Armatoloi Armatoloi ( pronounced " ar - ma - to - LEE " ) , ( Greek " plural " Αρματολοί ; " singular " Armatolos - Αρματολός ; also called Armatoles in English ) were Greek Christian irregular soldiers , or militia , commissioned by the Ottomans to enforce the Sultan ' s authority within an administrative district called an Armatoliki ( Greek " singular " Αρματολίκι ; " plural " Armatolikia - Αρματολίκια ) . Armatolikia were created in areas of Greece that had high levels of brigandage , or in regions that were difficult for Ottoman authorities to govern due to the inaccessible terrain , such as the Agrafa mountains of Thessaly , where the first armatoliki was established in the mid - 15th century . An armatoliki was usually commanded by a " kapetanios " ( captain ) , often a former klepht captain who had been hired by the governing Ottoman Pasha to combat , or at least contain , brigand groups in the region . In most cases , the captain would have gained a level of notoriety as a klepht to force the Ottomans to give him the amnesty and privilege that came with an armatoliki . Therefore , it was not surprising that armatolos units were organised in very much the same way as the klepht s , with a captain assisted by a lieutenant called a " protopalikaro " , who was usually a kinsman , and the remaining force made up of " armatoloi " . Over time , the roles of the armatoloi and klephtes became blurred , with both reversing their roles and allegiances as the situation demanded , all the while maintaining the delicate status - quo with the Ottoman authorities . Many captains ran their armatoliki like their personal fiefdoms , exacting a heavy toll of extortion and violence on the local peasantry . During the Greek War of Independence , the armatoloi , along with the klephtes , formed the nucleus of the Greek fighting forces , and played a prominent part throughout its duration . Yannis Makriyannis referred to the " klephtes and armatoloi " as the " yeast of liberty " . Etymology . The word first appeared during the 15th century during Venetian times . It is derived from a medieval loan from Latin " arma " ( ' weapon ' ) , probably via Greek αρματολόγος ( ' someone who deals with arms ' , ' an armed person ' ) > αρματολόος > αρματολός . According to an older hypothesis , the development of the word may also have been influenced by a conflation with the similar - sounding αμαρτωλός ( ' sinner ' ) , which may have been associated with the topic of armed bands through phrases such as " αμαρτωλοί / αρματολοί και κλέφτες " ( meaning ' sinners and thieves ' , but also ' armatoloi and klephts ' ) . Owing to the parallelism with " αμαρτωλός " , the word was also sometimes spelled as " αρματωλός " , with the letter omega . Origins . According to Vacalopoulos , the " armatoles " first appeared as an institution in Agrafa ( Thessaly ) during the reign of Murad II ( 1421 – 1451 ) . From there , they spread to other parts of Greece except the Peloponnese . Ottoman period . The armatoloi were organized based on a feudal system under which military / police units maintained their duties in exchange for titles of land . When the Ottomans conquered the plains of Greece ( along with a myriad of islands ) , they did not disband or remove the armatoloi . In fact , the Ottomans established treaties with the armatoloi in order for them to maintain their military / police functions . The Ottomans would have units of armatoloi or kapetanioi ( καπετάνιοι ; captains ) function as peace - keepers in territories near difficult terrain ( i . e . mountain passes ) or in areas where resistance to foreign rule entailed acts of theft by the klephts . The armatoloi were mostly concentrated in Macedonia , Thessaly , Epirus , Acarnania , and Aetolia ( specifically Agrafa ) . In the Peloponnesus , armatolismos did not develop in the same manner as it did in Roumeli and Epirus . In the Peloponnesus , the " kapoi " ( κάποι ) and the " meintanides " ( μεϊντάνηδες ) were similar to the armatoloi . If in certain regions , the institution of armatolismos was not implemented , the territories were divided into " armatolikia " ( αρματολίκια ) or " protakta " ( προτάκτα ) . These territories extended from Axios river ( " Αξιός " ) to Ambracian Gulf ( " Αμβρακικός " ) and up to the Corinthian gulf ( " Κορινθιακός " ) . The kapetanioi would often have authority over these territories via inheritance / succession . A single kapetanio was at first forced to submit his authority to the pasha who controlled the periphery . Later , all kapetanioi were forced to submit to Dervedji pasha ( " Δερβετζή πασά " ) . During the 18th century , there were around seventeen armatolikia . Ten of them were located in Thessaly and the eastern regions of Central Greece , four of them in Epirus , Acarnania , and Aetolia , and three in Macedonia . Every kapetanio had his " palikaria " ( παλικάρια ) . Among these palikaria , the best recognized leader , secretary , and sometimes successor of the kapetanio was deemed " protopalikaro " ( πρωτοπαλίκαρο ) . The palikaria would train with their weapons on a daily basis . The main weapon the palikaria utilized was the " kariofili " ( καριοφίλι ) . Marksmanship was the proverbial hallmark that defined the palikaria . They were also capable in the art of ambush ing and mobility . The palikaria were resilient toward thirst , hunger and even the painful difficulties in their encounters with the klephts . The term " klephtopolemos " ( " κλεφτοπόλεμος " ) was used to name the strategies / tactics that both the klephts and armatoloi utilized . These tactics are used today for unconventional military campaigns by small guerrilla groups . The armatoloi would conduct campaigns during nighttime . This strategy was known as " going out to pagana " ( έβγαιναν στην παγάνα ) . The armatoloi would usually do this when the klephts were coming out of their dens . The armatoloi would defend themselves in improvised forts ( called " meterizia " ; " μετερίζια " ) against the guerrilla tactics utilized by the klephts ( specifically known as " klephtouria " ; κλεφτουριά ) . A general offensive campaign by the armatoloi was known as " giourousi " ( γιουρούσι ) . During one of these campaigns , the armatoloi would make effective use of swords and warcries . Before 1821 . For the Ottomans , it became progressively more difficult for them to distinguish the armatoloi from the klephts . Both groups began to establish relations with one another under a common ethnic rubric . This collaboration was also based on mutual sentiments against foreign conquerors . Since both groups were armed and possessed military experience , they helped Greeks become better warriors before the advent of the Greek Revolution of 1821 . The first recorded appearance of collaborations between armatoloi and klephts goes back to 1585 during the wars fought between the Venetians and the Ottomans . During this time , Theodoros Boua - Grivas incited an insurrection in Acarnania and Epirus with armatoloi Poulios Drakos and Malamos from Epirus . The Sublime Port continued to have trust in armed groups such as the armatoloi up until 1684 . During that year , the bodyguards of the Port , the armatoloi , became carriers of ethnic - oriented ideas . Prominent armatoloi from the 17th century were Soumilas ( Σουμίλας ) , Meintanis ( Μεϊντάνης ) , Livinis ( Λιβίνης ) , Kourmas ( Κούρμας ) , the Balaorites ( Βαλαωρίτες ) , etc . Though these individuals engaged in failed rebellions , their attempts became an inspiration for future armatoloi to follow . Revolution of 1821 . Since the 1770s the Russian Empire tried to inspire a rebellion in Greece ( see Orlov Revolt ) . During these attempts many armatoloi took up arms . With the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence , ( an insurrection in which Russia had , for once , no involvement as an instigator or agitator ) a number of prominent armatoloi abandoned any allegiance to the Ottoman state and formed the nucleus of the Greek land forces . Among them were Odysseas Androutsos , Georgios Karaiskakis , Athanasios Diakos , and Markos Botsaris . There were armatoloi ( such as Karaiskakis ) that were initially employed by Ali Pasha , and of whom some fought with him against the Ottomans . In 1820 , when Ali declared his territory ’ s withdrawal from Ottoman influence , he depended heavily on the Greek armatoloi to help him . Though Ali ’ s insurrection failed , this bold experiment did not weaken the ability of the armatoloi to fight for independence and contribute to the Greek Revolution .