, the battalion lost its significance, as the situation in the Crimea changed. The battalion was disbanded in 1859. Those who wished to do military service were transferred to regular regiments. ^[22]