Yannis Makriyannis General Yannis Makriyannis ( Ιωάννης Μακρυγιάννης , also anglicized as Ioannis , Ioannes and Makriyiannis , Makrygiannis , Makrygiannēs , Macriyannis , " etc . " ) ( 1797 – 1864 ) was a Greek merchant , military officer , politician and author , best known today for his " Memoirs " . Starting from humble origins , he joined the Greek struggle for independence , achieving the rank of general and leading his men to notable victories . Following Greek independence , he had a tumultuous public career , playing a prominent part in the granting of the first Constitution of the Kingdom of Greece and later being sentenced to death and pardoned . Despite his important contributions to the political life of the early Greek state , general Makriyannis is mostly remembered for his " Memoirs " . Aside from being a source of historical and cultural information about the period , this work has also been called a " monument of Modern Greek literature " , as it is written in pure Demotic Greek . Indeed , its literary quality led Nobel laureate Giorgos Seferis to call Makriyannis one of the greatest masters of Modern Greek prose . Biography . Early life . Yannis Makriyannis was born Ioannis Triantaphyllos , son of a poor family in the village of Avoriti , in the vicinity of Doris . Makriyannis ( Long John ) was a nickname he acquired because of his height . His father , Dimitris Triantaphyllou , was killed in a clash with the forces of Ali Pasha . His family was forced to flee to Levadeia , where Makriyannis spent his childhood up to 1811 . At age seven , he was given as a foster son to a wealthy man from Levadeia , but the menial labour and beatings he endured were , in his own words , " his death " . Thus , in 1811 he left for Arta to stay with an acquaintance who maintained close relations with Ali Pasha . There , still a teenager , he was involved in trade and , according to his memoirs , became a wealthy man . His property amounted to 40 , 000 piastres . According to Sphyroeras , he probably joined the Filiki Etaireia , a secret anti - Ottoman society , in 1820 . In March 1821 he left for Patras , in the Peloponnese , supposedly on business . His actual assignment , however , was to inform local members of the Filiki Etaireia of the state of affairs in his native Roumeli . Having met with Odysseas Androutsos , he returned to Arta two days before the revolution broke out in Patras and was promptly arrested by the Ottoman authorities and placed under arrest in the local fortress . He was held captive for 90 days but managed to escape and , in August 1821 , first took up arms against the Ottomans under chieftain Gogos Bakolas . Activity during the War of Independence . Under the command of Gogos Bakolas , in September 1821 he took part in the battle of Stavros , near Tzoumerka , and in the battle of Peta , where he sustained a light leg injury . A few days later he took part in the siege of Arta that temporarily brought the city under Greek control . In late 1821 , he left for Mesolonghi , but there , according to his memoirs , he fell seriously ill , only recovering in March 1822 . Having spent his recovery in the village of Sernikaki , near Salona , he resumed military action , assuming the leadership of a band of warriors from four villages in the vicinity . He fought alongside several other chieftains during the successful siege of Ypati , which had been fortified with considerable Ottoman forces . After the Acropolis of Athens was surrendered by the Ottomans in June 1822 , Makriyannis was appointed Supervisor of Public Order in the city by the executive authority of Roumeli on 1 January 1823 . In that office , he took severe measures aimed at stopping arbitrary oppression of the populace and thievery . In the summer of 1823 , he fought alongside Nikitaras in the eastern part of Central Greece . In October 1823 , he led a force of Roumeliots in the Peloponnese , and fought alongside the government of Georgios Kountouriotis against the rebels in the civil war . For his actions during that conflict , he was rewarded with the rank of brigadier , promoted to lieutenant general in August 1824 and full general in late 1824 . In March 1825 , after the Peloponnese had been invaded by Egyptian forces , he was appointed politarch ( head of public order ) of Kyparissia and took part in the defence of Neokastro . After the fortress fell on 11 May 1825 , he hurried to Myloi , near Nafplio , arriving with one hundred men on 10 June . He ordered the construction of makeshift fortifications , as well as the gathering of provisions . More chieftains soon arrived in Myloi and Ibrahim Pasha , the commander of the Egyptian forces , was unable to take the position , despite numerical superiority and the launching of fierce attacks on 12 and 14 June . Makriyannis was injured during the battle and was carried to Nafplio . Soon after the battle , he married the daughter of a prominent Athenian , and his activities were thereafter inextricably linked with that city until his death . After Athens was captured by Ibrahim Pasha in June 1826 , Makriyannis helped organise the defence of the Acropolis , and became the provisional commander of the garrison after the death of the commander , Yannis Gouras . He managed to repel a fierce assault against the Odeon of Herodes Atticus on 7 October , and during the defence of the Acropolis , he sustained heavy injures three times , to the head and to the neck . These wounds troubled him for the remainder of his life , but they did not dissuade him from taking part in the last phase of the war : in the spring of 1827 he took part in the battles of Piraeus and the battle of Analatos . Activity after Greek Independence . Governorship of Kapodistrias . Makriyannis ' s activity did not cease with the achievement of Greek independence . After Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias arrived in Greece , he appointed Makriyannis " General Leader of the Executive Authority of the Peloponnese " , based in Argos , in 1828 . It was during this period , and more specifically on 26 February 1829 , that he started writing his " Memoirs " . After Kapodistrias restructured the military in 1830 , Makriyannis was given the rank of brigadier . However , he slowly came to oppose the Governor ' s policies and eventually broke with him . He opposed what he considered Kapodistrias ' s personal authoritarianism and , on a more personal level , was concerned about whether his home region would be included or not in the liberated Greek state . Influenced by Ioannis Kolettis , he even tried to force the Governor into accepting a constitutional form of government , using the troops under his command , but had no success . Finally , in August 1831 , the government forced all civil servants and military personnel to sign an oath stating they were not part of secret organizations and that they were loyal servants of the government ' s commands . Makriyannis considered this to be degrading , and tried to author his own version of an oath instead . This , however , was not accepted by the government , and he was consequently stripped of his positions . His opposition to the existing regime did not cease with the Governor ' s assassination on 9 October 1831 . He took the side of the " Constitutionalists " and fought against the governor ' s brother and successor Augustinos Kapodistrias . He did , however , condemn the assassination itself in the strongest terms . Reign of King Otto . Otto , Prince of Bavaria , was chosen as the first King of Greece in 1832 , under the name Othon . His arrival in Nafplio , then the Greek capital , was hailed enthusiastically by Makriyannis . This attitude is exemplified in his " Memoirs " : The hopes he had for the new regime , however , were soon to be dispelled . King Otho was underage and Bavarian regents were named to rule on his behalf during the first months of his rule . During the regency , Makriyannis came into conflict with the War Minister , the Bavarian Heideck , due to the latter ' s attitude towards the veterans of the War of Independence . In the newly restructured Greek Army , there was little place left for the irregular bands of klephts . These guerilla - styled fighters had formed the backbone of the Greek forces during the war , and Makriyannis considered their exclusion from the newly formed army disrespectful . Furthermore , most of these men had been left with no resources after their exclusion from the military , and found themselves in a dire financial situation . Makriyannis also believed that the Prime Minister , the Bavarian von Armansperg , was personally responsible for the serious problems faced by the newly formed state . As a consequence , Makriyannis briefly retired from active politics . After municipalities were first instituted by Royal decree on 27 December 1833 , Makriyannis was elected to the city council of Athens ( the city becoming the new capital in 1834 ) . In that capacity he harshly criticised , to the extent that it was possible , what he perceived as omissions and authoritarianism by the royal administration and Palace Cabinet . He often voiced his demand for constitutional rule , even though the royal administration had initially held him in high esteem and given him the rank of colonel . During the King ' s absence from Greece on the occasion of his marriage to Queen Amalia ( late 1836 – early 1837 ) , public discontent with von Armansperg was at its peak . The newspapers " Athena " and " Elpis " criticized him severely , and some politicians called for his removal . Makriyannis , in his capacity as President of the Athens city council , proposed , in January 1837 , the adoption of a resolution to be handed to the King upon his return requesting the granting of a Constitution . Not long before that , at a banquet attended by former fighters of the War of Independence , such as Kountouriotis , Kolokotronis and others , Makriyannis had toasted the health of the royal couple , adding " may God enlighten them to rule us through constitutional laws , in accordance with the fatherland ' s sacrifices " . Von Armansperg immediately dissolved the city council , fired Mayor Petrakis and had Makriyannis placed under house arrest . Sometime during this period , Makriyannis commissioned 25 engravings from the painter and veteran of the War of Independence , Panaghiotis Zographos . The profits from the sales were used to the benefit of veterans of the war . Meanwhile , the demand for constitutional liberties was becoming widespread , as was discontent with King Otto ' s Bavarian administration . The situation escalated in the 3 September 1843 Revolution that led to the granting of the first Constitution . Makriyannis was one of the three leaders of the movement . He played a crucial part in paving the way for this , having started as early as 1840 . After its granting , he also played an important part in the forming of the new cabinet . He was elected as a representative of Athens to the National ( Constitutional ) Assembly , and headed an informal group of 63 representatives loyal to him . He personally proposed various recommendations during the course of the proceedings . Soon after the conclusion of the Assembly ' s work , however , he retired from politics . For his leading role in the creation of the first Greek Constitution , Makriyannis was depicted on the reverse of the Greek 50 drachmas commemorative coin issued in 1994 for the 150th anniversary of this historic document . There are three versions of the coin , each featuring one of the three leaders of the 3 September movement : one features Makriyannis , one colonel Dimitrios Kallergis , and one minister ( and later prime minister ) Andreas Metaxas . Makriyannis stopped working on his memoirs in 1850 , so information about the rest of his life , including his trial , comes from other sources . He was always outspoken about his views , and as a result he stirred negative reactions among his opponents . He opposed what he perceived as a continued degradation of the veterans of the War of Independence , and had repeatedly been considered suspect of plotting against King Otho . Furthermore , the King never quite forgave him for his part in the 3 September movement . When summoned to the palace and asked to denounce all the conspirators of 1843 , Makriyannis refused , saying " I am not a slave " . Eventually , in 1852 , he was accused of planning to " overthrow the establishments and assassinate the King " . On 13 April 1852 he was placed under house arrest , heavily guarded and with an officer posted in the room next to his own . On 16 March 1853 he was sentenced to death , in what has been called a " pre - fabricated trial " . According to Vidal - Naquet , the prosecution brought up false testimonies and false evidence . Furthermore , the president of the tribunal , Kitsos Tzavelas , was a personal enemy of Makriyannis . Five out of the six judges voted for the death sentence , and requested the King to extend royal clemency . His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the King , but he only spent 18 months in prison . King Otho reduced the sentence first to twenty , and later to ten years . He was finally pardoned and released on 2 September 1854 , thanks to the Crimean War . The blockade of Peiraeus by the French and British fleets also led to the imposition of Kallergis as Minister of War , despite his previous attempts at overthrowing the King . Thus , Kallergis used his newly acquired influence to have Makriyannis released . Makriyannis suffered greatly in prison , and after his release suffered from hallucinations . His condition did not improve with the death of one of his younger sons in the cholera epidemic that struck Athens . On 10 October 1862 a revolution broke out , which led to the eviction of King Otho I from the country . Makriyannis ' s son , the future general Othon Makriyannis , reportedly presented his father with the King ' s golden crown . Makriyannis was restored to the ranks he had been stripped of as a result of his trial , and was re - elected as a representative of Athens to the new National ( Constitutional ) Assembly of 1864 . He was promoted to the rank of general on 20 April 1864 , and died on 27 April . Literary work . Assessment and significance . Makriyannis concluded work on his " Memoirs " in the years before his imprisonment ; the last entries seem to be from September or October 1850 , as evinced by his references to the events of that period . In the text of the " Memoirs " , one can see not only the personal adventures and disappointments of his long public career , but , more significantly , his views on people , situations and events , phrased clearly and quite often passionately . They were first published in 1907 by Yannis Vlahogiannis , while some fragments of them had earlier been published in the newspaper " Acropolis " in 1904 . Spyridon Lambros , in 1908 , noted his straightforwardness and slight egotism , along with his holding firm to his own opinion ( as quoted by Sphyroeras ) . Kostis Palamas , in 1911 , called his work " incomparable in its kind , a masterpiece of his illiterate , but strong and autonomous mind " ( ibid ) . It should be noted that Makriyannis had received only the most basic and fragmentary education , and , according to his own testimony , mastered writing shortly before he started writing his " Memoirs " , while he was stationed in Argos . Makriyannis , having been ignored by history , and hardly mentioned by chroniclers of the War of Independence , had renewed interest in the revolution by offering a significant personal testimony to historical research . Despite this , after the initial interest in the newly published " Memoirs " , they were hardly cited for almost 40 years . One could say that Makriyannis was forgotten , not only as a fighter , but also as the author of a text written in Demotic Greek ; a text that , besides reproducing the heroic atmosphere of the War of Independence , is also a treasure - house of linguistic knowledge concerning the common Greek tongue of the time . Makriyannis ' s reputation was revived during the German occupation of Greece . In 1941 , Yorgos Theotokas published an article on the general , calling his " Memoirs " " a monument of Modern Greek literature " because they were written in pure Demotic Greek . Two years later , in 1943 , the Greek Nobel laureate Giorgos Seferis gave a lecture on him , saying : According to the National Book Centre of Greece , Seferis also stated that Makriyannis , along with Alexandros Papadiamantis , is one of the two greatest masters of modern Greek prose . Since then hundreds of essays have been written on the subject of his " Memoirs " , and it would be fair to say that the chronicler has overshadowed the fighter , and with good reason , according to Sphyroeras . Spyros Asdrachas has noted that : The general ' s objectivity , however , has often been questioned . Vlahogiannis , in his preface to the " Memoirs " , praises his honesty and contrasts it to his lack of objectivity and impartiality . While always straightforward , Makriyannis clearly holds a grudge against people he had come into conflict with . He often uses disparaging language against people like Kolokotronis , while staying silent about the more questionable deeds of people he had a favourable opinion of . According to Sphyroeras , however , his judgements do not stem from selfishness , but rather from his severity against those he considered were defaming the cause of Greece . A few months after completing his " Memoirs " , on New Year ' s Eve in 1851 , Makriyannis started to write another " history " , as he called it , which he interrupted rather abruptly in late March 1852 , when he was under house arrest . This text was acquired in 1936 or 1937 by Vlahogiannis , and was finally published in 1983 by Angelos Papakostas , aptly titled " Visions and Wonders " . It has , according to Papakostas , far less historical significance than the " Memoirs " . The events described therein are given briefly , and are used only as an excuse for his meditations and the interpretation of his " Visions " , on which he particularly insists . Vlahogiannis , according to Sphyroeras , considered the manuscript to be a religiously overzealous work of a deranged mind , and that is the reason he did not publish it . The work , however , is also the product of a physically and mentally tormented soul , who , being isolated at the age of 54 , instead converses with God , the Panagia , and the saints . It also shows Makriyannis ' s deep religious feeling ; he turns away from guns , instead seeking the nation ' s salvation through divine intervention . Furthermore , as Sphyroeras points out , the work is unique in Modern Greek literature in its subject matter , and is , as the " Memoirs " , a significant source of linguistic and cultural information . Works . " Απομνημονεύματα ( Memoirs ) " first published : Athens : 1907 " Οράματα και Θάματα ( Visions and Wonders ) " first published : Athens : 1983