Kyriakoulis Argyrokastritis also known as Kyriakoulis Polychronis was a Greek

Greeks

The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

 resistance leader 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...

.

He was born in Gjirokastër

Gjirokastër

Gjirokastër is a city in southern Albania with a population of 43,000. Lying in the historical region of Epirus, it is the capital of both the Gjirokastër District and the larger Gjirokastër County...

 (Argyrokastron in Greek, his name means 'from Gjirokastër'), modern Albania

Albania

Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...

, when the town 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. Argyrokastritis joined the Greek revolution and in January 1828 together with the resistance leader Hatzimichalis Dalianis

Hatzimichalis Dalianis

Hatzimichalis Dalianis was a hero of the Greek War of Independence and the revolutionary leader of Crete in 1828.-Greek War of Independence:Dalianis was born in the town of Delvinaki, Epirus, when the region was under Ottoman rule...

, from 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...

, landed on the island 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...

 to support the revolution there.

In May 1828, Epirotes and Cretans under the leadership of Hatzimichalis, were besieged by the numerical superior Ottoman army of the local ruler, Mustafa Naili Pasha, in 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, 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 castle defence was doomed after seven days and the fortress fell back to Ottoman hands. Both Dalianis and Argyrokastrites were killed during the conflict.

According to a local tradition in Crete, an unexplained phenomenon that usually occurs on the anniversary of the Frangokastello battle where images of advancing troops, called 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...

(dew-men) appear at dawn to hover above the tragic location.