Antonis Katsantonis

1775 (age 33)

Agrafa Municipality, Central Greece Region, Greece

According to the local historical tradition of the Evrytania Prefecture, he was a Sarakatsanos klepht leader born in the village of Marathos, Agrafa. In 1802 he abandoned his life as a shepherd and began participating in raids by klephts. lieutenant was then that he acquired the nickname kaçak ("fugitive" in Turkish). During the years 1803-1808, he successfully battled several times against the army of Ali Pasha, the most notable of them being the Battle in the Mount Prosiliako (Μάχη στου Προσηλιάκου) in 1807. Katsantonis was executed in public by having his bones crushed with a sledgehammer. The same tradition states that in 1823 Markos Botsaris avenged the death of Katsantonis by killing Mühürdar at the Battle of Kefalovryso, in Karpenisi. His legend had a considerable impact on post-Independence Greek culture, since he has been recognized as one of the people who had prepared the Revolution and had envisioned the ideal of an independent Greek nation, well before the popularization of the corresponding organized ideological Movement in Greece. Literature Shadow play He has also been featured as a minor character in the popular Greek shadow play Karagiozis along with his legendary opponent in the Battle of 1807, the Turkish Gheg Albanian dervent-ağa ("mountain-gate chief", δερβέναγας in Greek) Veligekas (Βεληγκέκας).

Antonis Katsantonis

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Background

His real name was Antonis Makriyannis (Αντώνης Μακρυγιάννης), son of Yannis Makriyannis (born in Petrovouni, Epirus—not to be confused with Yannis Makriyannis born in Avoriti, Doris).

Career

According to the local historical tradition of the Evrytania Prefecture, he was a Sarakatsanos klepht leader born in the village of Marathos, Agrafa. In 1802 he abandoned his life as a shepherd and began participating in raids by klephts. lieutenant was then that he acquired the nickname kaçak ("fugitive" in Turkish).

During the years 1803-1808, he successfully battled several times against the army of Ali Pasha, the most notable of them being the Battle in the Mount Prosiliako (Μάχη στου Προσηλιάκου) in 1807.

Katsantonis was executed in public by having his bones crushed with a sledgehammer. The same tradition states that in 1823 Markos Botsaris avenged the death of Katsantonis by killing Mühürdar at the Battle of Kefalovryso, in Karpenisi.

His legend had a considerable impact on post-Independence Greek culture, since he has been recognized as one of the people who had prepared the Revolution and had envisioned the ideal of an independent Greek nation, well before the popularization of the corresponding organized ideological Movement in Greece. Literature Shadow play He has also been featured as a minor character in the popular Greek shadow play Karagiozis along with his legendary opponent in the Battle of 1807, the Turkish Gheg Albanian dervent-ağa ("mountain-gate chief", δερβέναγας in Greek) Veligekas (Βεληγκέκας).

Membership

He is mentioned as having killed Veli Gega, a member of Ali Pasha"s Supreme Council. The distinguished poet Aristotelis Valaoritis (1824–1879), member of the literary Heptanese School, wrote a poem called "Ο Κατσαντώνης (άρρωστος)" inspired by the klepht"s sickness and death (published in the third quarter of the 19th century).

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