Mikhail Korakas , real name Michalis Karuzos ( Greek Μιχάλης Καρούζος ; 1797 , Pompia , Mesara , Crete - September 7, 1882 , Pompia ) - Greek revolutionary and commander of the 19th century.
| Michael Korakas | |
|---|---|
| Μιχαήλ Κόρακας | |
 | |
| Date of Birth | 1797 |
| Place of Birth | Pompia, Mesara Crete |
| Date of death | September 7, 1882 |
| Place of death | Mesara |
| Affiliation |  Greece |
| Type of army | Irregular troops |
| Rank | captain |
| Commanded | Greek irregular units |
| Battles / wars | Greek revolution . Cretan rebellions of 1841, 1858, 1866-1869, 1877. |
| Awards and prizes | Order of the Phoenix (Greece) |
Content
Biography
Mikhail Karuzos was born in 1797 in Pampia Mesara on the island of Crete . The nickname Korakas (Greek Raven), which later became a surname, was given by the Turks to his father because of the aggressiveness that he showed towards the Ottomans . There are almost no data on Mikhail’s childhood, except that he was lively and quick-tempered. At the age of 18, Mikhail killed with a club a noble and warlike Turkish agu Aliko, whose herd he was herding. The episode is described by the folk poet Venetikos. Armed with the weapons of the Turk, Mikhail went into the mountains. From this episode begins his cleft life.
Greek Revolution
With the beginning of the Greek Revolution of 1821, the first military clashes in Crete occurred in the south-west of the island, in Sfakia . The first actions of Mikhail Korakas under the command of a former Muslim and crypto-Christian Kurmulis against the forces of Mustafa Pasha were noted here. Having arisen in Sfakia, an uprising swept all over Crete. Mikhail Korakas returned to his plain Mesara , where he formed a detachment of 45 people. In addition to the battles of Mikhail Korakas with the Turks, historians note the release of 39 women intended for sale in slavery and captured during the raid of Muslim cavalry in the villages of Petrokefali, Kuse and Faneromeni.
In 1826, Michael Korakas was wounded in the battle of Malax and moved to mainland Greece. In the same year, Korakas took part in the battles near Athens under the command of Karaiskakis .
In 1827, Mikhail Korakas moved to the island of Karpathos , where he armed 3 small vessels. On these ships and with crews of 69 Cretans and residents of Karpathos and the island of Kasos, Korakas raided the Turks and Egyptians in the waters of the Cretan and Libyan Seas.
Returning to Crete, he continued the struggle on his native island until 1828. Then he again moved to Karpathos, and then to the island of Naxos and the Peloponnese .
He took part in the last battles of the war and received the rank of captain of the regular army. Since Crete remained outside the borders of the revived Greek state, Korakas remained in the Greek kingdom and received a plot of land near the city of Navplion .
Cretan revolts
In 1834, Michael Korakas left the Greek kingdom and returned to Crete. He took part in the Cretan revolutions of 1841 and 1858.
During the Cretan rebellion of 1866-1869, he was proclaimed commander of the 125 eastern dioceses. 70-year-old Korakas evoked respect, love and unlimited trust of his fighters, who called him “Father”. Together with I. Zimvrakakis and P. Coroneos, Korakas led the disparate rebel forces [1] .
When the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) began, the Cretans once again took up arms. Mikhail Korakas was then 81 years old. Despite his age, Michael Korakas led the fight in the Heraklion region. After the intervention of the European powers, Crete was granted a number of privileges, and the Cretans laid down their arms for several years [2] .
Recent years
After the last uprising of the Cretans during his lifetime, Korakas returned to Athens . Here he was awarded the Order of the Phoenix by King George .
He was given a pension and land. Despite this, a few years later, Mikhail Korakas again threw everything and returned to Crete in his village, where he died on September 28, 1882 at the age of 85 [3] .
His grave is located on the square of the village of Pampia next to the Church of St. George.
Links
- ↑ Douglas Dakin, The Unification of Greece 1770-1923, p. 174, ISBN 960-250-150-2
- ↑ Home
- ↑ Εφημερίδα "Πατρίς" , Φθινόπωρο του 1882: Ο θάνατος του Μ. Κόρακα και ο λόγος του Α. Μιχελιδάκη, 4-10-2010. ανάκτηση 14-4-2013.