Lambros Katsonis
Lambros Katsonis, also Lampros Katsonis (Greek Λάμπρος Κατσώνης, * 1752 in Livadia, † 1804 in Moscow) was a Greek freedom fighter and Admiral.
Life
Katsonis came from Livadia in Central Greece, then part of the Ottoman Empire. His family was persecuted by the Turks and fled with him when he was a child, on the Ionian Islands, which were not under Ottoman rule. Katsonis later turned into the service of the Russian Navy. At the beginning of the 6th Russian Turkish war in 1787 he commanded a Russian warship in the Black Sea. By some daring actions against Ottoman ships, he won recognition and military field marshal and advisor to the Russian Empress Grigori Potemkin was aware of him.
On behalf of Catherine II he went to Greece to prepare for a Greek uprising to take the Orlov Revolt. Here he met among others the freedom fighter Georgios Androutsos, father of the late freedom fighter of 1821 Odysseas Androutsos. Later he went to Trieste, where he fitting out three frigates with Greeks living there and then stabbed in the Aegean Sea. There he attacked Turkish ships and added them sensitive to losses. He also seized on at this time 12 more ships and enlarged its fleet to 15 vessels thus. It joined its fleet of ships captains Psaros and Tamara, and his fleet grew to more than 20 ships. On the islands, one network was secret supply bases for its fleet. Katsonis attacked with his ships Turkish bases on the islands, such as on the island of Kastellorizo . Main base in the Aegean Sea, the island of Kea. During this time, the Ottomans lost control of the Aegean Sea.
Katsonis fleet sailed into the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus, Syria and Egypt and sank numerous ships flying the Turkish flag; others were captured and joined the fleet.
In 1788, the sultan sent the Ottoman fleet in the Aegean Sea, with the mission to find Katsonis fleet and destroy them. The end of August of the same year, the two met each other fleets near the island of Karpathos. There was a heavy battle that lasted several hours. Despite the numerical inferiority of the fleet of Katsonis the Turkish ships suffered heavy losses and were put to flight. After defeating Russia Katsonis ' fleet recognized as part of the Russian fleet, and Katsonis was appointed admiral.
In October 1788 Katsonis returned to his base back in Trieste. There he prepared together with Psaros and Tamara before further plans and recruited other Greek volunteers for its fleet, which grew and grew.
Meanwhile, France levied against Katsonis the charge of piracy and demanded his arrest. Due to French pressure Katsonis was arrested in January 1789 by the Austrian authorities, but was released already in March 1789 after intervention by Potemkin again.
After his release Katsonis went to Ithaca, where he met his friend Georgios Androutsos and they made plans to military action. As an expression of friendship between both the baptismal sponsorship of Katsonis for Androutsos son Odysseas was. After leaving Ithaca, he seized on other ships, and incorporated it in the fleet. During this time he was the Sultan sent a letter, by describing Katsonis as " manly hero " and offered him amnesty if he turned into his service. He promised Katsonis and his men much gold and land. But Katsonis, which concerned the freedom of Greece, refused. After the Sultan had received the response from Katsonis, he again sent the Ottoman fleet in the Aegean Sea.
Beginning of June 1789, there came in the Cyclades to another battle. Again Katsonis fleet went emerged as the winner. In the spring of 1790 it came to the third battle between the two fleets. This time the fleet of Katsonis suffered heavy losses and had to retreat. In 1790, Russia and the Ottoman Empire signed a cease-fire, and Katsonis received notice to take any further attacks more. However Katsonis refused. On May 26, 1790, he attacked Ottoman and French warships in the port of Porto Kagio on the Peloponnese. He was supported by troops from Androutsos from the land side. The fighting lasted three days and had on both sides of heavy losses. Then the ships of Katsonis withdrew. Androutsos permeated with the help of local freedom fighters towards the Peloponnese Central Greece and returned to Ithaca. There he was arrested by the Venetians and delivered to the Turkish authorities, who tortured him in Constantinople Opel to death.
Katsonis went to Russia and lived there until his death in 1804.
- Military person (Greece )
- Person ( Greek History )
- Born in 1752
- Died in 1804
- Man