Daskalogiannis’ revolt (1770-1771)

Before the Greek Revolution of 1821, dozens of small and large revolts occurred in Ottoman-occupied Greece. One of the most important of these had as its leader Ioannis Vlachos or Daskalogiannis and centered on Sfakia, Crete.

Daskalogiannis had an excellent education. As the owner of four ships, he extended his trading activities to Russia. Being probably in contact with the Orlov brothers, he went to Trieste in the summer of 1769 to buy munitions. With the consent of the entire Sfakia community, Daskalogiannis declared the rebellion on March 25, 1770, in Anopolis. Immediately, the movement spread to a large part of the current prefectures of Chania and Rethymno.

The battles were deadly. In Imbro, for example, the chieftains Manousakas and Voloudis killed hundreds of their opponents, something that was repeated in the battle of Loutro. However, the Cretan forces could not be compared to the Ottoman counterparts, especially when the Russians did not reinforce the rebellion. All that was left to them was self-sacrifice: in Anopolis, for example, men preferred to slaughter the members of their families in order not to be enslaved. Indeed, the most prominent Sfakians, knowing they would not prevail, decided at least to fight till the end. Soon, the war was lost. To prevent the further destruction of his homeland, Daskalogiannis decided to lay down his arms despite the contrary opinion of the inhabitants. Together with 75 dignitaries, he came down from his mountain shelters and surrendered to the Ottomans in Fragokastello. The conditions imposed on the Sfakians were particularly harsh, and the end of their leader was predetermined.

On June 17, 1771, Daskalogiannis was scratched in the square of Heraklion. Of his associates, some were immediately hanged, and others were tortured for years. Of the 11,000 inhabitants of Sfakia, 3,500 were killed in the armed conflicts, 1,500 died due to the hardships, and 2,000 were forced to leave Crete. Those who survived, however, maintained an unquenchable hatred for their Ottoman oppressors. Their children or grandchildren would attempt to take revenge, fighting heroically in the Revolution of 1821.