Ioannis Makrygiannis

Ioannis Makrygiannis (1797-1864). Ioannis Triantafyllodimitris, son of Dimitrios and Vasiliki, was born in Avoriti, Dorida. In his childhood, he fled with his family to Livadeia after his father was murdered by Turco-Albanians. He endured a painful and deprived childhood. From 1804 to 1811, he worked as a servant. In 1811, he settled in Arta, initially working as a steward in the house of Thanasis Lidorikis, and later amassed wealth as a merchant and moneylender. In 1820, he was initiated into the Filiki Eteria and played a leading role in the Greek War of Independence. He fought in many battles and was wounded multiple times, often severely. His injuries led to a gradual decay of his body, which plagued him for the rest of his life. After the establishment of the Greek state and the arrival of Kapodistrias, he was appointed as the general commander of the executive force of the Peloponnese, a position he deemed as belittling his contributions, leading to his bitterness. During that period, Makrygiannis learned to write to compose his Memoirs, which historians of modern Greek literature consider a model of linguistic style and narrative technique, placing him in the realm of artistic prose. After the assassination of Kapodistrias, whom he blamed for the state's unjust stance towards the fighters of '21, he supported the Constitutionalists. He also experienced disappointment with King Otto's stance and withdrew to his home in the present-day area of Athens that bears his name, with his wife Aikaterini Skouze, with whom he had twelve children. He returned to the political arena shortly after and was repeatedly elected municipal councilor of the capital until 1834. His actions for granting a Constitution led to his house arrest, yet he continued to fight and played a significant role in the September 3, 1843, uprising. In 1853, he was imprisoned on charges of high treason and was released a year later through the efforts of D. Kallergis. From then on, he retired to his home and only after Otto's expulsion was he honorably reinstated as a major general and in 1864 as a commander-in-chief. In the same year, he was elected representative of Attica by decision of the National Assembly. He died in Athens from exhaustion. His literary works also include "Visions and Wonders," written during 1851-1852. For more biographical details on Ioannis Makrygiannis, see Dimitris Kehagioglou, "(Giannis) Makrygiannis," Our Older Prose. From its beginnings to the First World War B,1, pp. 252-270. Athens, Sokolis, 1999, Koromilas G.D., "Makrygiannis Ioannis," Great Greek Encyclopedia 16. Athens, Pyrsos, 1931, Xanthopoulou-Kyriakou A., "Makrygiannis," World Biographical Dictionary 5. Athens, Ekdotiki Athinon, 1986, Stamelos Dimitris, "Makrygiannis Giannis," Great Encyclopedia of Modern Greek Literature 9. Athens, Hari Patsi, n.d., and "Chronology of General Makrygiannis," Diavazo 101, 5/9/1984, pp. 32-35. (Source: Archive of Greek Writers, E.KE.VI.).