Η φλόγα της ελευθερίας: Ο αγώνας των Ελλήνων για την ανεξαρτησία, 1821-1833

by David Brewer, Τιτίνα Σπερελάκη (Translator), Ελένη Κεκροπούλου (Editor)

Ο αγώνας της ανεξαρτησίας των Ελλήνων από τον οθωμανικό ζυγό ήταν μια γιγάντια πάλη. Η σημερινή Ελλάδα είναι αποκύημα περισσότερο αυτής της αιματηρής προσπάθειας παρά της Κλασικής περιόδου. Εξαιτίας του οθωμανικού ζυγού που διήρκεσε κοντά τέσσερις αιώνες, εξακολουθεί ακόμη και σήμερα να υπάρχει στη συνείδηση των Ελλήνων εχθρότητα έναντι των Τούρκων και επίσης καχυποψία απέναντι στις ξένες δυνάμεις, για τις οποίες οι Έλληνες θεωρούν ότι έδρασαν αποκλειστικά για δικό τους όφελος με τη μέθοδο της χειραγώγησης. Οι ξένοι φιλέλληνες υποστήριξαν την επανάσταση των Ελλήνων, αλλά οι ξένες κυβερνήσεις περισσότερο ενδιαφέρονταν για τη σταθερότητα της Ευρώπης όπως διαμορφώθηκε μετά την ήττα του Ναπολέοντα, παρά για την Ελλάδα και τους Έλληνες. Η χαρισματική ηγεσία του Κολοκοτρώνη έδωσε στην επανάσταση την ώθηση που χρειαζόταν, ενώ η καταστροφή της Χίου και των Κυδωνιών, ο δαυλός του Κανάρη και του Πιπίνου, το ολοκαύτωμα του Μεσολογγίου, ο θάνατος του Βύρωνα, το αιματοκύλισμα της Πελοποννήσου, κινητοποίησαν τις κυβερνήσεις της Ευρώπης και ένας συμμαχικός στόλος υπό τον ναύαρχο Κόρδινγκτον έπλευσε στα ανοιχτά του Ναυαρίνου, όπου θα παιζόταν η τελευταία πράξη του ηρωϊκού δράματος. . .

Genres: History, Greece, European History, Nonfiction, Historical

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Stratos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Εξαίρετο ιστορικό ανάγνωσμα. Και επίκαιρο! Με γλαφυρό τρόπο καταγράφεται η επανάσταση του 21 και η ανεξαρτησία του Ελληνικού κράτους. Εννοείται πως είναι απαραίτητο για όποιον ασχολείται με την σύγχρονη ελληνική ιστορία. Αλλωστε και τα τρία βιβλία του συγγραφέα πρέπει να κοσμούν την βιβλιοθήκη όσων λατρεύουν την ιστορία.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

All that most of us know about the Greek war of independence from the Ottoman Empire was that Lord Byron died at Missolonghi. I had thought it was from wounds fighting the Turks, but no, he had caught a bad cold from horseback riding in the rain.

At the risk of incurring the wrath of Greek leaders, my conclusion from reading David Brewer's Greek War of Independence: The Struggle for Freedom from Ottoman Oppression was that the ten-year conflict was at one and the same time a war of independence and a civil war. After hundreds of years of Turkish occupation, the Greeks did not know how to cooperate with one another -- such that there were numerous instances of Greek forces battling other Greek forces. Even the attempt to form a government was hampered by a tendency toward secession.

It was only when England, France, and Russia got together and decided that someone had to clean up this mess that a powerful combined naval force under the command of Admiral Sir Edward Codrington demolished the Turkish fleet at Navarino that Greek independence was guaranteed. (Even then, it took a couple more years for the Sublime Porte to acknowledge they had been defeated, but only after Russia had declared war on them.)

There were conflicting views of the Greek fighters. On one hand, Byron wrote in his journal that the Greeks were "such d----d liars; -- there never was such an incapacity for veracity since Eve lived in Paradise." On the other hand, G. S. Howe summarized his own impressions slightly differently:

A Greek soldier is intelligent, active, hardy, and frugal; he will march, or rather skip, all day among the rocks, expecting no other food than a biscuit and a few olives, or a raw onion; and at night, lies down content upon the ground, with a flat stone for a pillow, and with only his capote, which he carries with him winter and summer, for covering; baggage-wagon and tent he knows nothing of. But he will not work, for he thinks it disgraceful; he will submit to no discipline, for he thinks it makes a slave of him; he will obey no order which does not seem to him a good one, for he holds that in these matters he has a right to be consulted. In a European army, a body of Greeks would be called cowards. They can never be brought to enter a breach, to charge an enemy who has a wall before him, or to stand up and expose themselves to a fire. The invariable practice is to conceal their bodies behind a wall, or a rock, and fire from under cover. They wear pistols, but never come within reasonable distance to use them; they have yataghans, but the only service they are of is to cut off the head of a slain enemy. As an army, then, and compared to Europeans and Americans, they are not brave; but it may be doubted whether Europeans or Americans, in the same situation, would be any braver.

Brewer writes a remarkably even-handed history that excoriates the Ottomans, the Greeks, and even the Europeans when necessary. It is a history well worth reading on a subject that will be new to most (non-Greek) readers.

[Czarny Pies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely competent survey history of the Greek War of Independence. Its tremendous professionalism is somewhat surprising for a work by an amateur historian.

Brewer does an excellent job of telling the story of how the Greeks struggled to create a nation and simultaneously explaining how this conflict related to the foreign policies of the leading nations of Europe. Given how rare it is for academics in the Anglo-Saxon world to learn demotic Greek it may be many decades before Brewer's work is superseded.

[Ozymandias · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books that sometimes comes along which deals with a very interesting topic you know little about except that it happened. I love those books and kudos to the author for choosing this topic. Unfortunately it also fits neatly into another, less positive, category – books which seem to go out of their way to be obtuse and which only cover the surface of events. And a confusing and narrow surface which too often doesn’t explain the context that would make it matter. The author clearly knows his stuff, but unfortunately his readers won’t. And that’s the problem.

Probably the most obvious example of this book being made inaccessible is the use of languages. It’s not Greek that’s the most obvious oddly. He translates everything out of Greek. But not French. For some reason we get long and important quotes in French with no further comment. Note: if you’re aiming at a popular history (and I don’t see who else this would be aimed at) never require your audience to already know a second language.

That’s not to say I don’t have issues with the other use of languages. Greek transliteration is hard and whatever you do won’t please everybody. But his method of transliteration still irritates me. I would define it as overly literalist. Rather than using names people may have heard of, he prefers to give us Greek names precisely how they are pronounced (not spelled) with no filter whatsoever. Arcadia, for example, is Arkádhia (Αρκαδία). Epidaurus is Epídhavros (Επίδαυρος). Ioannina is Iánnina (Ιωάννινα). The Areopagus is the Aríos Págos (Άρειος Πάγος). I’ve been to most of these places so it was frustrating when I had to look them up on the map to know where he was talking about. When he does elect to use accepted names the decision seems random and often odd. Thessalonika (his use) for example, is more commonly known today by the Greek pronunciation of Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη). Navplion appears on maps as Nafplio (Ναύπλιο). And why do we get Dhimítrios for Demetrius but Odysseus for Odysséas? All of this makes the book harder to use for people interested in events. And with the number of exotic names thrown at us in rapid succession this is a real problem. Especially since he leaves the variant spellings in direct quotes with no effort to clarify what is being referred to.

A more significant structural problem is that the narrative is overly focused on documenting the surface of events without really digging deep into the reasons or overall situation. Important factors are mentioned only once they become important. We are told that the city of Missolonghi was the most important one held by the Greeks only after we start to cover its fall after a long siege. The result is that our overall picture of events is limited. We get only a narrow vision. Why some events are chosen to be covered in detail is unclear. I’m not super confident that the book provides a reliable view of the revolution. The English seem to get an inordinate share of the focus while other foreign nationals are sidelined. While Byron gets whole chapters to himself and British officers like Richard Church get detailed mention during their battle at Athens, there’s no similar focus on the more important French army marching through the Peloponnese. This is especially odd given the whole quoting in French thing.

In fairness to the author, the book does get better as it goes on. The most confusing bit is the muddle he makes of the origins of the revolt, with the constant influx of names you’ll rapidly forget and rather narrow exposition being particularly egregious. Once the revolt really gets underway it becomes easier to follow and by the time the Great Powers get involved and the cast of characters is reduced by death and success it pretty much manages to achieve the popular history approach it seems to be aiming at. Sure, we still get pointless digressions like following the attempted assassination of the second-in-command of one of the minor generals in enormous detail, but at least the digression makes for a good story. The abrupt end is unilluminating, but it seems a logical place to stop.

This unsatisfying narrative of the Greek Revolution did at least leave me hungry for more and encouraged me to move onto a much more satisfying general history of modern Greece. That book (while naturally covering the revolution in less detail) does a much better job of placing events in context and looking below the surface to see why decisions were made and why big-picture events turned out the way they did.

[Nathan Jerpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and enjoyable study of the liberation of Greece, which influenced Romantic poetry and proved to be the first real crack in the Ottoman empire and thus a major factor in the development of modern Europe.

The machinations of Britain, Russia, France, Prussia, The United States, Austria, and Egypt are presented with just the right amount of depth, not so much that I drowned in proper nouns, but dense enough that I would benefit from a reread or two.

The fall of Mesolongi, the role of Lord Byron, and the amazing fate of Trelawny are highlights.

I was very interested in how two loans from London had such a political and military effect on the war. I was also impressed by how poorly this money was managed and how much trouble the Greeks had in paying it back. In fact I think this book can shed some light and context on Greece's recent debt crisis.

[Lefki Sarantinou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Το βιβλίο του φιλολόγου και ιστορικού από το πανεπιστήμιο της Οξφόρδης David Brewer "Η φλόγα της ελευθερίας", αποτελεί τον έναν από τους τρεις τόμους τους οποίους έχει αφιερώσει ο συγγραφέας στην ελληνική ιστορία. Ο ένας αφορά την περίοδο της τουρκοκρατίας (1453-1821), ο άλλος την κατοχή και τον εμφύλιο (1940-1949) και ο τρίτος την Ελληνική Επανάσταση (1821-1833).

Πρόκειται για ένα έργο, το οποίο, όπως και τα άλλα του συγγραφέα, είναι εξαιρετικά καλογραμμένο και, επειδή ο συγγραφέας δεν είναι Έλληνας, πιο αντικειμενικό και αμερόληπτο. Πρόκειται επίσης για έργο που καταρρίπτει παγιωμένους μύθους, όπως εκείνους οι οποίοι αφορούν την αρχή της επανάστασης, την εθνική ταυτότητα των αγωνιστών και την-παντελώς απούσα- ομοψυχία που επέδειξαν σε ορισμένες περιστάσεις, ακόμη και τις άγνωστες βιαιοπραγίες στις οποίες προέβησαν οι Έλληνες πολλές φορές, εκτός από τους Τούρκους, κατά τη διάρκεια της επανάστασης.

Το μόνο σίγουρο λοιπόν, είναι ότι ακόμη και ο ιστορικός και ο εξοικειωμένος με την εν λόγω περίοδο αναγνώστης, οπωσδήποτε θα ανακαλύψει κάτι το οποίο δεν γνώριζε μέχρι την ανάγνωση του παρόντος πονήματος. Αξίζει, για παράδειγμα, να σταθούμε στον πλούτο των-εν πολλοίς- άγνωστων πληροφοριών για το ευρύ κοινό που αυτό περιέχει για τη λειτουργία και τη δράση της Φιλικής Εταιρείας. Το ίδιο συμβαίνει και με την εξιστόρηση των γεγονότων τα οποία αφορούν τον Αλή Πασά των Ιωαννίνων, την εκστρατεία της Υψηλής Πύλης εναντίον του και τη σχέση του με το Σούλι. Εξετάζεται επίσης διεξοδικά το ζήτημα της έναρξης της Ελληνικής Επανάστασης και ο αντίκτυπος που αυτή είχε στους ξένους.

Η εξιστόρηση πάντως αρχίζει με την παράθεση των απαραίτητων που πρέπει να γνωρίζει ο αναγνώστης για την τουρκοκρατία και την αφύπνιση του ελληνικού γένους τον 18ο αιώνα. Η συνέλεση της Βοστίτσας, η έναρξη της επανάστασης στις Παραδουνάβιες Ηγεμονίες, καθώς και οι μάχες της επανάστασης επίσης εξιστορούνται λεπτομερώς, τόσο οι πιο γνωστές όπως η Άλωση της Τριπολιτσάς, η σφαγή της Χίου και η πολιορκία του Μεσολογγίου, όσο και οι πιο άγνωστες όπως η λησμονημένη μα σημαντικότατη μάχη των Μύλων.

Το βιβλίο, εκτός από τα στρατιωτικά γεγονότα, δεν παραλείπει ακόμη να αναφερθεί με κάθε λεπτομέρεια και στα πολιτικά, όπως τις εθνοσυνελεύσεις του Αγώνα, αλλά και σε άλλα γεγονότα που αφορούν την Ελληνική Επανάσταση, όπως τα δάνεια του Αγώνα, τον φιλελληνισμό, τον Εμφύλιο και το πέρασμα τον λόρδου Βύρωνα από την επαναστατημένη χώρα μας. Η εξιστόρηση τελειώνει με μία εξονυχιστική επισκόπηση της Ναυμαχίας του Ναβαρίνου, της Συνθήκης του Λονδίνου και της έλευσης του Καποδίστρια ως πρώτου Κυβερνήτη του νεοσύστατου ελληνικού κράτους.

Ο David Brewer όμως δεν παραθέτει μόνο τα γεγονότα, αντιθέτως ωθεί τον αναγνώστη στην καλύτερη κατανόησή και ερμηνεία τους. Διαβάζοντας το βιβλίο ο αναγνώστης θα συνειδητοποιήσει τον ρόλο που έπαιξαν και άλλοι βαλκάνιοι λαοί, όπως οι Αλβανοί, στον Αγώνα της Παλιγγενεσίας, την εξάρτηση του νεοσύστατου κράτους από τις Μεγάλες Δυνάμεις και ρις δυσκολίες που αντιμετώπιζαν με την Επανάσταση τόσο οι Οθωμανοί, από την πλευρά τους, όσο και οι Έλληνες. Ακόμη, θα κατανοήσει καλύτερα γιατί οι δυνάμεις οι οποίες είχαν την παντοδυναμία κατά την Τουρκοκρατία, δηλαδή οι πρόκριτοι, η Εκκλησία και πολλοί οπλαρχηγοί, είχαν κάθε λόγο να αντιδρούν στην εγκαθίδρυση ενός νεωτερικού κράτους μετά την Επανάσταση, όπως ακριβώς το ευαγγελίζονταν κάποιοι εξευρωπαϊσμένοι πολιτικοί στις εθνοσυνελεύσεις. Έτσι επιτυγχάνεται η καλύτερη κατανόηση του επονείδιστου ελληνικού Εμφυλίου και γιατί ήταν αναπόφευκτο αυτός τελικά να ξεσπάσει κατά τη διάρκεια της Επανάστασης.

Ο συγγραφέας έχει μελετήσει διεξοδικά όλες τις πρωτογενείς πηγές που αφορούν την Παλιγγενεσία, τόσο ξένες, όσο και ελληνικές, στις οποίες καταφεύγει περιοδικά προκειμένου να αποσαφηνίσει και να τεκμηριώσει τα λεγόμενά του. Έτσι στις σελίδες του βιβλίου ο αναγνώστης θα βρει αποσπάσματα από αγωνιστές της Επανάστασης, όπως ο Κολοκοτρώνης και ο Μακρυγιάννης, από πολιτικούς, όπως ο Σπυρίδων Τρικούπης, από περιηγητές όπως ο Πουκεβίλ, από ξένους ιστορικούς, όπως ο Γκόρντον και ο Φίνλεϋ, αλλά και, τέλος, από φιλέλληνες, όπως ο Χάου και ο Βύρωνας.

Εν κατακλείδι, πρόκειται για ένα από τα πληρέστερα και τα πιο καλογραμμένα και τεκμηριωμένα έργα που έχουν γραφτεί για την Ελληνική Επανάσταση.

[Nathaniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A general interest in world history will not be enough to get you through the less interesting chapters of this book. It's not really a slight on the author or the topic, though. To survive the book a general knowledge of Greek history, famous Greek patriots, and Greek geography would be a big help. Perhaps some Greek blood in my veins would have kept me more interested. I had major trouble reading and differentiating, for example, between Mavrokordhatos, Miaoulis, and Makriyannis (which is likely sacrilege to a Greek). It's a very "American" thing to say probably, but in large block paragraphs the surnames tended to blend together to my inexperienced eye. I should probably go to Greece or talk to my Greek coworker to learn more.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a famous saying "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it": of course this is demonstrably false, and yet there are remarkable threads that run through history, especially the history of nations and peoples. Reading this book has been a fascinating exercise in reading what happened in Greece in the early nineteenth century, with the gloss of the current Greek crisis overlaid.

The idea of a Greek nation is almost as old as civilization itself, although Ancient Greece was not a single political entity, but rather hundreds of separate city states who all tapped into the Greek heritage even when they were fighting each other. After the Roman Empire faded away, Greece fell back into obscurity and domination by others until in the early eighteenth century the Ottoman Empire became the hegemon.

As David Brewer describes in the early section of this well-written book, the Ottomans were not close governors of many of their provinces, Greece being one of them. They collected taxes (or sold the right to collect taxes to locals) and conscripted young men into their fighting forces, but did little else for the Greeks. The local clergy were responsible to the Sultan for the behaviour of their flock, and many Greeks became functionaries in the Empire. This led to widespread distrust among Greeks and between Greek communities, as the Empire also treated each province differently; some paying lesser tax, or having more freedom than others.

Religion was also an issue: the idea of a group of Christians being ruled over by an Islamic Empire did not sit well, not only with Greeks who desired to be free, but with other nations - especially Russians - who had a strong connexion to their Orthodox brethren. This issue was used as a pretext for action by various groups for various reasons during the struggle for independence, although until fighting started the Sultan allowed his Christian subjects much freedom in the practice of their religion, even if he was the one appointing the Patriarchs and Bishops.

As with many revolutions, the spark for the Greek uprising was struck outside the country itself by expatriates, Korais and Rigas, and the members of the secret society Philiki Eteria, which was more a grouping of hopeful idealists than a true movement for revolution. This did not stop the leader of the Eteria, expatriate Alexander Ipsilantis, from launching an abortive uprising in the provinces of Moldavia and Wallachia, which failed, due to Alexander's inability to lead or communicate effectively, or garner the hoped for support from Russia, or even to make it to Greece itself.

Although Ipsilantis' revolt was a failure, it led to a further revolt by the inhabitants of the Mani in the Peloponnese, which took advantage of the lack of Turkish troops stationed there at the time (owing to the uprising of Ali Pasha in Albania), and quickly grabbed some key fortresses and the major administrative centre Tripolis. With the help of a small but sporadically effective naval campaign, and use of guerrilla tactics in the rugged Greek countryside, the various Greek bands managed to hold key pieces of territory which enabled the rebellion to take root.

Brewer deftly describes the various competing sides that became apparent as the struggle continued - the Sultan in Constantinople not always in tune with Mehmed Ali, the Khedive of Egypt, who had his own agenda, and the Greeks - forming a constantly re-arranging group of alliances and enmities which at times descended into civil war - cruelling many opportunities which led to military disaster on more than one occasion. In fact the jealousies, empire-building and feather-bedding undertaken by almost everyone involved on the Greek side makes for depressing reading - the war was won almost in spite of the Greeks.

The involvement of foreign powers was not always above reproach either. Russia ostensibly had noble motives in becoming involved in the struggle, but balanced everything against its need to remain allies with France, Britain and Austria, and its desire to gain territory at the expense of the Turks. The French were schizophrenic in their approach, wooing both Greeks and Egyptians for different reasons, so much so that they had officers on both allied and Sultanate ships during the Battle of Navarino, which was the event that finally drew the Ottomans to the conference table.

No war can be fought without money, and lots of it, and the tale of Greek finances is one that echoes down to today. The Greeks raised loans mostly in England, based on wildly fanciful notions of their capacity to repay the principal, let alone the interest. They were not helped by the rapacious activities of the banks, nor by the wastage of the money they were lent, frittered away on expenditure on "ghost" troops, ships that were never finished (or deliberately scuttled by their own side!), and other unfortunate events. These loans were never repayed, and dogged the new nation for years afterwards (a period which is beyond the scope of Brewer).

It was the English loans to Greece that brought Lord Byron into the picture, and although his activities during the war were mostly ineffectual, it was his death in Mesolonghi that caught the imagination of Europe, and led to the interventions by the Great Powers that finally gave Greece freedom. While the foundation story of the modern Greek state gives great prestige to the defenders of Mesolonghi, the routers of Dramali, and the besieged of Athens, it was the pressures in other parts of the Ottoman Empire (Egypt, the 1828 war with Russia) that led the Sultan to come to terms and agree to Greek independence.

The first Greek President, Kapodhistrias, was acclaimed by nearly all when he took charge, but was assassinated a few year later, after suffering several rebellions to his rule. Brewer deals well with the constitutional waverings of the war years, showing how noble ideas failed to work in practice, and manoeuvrings by various factions meant that none of the structures of government worked in the way that had been intended.

Overall, Brewer's book is a very good introduction to the Greek independence struggle. He sets the scene well, covers all the major battles and events, and leaves the story at the moment the King of Greece is crowned. Brewer is an Englishman (a Classics scholar at Oxford), and as such this is an English view, with perhaps more space being given to the English stories in the book than the French or Russian, although it seems mainly an even-handed coverage. The maps are basic but sufficient to orient the reader. A couple of things that may annoy are the quotations from the French that have not been translated, and the spelling of the Greek names throughout - Brewer is consistent in his spellings, but in quotations uses the spelling of the original author. This can be confusing, especially when the original author is an Englishman writing in the early 1800s; there were several occasions where the person being referred to was not obvious at first reading.

However, those quibbles aside, I can recommend this book, especially now, as many Greek traits we are seeing during their current troubles can be seen in embryo in this story.

Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a perfectly good and interesting account of the Greek War of Independence, but it did not inspire me. Now that Mark Mazower has produced his 'The Greek Revolution: 1821 and the Making of Modern Europe' I cannot imagine why anyone would read anything else. Mazower is a writer of genius (see my review of his 'Salonica: City of Ghosts' at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) and if after I read his book on the Greek War of Independence I feel otherwise then I will alter this review.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter of this book is enough to recommend it, for accessible books available in English concerning the Greek War of Independence are a rare enough thing. The book does have its own merits, however, both in its methodology and the way that it is written. Most notably, Brewer makes deft use of the sources available to him, which are liberally implemented. This does not only complement the veracity of his work, but the carefully chosen quotations are delivered in such a way so as to provide the reader with a contemporary voice that on occasion evokes the emotions of triumph and despair that accompany wars such as these in a tangible way.

That said, the book is far from perfect. The writing, though accessible (bar Brewer's aversion to translating anything from French), is hardly inspiring and were the events described not as compelling I confess I would have been bored stiff at some points. Indeed, throughout the read the most common feeling I had was to be left wanting. I always got the impression that there was a lot left unsaid and whilst some phenomena or individuals were granted ample explanation, other names and events are simply thrown at you, never to be mentioned again, until a hundred pages down the line where they appear again with a new position. Perhaps a later edition would benefit from a glossary of names? In truth, there is something admirable about the way that Brewer has condensed such a Byzantine (no pun intended) conflict into 351 pages and come out of it with a mostly coherent narrative from which I have learned a lot, yet I am left to wonder if a weightier tome that allowed for greater exploration of certain factors would have been a better experience.

In short, if modern Greek history or the simple pursuit of knowledge is your bent then I heartily recommend this book as a starting point, as it was for me. If your prose has to be as sensational as your subject matter, however, I would approach this book with caution.

[Chris Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is only coincidental that I was reading this book during the point when we took in a Turkish exchange student to live with us. We had been talking about a trip to Greece and I was interested in the more recent history of the region. In general, I found this book to be a disappointment.

Part of my frustration lay not with the book itself but with the history of the period. There was so much cruelty, corruption and incompetence on both sides of this conflict that it was hard to find heros to identify with. Yes, the greeks were oppressed by the Ottomans, but they also did a fine job of fighting with each other.

As a book, I found the writing style to be very dry. I also thought that the author was so familiar with his subject matter that he forget I was not. He would often refer to future invents in a way that expressed how knowledgeable he was without quite being enlightening.

[Panos Maris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although dry and exhausting, any patriot who, like me, is deficient in the Greek language, will no longer be alienated from elderly folklore. The author sketches complete biographies on important individuals, but does so in a seemingly biased, defeatist, Oxford-alumnus kind of way. His writing voice is distant and oftentimes feels like 5th grade when a student is chosen to read out loud. I somehow couldn't equip my patriot psyche when perusing through this thorough account as told, I presume, by a white Anglo-Saxon protestant. At least i can hold up with the old man now when discussing my people's liberation. If you're not Greek, I wouldn't even give this any examination.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A general history of the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire which was fought from 1821 through 1829. All I knew about the GWOI was that Lord Byron died in the fight; a good basic review of the events that lead to the modern Greek nation state.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite too many passages in French, and one in Latin, I fought my way through David Brewer's book to get an otherwise clearer picture of this important conflict. His version runs between 1821-1829, and that written in English helped me enormously to comprehend this unusual struggle.

I am strongly against using content which excludes readers, and the whole world doesn't speak French. I don't speak French or Latin, and oddly I had to remind myself of that while working on a work-in-progress. Something in me wanted to write part of it in Spanish, but I realized that would be a mistake. Besides, IF it's successful enough translators would be hired for the international editions.

Infighting took place on both sides, and clearly played key factors in the outcome. The Greeks, trying to cast out the Turkey-based Ottoman Empire after some 400 years, fell into two civil wars in 1823 and 24. A split brand-new federal government was largely to blame. Successful Ottoman attacks led by Ibrahim Pasha started gobbling up territory during that time, and that woke the Greeks up to the real fight they were already involved in.

With international help from England, France, and Russia, the weakened Greek forces finally overcame Ibrahim and his combined Turkish and Egyptian navy were overcome in a big way in Navarino Bay, basically ending the war in 1827. However, there still were several Ottoman-held positions which took another two years to clear out. Oddly, the British Admiral who commanded the key victory was canned by the Tory government under the Duke of Wellington a few months later for political reasons. Wellington said that it's because it wasn't a declared war.

Infighting on the Ottoman side found the ruling sultan dissolving the previously elite Janissary troops in 1826. There was some careful reassigning of army leaders to weaken the Janissaries, who had showed their own thirst for power and unruliness, prompting the sultan to act. In the end, it didn't appear that much of anyone missed the Janissaries. They spilled a lot of blood, and some was unnecessary.

Things remain tense between Greece and Turkey. It's news when fighter jets from one country fly toward the other.

Brewer got a four stars from me, and certainly would've snagged a five if this book was published all in English. One thing he must be handed, he's 91 and still with us. That's pretty good in most any book.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not an easy book to read, it delves into every confrontation in war and politics between the Greeks and Turks. The cruelty is a harbinger of the horrors faced in World War II. I now understand fully why the older Greeks had such hostile opinions of the people who treated them so cruelly during this war and the hundreds of years of subjugation by the Turks.

[John Isles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Greek War of Independence began 200 years ago, and it took ten years to establish the kingdom. David Brewer recounts the struggle, the setbacks, and the kaleidoscope of characters who were involved, dispelling some of the myths that are told about it all, and filling in many details passed over in the summary account included in the author's book 'Greece, The Hidden Centuries: Turkish Rule from the Fall of Constantinople to Greek Independence,' which I also enjoyed. I love Greece, but when I read about its history I feel thankful I didn't have to live through it all.

[Adrián · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una obra fantástica que pese a los años, sigue siendo un referente de cara al estudio de la Revolución Griega. Una pena que no haya una traducción porque algunos tramos se hace un tanto complejo por la forma de escribir del autor (aunque en líneas generales no es difícil de entender).

Muy recomendable si alguien quiere introducirse en este tema. Además, es la ocasión perfecta ahora con la celebración del bicentenario.

[N avouris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο, επίκαιρο, ιστορικό βιβλίο που διαβάζεται από όλους. Ο Brewer δίνει την Βρετανική βέβαια ματιά στα γεγονότα, υπερτονίζοντας ίσως τις διαμάχες και απόψεις στους κύκλους των φιλελλήνων, όμως το βιβλίο έχει μια ουδέτερη άποψη πάνω στον Ελληνικό αγώνα και ασκεί κριτική στις δυσκολίες που είχαν οι Έλληνες να συνενοηθούν ή να αποφασίσουν μια κοινή ατζέντα. Περιγράφει με αρκετές ενδιαφέρουσες λεπτομέρειες τον διεθνή παράγοντα της εποχής, το ρόλο του Βρετανικού Κομμιτάτου, το δάνειο, κάνει κριτική στον Καποδίστρια, παρουσιάζοντας τον ως δικτάτορα κατά κάποιον τρόπο, αν και στο τέλος λέει για την αγάπη του κόσμου στην προοδευτική του πολιτική. Διανθίζει το κείμενο με αναφορές σε τόπους του σήμερα, το Μεσολόγγι, ο καντηλανάφτης στην εκκλησία στο Ναυπλιο που δολοφονήθηκε ο Κυβερνήτης, ιδιαίτερα ενδιαφέρον ανάγνωσμα για το Ελληνικό κοινό, η μετάφραση άψογη και τα χωρία από τα πρωτότυπα κείμενα εξαιρετικά. Διαβάζεται απνευστί.

[Kostas Sarlis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a lot. However I do not know if that is because I am Greek and I enjoyed a fresh perspective on the hagiography we have all been fed with since elementary school or if I'd have enjoyed it as much if I were unfamiliar with it all.

[Glenn Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading many books of Europe, Latin American and America, I am realizing that after the American Revolution and the French Revolution, the paradigm was spreading all over the globe. Greece was no different. Greece wanted independence from The Ottomans. This book outlines the 15 years or so that it took to gain independence. The most mismanaged indepdence movement, it seems, of all of them. There was a civil war within the Greek community. There was botched naval battles, stolen funds and corrupt financing out of London. It took a treaty between the European Powers and The Ottomans to conclude the war and provide indepence to the Greeks. Any interesting read. Not sure if it the best one, but it was good. The writer was very passionate about the subject, which helped (some of his ancesters figured in the stories, although not prominately as he shared).

[Stephen Hipkiss]

I am not reading this book - I have never heard of this book - I'm only marginally interested in its subject matter

I certainly never gave a rating to this book that i have never heard of


it really makes me not like this web site - and i'm not that much in the paranoid web crowd - but this sort of freaks me out a bit

[Ron Willoughby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable history, well done Mr. Brewer. Well done indeed.

[Tassos Doudoulakakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Αριστουργηματικά εύληπτο καλογραμμένο και μορφωτικό βιβλίο για το γένος μας.

[Espen Smith Ore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth reading.