The
massacre of Psara was perpetrated by the Othoman against the Greek population of the island of Psara in July 1824. It constitutes one of the episodes of the Guerre of Greek independence. Psara was an island of ship-owners and sailors whose fleet caused many concern to the Sultan. This last decided the destruction of it in order to facilitate a counter-attack in continental Greece. More than one hundred fifty ships made unload several thousands of men on an island of forty square kilometers which had accommodated many survivors of preceding massacres. The assessment is estimated at: 17000 victims: died and sold like slaves. But, contrary to the similar massacre on Tap-holes with which it was perhaps confused, this one caused only very little emotion in Occident.
Context
The war of Greek independence
See also: War of Greek independence
The war of Greek independence was a war of liberation against the Othoman occupation. If the principal confrontations took place in the Peloponnese and around Athens, other areas were concerned, like the islands of the Égée.
Ali Pasha de Janina which sought definitively to ensure the independence of its possessions in Épire was revolted against the Sultan Mahmud II in 1820. The Door (name sometimes also given to the government of the Ottoman Empire) had had to mobilize a whole army around Ioannina. For the Greek patriots organized in the Hétairie and who prepared national rising since the end of the 18th century, this rebellion made the moment favorable. There were potentially less soldiers Turkish available to repress their rising. The insurrection was started in the Peloponnese. It started between the 15 and on March 20th 1821 under the double impulse of Theodoros Kolokotronis, one of the chiefs of the insurrection, and the archbishop of Patras, Germanos, which proclaimed the national liberation war the March 25th. At the same time, Alexandre Ypsilántis penetrated in Moldavie and Valachie, second hearth planned for the insurrection, with the head of a troop made up members of Hétairie installed in Russia. The Ottoman Empire reduced the insurrection in the Danubian provinces in nine months, while in Greece even, the insurrectionists triumphed. Between 1821 and 1824, the Turks had been driven out of the Peloponnese, of central Greece and the majority of the islands of Égée. The Othoman fleet was blocked in Propontide thanks to the engagement of the ships of the principal islands of ship-owners: Hydra, Spetses and Psara.
But, the Greek victories had been of short duration. Two civil wars had weakened the movement between 1823 and 1825. There was indeed a strong opposition between two categories of potential leaders, with two types of legitimacy quite as valid. On a side, were the notable merchants resulting from the Othoman administration of the continent and the maritime middle-class of the islands. Other, there were the war leaders resulting from the “para-social” class of the Klephte S and Armatole S, often makes some really resulting from the farming community like Kolokotronis and hoping to give a more important political role to the peasants. One then attended two civil wars in 1823-1825. The first had been caused by the notable ones which wanted to take again the control of the revolution and to give it in the way which they defended by drawing aside the war leaders of the capacity. The second opposed the continent to the islands. The Egyptian fleet and troops had initially reduced the insurrection in Crete and with Kassos, then it was the turn of Psara a not very fertile island. Its principal agricultural production was a wine of average quality. Its inhabitants, between: 5000 and: 6000 at the beginning of the war of independence, were mainly fishermen and sailors. The aridity of the island had pushed it towards the sea and the trade. As for the remainder of the commercial islands of Greece, the Traité of Kutchuk-Kaïnardji (1774) increased its fortune. The trade of corn at the time of the Napoleonean Guerres had also profited to him: its ships had forced the maritime Blocus imposed by the Britanniques on the France. All the islands of Égée depended on the Capitan Pasha, but Psara, like Hydra and Spetses, had bought their freedom. A light tax, taken by the Greeks themselves, was paid in Capitan Pasha and of the sailors were placed at the disposal of the Othoman fleet. The island was controlled by three “ démogérontes ” elected every year by forty designated voters them also every year by the whole of the population.
Forty of the trading vessels of Psara, converts quickly in “the warships” were put at the service of Greece risen as of the spring 1821 which had shown its effectiveness at the time of the Bataille of Chesmé during the Révolution of Orloff (1769-1771). Four scathing attacks psariotes had succeeded in slipping into the Othoman line and igniting it, bringing its destruction in the long term.
Psara engaged in the war of Greek independence Sunday of Easter 1821, that is to say two weeks after the beginning of rising in the Peloponnese. Its vessels controlled Égée very quickly. Thus, as of April, the Door had gathered: 3000 men with Smyrna before sending them to crush rising in Greece. Seven ships of Psara intervened to prevent the crossing. An Othoman ship was run and four others captured (with the 450 men which they transported). May 14th, Andreas Giannitsi, a captain psariote, made a knack against a fort of the gulf of Enos (on the thrace coast) and captured twenty-three guns, two Obusier S and their ammunition. The island took part in the first naval engagement of great width on June 7th, 1821, at the time of the battle of Eresós (a bay of Lesbos). The second larger ship of the line Othoman, armed with soixante-seize guns, had been cut remainder of the fleet. It was decided to use scathing attacks. Only old sailors psariotes, veterans of Chesmé, still knew the technique. The third scathing attack was the good: the ship took fire, ran aground then exploded after the escape of its crew. When the remainder of the Othoman fleet arrived the following day, the Greek ships advanced towards this one and reflect it in escape. The next month, a combined fleet of ninety ships of Psara, Hydra, Spetses and Kassos prevented an unloading on Samos carried out by the Capitan Pasha Kara-Ali which ordered four ship of the lines, five frigates and a score of vessels transporting: 12000 Othoman soldiers. Psara took part in the evacuation of the driven out Christians of Aivali at the time of the Othoman exactions in the city at the summer 1821, then with the evacuation of Chiotes survivors at the time of the Massacre of Tap-holes in May 1822. Its ships composed also the combined Greek fleet (Psara, Hydra, Spetses) of fifty six ship of the lines and eight scathing attacks which gave hunting to the Othoman fleet in second half of the month of May 1822 after the massacres. June 18th (Julien June 6th) 1822, the “admiral” psariote Constantin Kanaris ran the Othoman flagship with his scathing attack, killing the Othoman admiral Kara Ali and: 2000 sailors Turkish. The Othoman fleet was anchored in bay of Chora, capital of Tap-holes. The attack took place the evening, at the instant of the failure of the fast of the Ramadan. Scathing attack of Kanaris éperonna the Capudana (flagship of the Othoman fleet) about midnight. The bowsprit was wedged in a Sabord on the level of the prow and the lit mêche. Kanaris and its men evacuated while the ship-admiral blazed up in a few minutes. The sailors Turkish tried to flee with the lifeboats, with which two too charged ran. Kara-Ali, whereas it embarked in a launch, accepted a Espar ignited on the head. Led on the dry land, he died the following day. He was buried in the citadel of Chora. Its ship exploded at the end of three-quarter of hour, when the powder reserve was touched.
The geographical location of Psara made that it could rather easily supervise the entry of the Dardanelles and prevent of an exit of the Othoman fleet. The Othoman fleet, ordered by new the Capitan Pasha Husrev Pasha attacked Psara the next month. These two islands were relatively easy targets: close relations of the coasts of minor Asia, they were on the other hand far away from the potential reinforcements from continental Greece. In both cases, the fleets of Hydra and Spetses arrived too late.
The catch of the island
Preparations
At the beginning of the summer 1824, an attack seeming imminent, the démogérontes of the island took a certain number of provisions. Some were positive, like the reinforcement of the citadels (in fact of the strengthened monasteries) of Aghios Nikolaos (said Saint Nicolas's Day sometimes also Midsummer's Day) and Palaiokastro, which accepted 24 new batteries. Others were less happy: the ships present were démâtés in order to be used as rampart at sea, but they lost any possibility of operation as their utility as average of escape (unless the démogérontes to some extent did not want “to burn their vessels” as seems to suggest it the decision burning all the rudders); the potential defenders were also divided on the whole of the coasts, even at the places where any unloading was impossible, thus reducing principal defenses, of which those of the city.
It would seem finally that the command of a sector was entrusted to two Arvanites (Albanian Christians having fled Othoman persecutions at the 18th century), Kotas and Karabelias, bought by Capitan Pacha.June 27th, a dozen Frégate S Othoman recognized the coasts of the island, in order to locate the place most favourable with the unloading. The cannonades from the coast were without effect. July 2nd, 1824 (Julien June 20th) , a first attack took place in the north of the island, in bay of Kanalos. It was summarized with an exchange of artillery. The evening, the transport and warships slackened between Lesbos and Psara, all lamps lit to avoid any surprise. Konstantin Kanaris describes the sea this night as a “immense bridge of boats” ordered by Husrev Pasha transporting the Othoman soldiers ordered by Topali-Pasha attacked Psara. The island which was usually populated only: 6000 with: 7000 inhabitants, sheltered then more: 25000 people, refugees of Aivali and Tap-holes.
The few vessels which protected it did not make the weight created by a discharge of its guns, to make unload more: 10000 Moslem Albanians, who then constituted the troops of elite of the Othoman army, ordered by Ismael Pliassa, in small bay close to Erino. They advanced very quickly in the grounds, took the battery of four or five guns which protected the coast.
Kotas and Karabelias passed then on the side of the attackers which carried out them at once, considering that it was not possible to trust traitors. The defenders (523 Psariotes, 800 Rouméliotes and 125 Samiotes) ended up succumbing, after having neutralized: 4000 Albanians. The road of the capital Psara, on the other side of the island, was open. The rare defenders psariotes or Macedonians were hustled and never prevented the progression of the Janissaire S
Attacks of Chora
The Othoman column advanced then towards the south. It was divided into two. A part (: 3000 soldiers) moved towards south-east, towards the small town of Ftelio of which the guns turned towards the sea threatened the Othoman fleet. After a baited resistance, the Greeks ended up succumbing and perished with the combat. The fleet of Husrev Pasha, as for it, made the turn of the island by the east and attacked the port taking its defenders (informed of the unloading in north) with reverse. Part of the women and children had been evacuated on the ships in the roads. Confusion had already caused the loss of weakest and the more young children, given up or drowned by their mother who could not occupy herself some. The survival of the one passed by the death of the other. These ships were victims of the naval bombardment of the Othoman frigates. The women and children who thought of having found a refuge there perished.
The Othoman soldiers who constituted the second part of the column come from north, reached Psara (Chora), the capital of the island, about the middle of the day. They took it then shaved it, but after having had to seize the houses one by one. : 4000 of: 7000 inhabitants of the city were massacred. Their cut ears and their noses were salted and sent to Constantinople. The Turks underwent as for them doors pertes.
The following day, the seat of the fortress of Palaiokastro, held by the Greeks, ended. Its 500 to 600 defenders (mercenaries arvanites, Macedonians or rouméliotes according to the works and Psariotes of which women and children) underwent various attacks during the day and transfer their number to decrease each time. Reduced two-thirds, they decided to carry their attackers with them in death. Again the versions diverge. Only the Greek historian Constantin Paparregopoulos reports that after having vainly tried to ignite an underground powder reserve and having outside lost six men in the attempt, the Greeks decided to use only the reserves inside the fortifications. For the others, at the time of the final attack, the defenders waited until the most enemies possible penetrated in the enclosure. The flag psariote carrying the currency Ελευθερία ή θάνατος (“freedom or death”) was hoisted and the chief of the defenders, Antonios Vratsanos, put itself fire at the powder store, killing besieged and besieging.
Rare Psariotes (and refugees) which succeeded in surviving the massacre would have benefitted from the confusion created by the explosion of Palaiokastro to flee on board a hundred small démâtées boats and rudder. According to Constantin Paparregopoulos, nineteen Brig S, wet between Psara and the small small island of Antipsara, in the west, would have succeeded in escaping the Othoman fleet. They transported the principal notable ones and the richest families of the island.
The island would have sheltered: 25000 people before the attack. The assessment more the current is around: 17000 victims: died and sold like slaves. The island was especially completely deserted. The observers in the few following years evoked a completely empty island.
The reconquest
The massacre of Psara had for first consequence the end of the internal quarrels, even of the civil wars, between Greek insurrectionists. Fearing to undergo the same fate, the other islands organized themselves. The least movement of the Othoman fleet was relayed through the archipelago. Hydra armed all its vessels and joins together them with the surviving ships (because committed elsewhere) of Psara. Perhaps it was already about the fleet of help designed to bring of the assistance to Kassos, destroyed one month earlier. The flotilla ordered by the admirals Miaoulis and Kanaris attacked the Othoman squadron. The cannonade lasted four days. Two Turkish frigates exploded after being touched by scathing attacks. The Othomans folded up themselves towards Cos, thus saving Samos which was the following objective of Husrev Pasha.
July 15th, 1824 (Julien July 3rd) , sixteen ships and four Greek scathing attacks, ordered by the admiral Andreas Miaoulis made unload: 1500 Pallikare S Greek which reconquered the island with: 1000 Othoman soldiers that Husrev Pasha had left on the island before leaving to attack Samos. The twenty ships Turkish which wet in the port were destroyed. The Othomans were tracked and cut the throat of in the ruins of the city and Palaiokastron. The last gun in a position to function in the citadel was recovered. They gave then hunting to the Othoman fleet, engaged it and, after a five hour old combat, ran twenty ships
Emotion vis-a-vis the massacre
Effects of the massacre of Tap-holes
Indignation vis-a-vis the massacre of Psara was very often included in that having followed the massacre of Tap-holes. The famous table of Eugene Delacroix, Scene of the massacres of Scio , was indeed exposed to the Living room of 1824, the year of the massacre of Psara. In the same way, the death of Lord Byron at the time of the Siège of Missolonghi had directed the glances of the philhellenes worms of other parts of Greece.
Béranger however wrote a poem Psara where he criticized the Western inaction after the massacres with Chios and imagined the Othoman soldiers singing while massacring on the island:
But of Tap-holes starts again the festivals;
Psara succumbs, and here are its supports!
Let us plunder these walls! Gold! Wine! Women!
Virgin, the insult adds to your charms.
the sword after will purifîra your hearts:
the Christian kings will not avenge you.
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