Written by Konstantinos Konstantinidis Amfiktyon
In the revolution of !821 there were many contributors, On the one hand the Turkish conquerors. They maintained the same establishment which conspired with them to serve their individual financial and other interests
The Greek people in the revolution of 1821 had to fight with two enemies as the Elder of Moria Th. Kolokotronis said:
a/ The Turks. The races were given by thieves and charioteers in the mountains and on the plains
b/ The pilgrims who oppressed the people and did not let them raise their heads together with the Turkish conquerors
But who were opposed to the Revolution?
1/ The higher clergy and the Patriarchate Patriarch Gregory V was on the throne at the time. He at first criticized the Deputy in writing. Ypsilanti and Soutsou, while he was subsequently declared deposed because he refused to cooperate with the Sultan. His fate is known when he was handed over to the mob, horribly tortured, hanged and his body thrown into the sea. Then the pastoral staff was given by the Sultan himself to Gennadio who became an ally of the Turks. This policy continued and the patriarchal chair was given to whoever gave the most confessions and also money for the purchase of the chair (Simeon of Trebizond, Dionysis Philippoulis, Jeremias Tranos) Since then the chair became the product of a bargain with the Sultan. Now the Patriarchate which we consider Greek is a Turkish institution under the Prefecture of Constantinople. During the time of the Turkish rule, the patriarchal throne was given after an “auction” to the one who offered the most.
On the contrary, the lower clergy, the small priests in the country and especially in the Peloponnese fought alongside the people to keep the flame of the revolution unquenched. In addition to the worshiped Patriarchs, there were also bright examples of hierarchs such as Dionysios Bishop of Trikala who in 1600 began a national liberation effort with the poor farmers of Epirus, Thessaly and Macedonia. Unfortunately, he was condemned by the Patriarchate and arrested by the Turks, he met a tragic death.
2/ The Phanariotes They were the class of the Greek establishment whose interests were aligned with the Turkish administration. It was the caste of the rich who lived next to the Patriarchate and came from merchants, usurers, brokers and sailors who had become rich and had acquired a high education, mainly linguists, interpreters and administrative officials of Turkey in high positions in the Beautiful Gate and abroad (interpreters , ambassadors) They enjoyed privileges from the Turks and were against the revolution of the enslaved Greeks
3/ The Kotzabasides. It is the class that collected the taxes from the poor peasants and was obliged to hand over 25% to the Sultan, while keeping the rest and increasing his wealth. These were people who came to terms with the Turkish rule and created a serious landed property, which was constantly growing from tax profits. They were the class that drank the blood of the poor people of the countryside and the cities and acted as intermediaries between the Turks and the people. That is why the people called them Turko-Christians or Turko-worshippers. With the power of money, they exerted maximum influence on local societies and determined the local lords of their liking. At the beginning of the revolution, they were opposed to the overthrow of the established order, when finally the Philanthropic Society managed to introduce them to the struggle, they agreed to cooperate with the revolution apparently with a view to the future acquisition of the Turkish estates and their wealth. It is no coincidence that they often came into conflict with the people. With the declaration of the independent Greek state, they, due to their overwhelming influence in the region, were able to elect their own representatives in the national parliaments to secure their personal interests.
After the liberation, the establishment did not disappear. It still exists today, transformed and adapted to the new era. Ready to accept the New Order. (Even in the pre-war era, I remember that such and such a large landowner played the role of “kojabasis” in the province of Trifilia. This large householder, in addition to holdings, also had a mill and a truck, he was also a lender to the farmers during the wheat harvest, in case of illness or when the poor man wanted to marry his daughter, of course with a very high interest rate. Even though the villagers deeply hated him, they slavishly “respected” him out of fear).
The Kotjabasides contributed to the revolution because they exerted a great influence on the villagers. They functioned like a shepherd to the flock with the ultimate goal of course being future profit. They and the shipowners (shipowners) vehemently opposed the popular measures of I. Kapodistrias because they envisioned the acquisition