Hatzimichalis Dalianis
Encyclopedia
Hatzimichalis Dalianis was a hero of the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...

 (1821–1830) and the revolutionary leader of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...

 in 1828.

Greek War of Independence

Dalianis was born in the town of Delvinaki
Delvinaki
Delvinaki is a former municipality in the Ioannina peripheral unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pogoni, of which it is a municipal unit. Its 2001 population was 751 for the village and 2,933 for the municipal district...

, Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...

, when the region was under Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 rule. At 1816 he became a member of the Greek patriotic organization Filiki Etaireia.

In March 1826, while the War of Independence was in full swing, he participated together with other revolutionary leaders (Nikolaos Krieziotis, Vasos Mavrovouniotis
Vasos Mavrovouniotis
Vasos Mavrovouniotis was voivode from Montenegro, who played a significant role in the Greek revolution against the Ottoman Empire in 1821.-Life:...

 and Stavros Liakopoulos) in an attempt to create an alliance with the Emir of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

 Bashir Shihab II
Bashir Shihab II
Bashir Chehab II was a Lebanese emir who ruled Lebanon in the first half of the 19th century.-Life:Bashir was born 2 January 1767 , son of Emir Qasim ibn Umar Chehab of the noble Chehab family which had came to power in 1697...

 against the Ottoman Empire. However, when Dalianis landed in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...

 in order to incite a revolt there, the local emir was far from certain that he would defy the Ottomans.

Back to Greece, Dalianis fought in the Battle of Phaleron
Battle of Phaleron
The Battle of Phaleron took place on April 24, 1827. The revolting Greek forces were being besieged inside the Acropolis of Athens by Ottoman forces under the command of Mehmed Reshid Pasha. Greek forces outside the city were desperately trying to break the siege.-Battle:The Scottish Lord Cochrane...

 (1827). In January 1828 he became the leader of an expeditionary force to assist the faltering uprising in Crete. In an attempt to revive the revolution there, Dalianis together with 700 men (600 on foot, 100 with horses and mules), landed initially at Gramvousa
Gramvousa
Gramvousa, also Grambousa, Grampousa or Krampouza , further names include Akra, Cavo Buso, Cavo Bouza, Garabusa and Grabusa, are names used for two small uninhabited islands off the coast of north-western Crete in the prefecture of Chania...

 on 5 January 1828 but decided to restart their expedition from Sfakia
Sfakia
Sfakiá is a mountainous area in the southwestern part of the island of Crete, in the Chania peripheral unit. It is considered one of the few places in Greece to never have been fully occupied by foreign powers...

. In March he took possession of Frangokastello
Frangokastello
Frangokastello is the location of a castle and scattered settlement on the south coast of Crete, Greece, about 12 km. east of Chora Sfakion and within the prefecture of Chania....

 castle, a 14th-century Venetian
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...

 fortification in the Sfakia
Sfakia
Sfakiá is a mountainous area in the southwestern part of the island of Crete, in the Chania peripheral unit. It is considered one of the few places in Greece to never have been fully occupied by foreign powers...

 region. The local Ottoman ruler, Mustafa Naili Pasha, gathered an army of 8,000 men in order to suppress the revolt and attacked Frangokastello. The castle's defence was doomed, when Mustafa's force of 8,000 men and 300 cavalry arrived on 13 May 1828, after several days the fortress fell back in to Ottoman hands, and Dalianis perished along with 385 men. Mustafa's force also lost 800 men. The few men that remained at the fort continued to resist for a few more days.

It is said that Hatzimichalis Dalianis was buried by a nun at the nearby monastery of Saint Charalambos. Mustafa's troops were ambushed on their return at a nearby gorge by a group of Cretan rebels, and suffered ca. 1,000 casualties.

Legacy

This failed revolt of 1828, is the basis for the local legend of the ghost army of the Drosoulites
Drosoulites
The term Drosoulites refers to a long procession of visions, seen by residents around Frangokastello castle in Sfakia region of Crete . The phenomenon is rumored to be visible every year, on the anniversary of the Battle of Frangokastello or even in early June near a small village in southern...

(Δροσουλίτες, "dew shadows"). According to the local Cretan tradition, the spirits of the fallen revolutionaries return each year to Frangokastello. This unexplained phenomenon usually occurs on the anniversary of the battle where images of advancing troops (Drosoulites) appear at dawn to hover above the tragic location. The subject has been investigated and various scientific interpretations have been suggested.

Sources

  • Detorakis, Theocharis (1988). "Η Τουρκοκρατία στην Κρήτη ("Turkish rule in Crete")". In Panagiotakis, Nikolaos M. (in Greek). Crete, History and Civilization. II. Vikelea Library, Association of Regional Associations of Regional Municipalities. pp. 333–436.
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