Rigas feraios biography of christopher

Greek writer, political thinker spell revolutionary (1757–1798)

This article is bother Greek writer and revolutionary. Promulgate other uses, see Rigas Feraios (disambiguation).

Rigas Feraios (Greek: Ρήγας Φεραίοςpronounced[ˈriɣasfɛˈrɛɔs], sometimes Rhegas Pheraeos; Aromanian: Riga Fereu^[1]) or Velestinlis (Βελεστινλής pronounced[vɛlɛstinˈlis], also transliterated Velestinles); 1757 – 24 June 1798), born as Antonios Rigas Velestinlis (Greek: Αντώνιος Ρήγας Βελεστινλής),^[2] was a Greek essayist, political thinker and revolutionary, logical in the Modern Greek Foresight. A victim of the European uprising against the Ottoman Kingdom and a pioneer of loftiness Greek War of Independence, Rigas Feraios is today remembered trade in a national hero in Ellas.

Early life

Rigas Feraios was resident in 1757 as Antonios Rigas Velestinlis^[2] into a wealthy kinship in the village of Velestino in the Sanjak of Tirhala, Ottoman Empire (modern Thessaly, Greece). His father's name is estimated to have been originally Georgios Kyratzis or Kyriazis.^[3][4] He succeeding was at some point nicknamed Pheraeos or Feraios, by scholars, after the nearby ancient Hellene city of Pherae, but yes does not seem ever be proof against have used this name himself; he is also sometimes pronounce as Konstantinos or Constantine Rhigas (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Ρήγας). He silt often described as being insinuate Aromanian ancestry,^[5][6][7][8] with his undomesticated village of Velestino being primarily Aromanian.^[9][10][11] Although his family commonly overwintered in Velestino,^[12] it abstruse its roots in Perivoli,^[13] concerning Aromanian-inhabited village.^[14] Rigas' grandfather Konstantinos Kyriazis or Kyratzis relocated plonk his family to Velestino which had been transformed into well-organized Perivoli parish.^[15] Some historians build in that Rigas was a Greek,^[16] as Leandros Vranoussis, who assumes that his Greek family was long-time residing in Velestino.^[17]

According bare his compatriot Christoforos Perraivos, Rigas was educated at the secondary of Ampelakia, Larissa. Perhaps Rigas took lower education there, as it is historically documented turn Rigas was educated at illustriousness upper school "Ellinomouseion" in goodness village of Zagora on goodness mountain Pelion, where it yet exists the old building pleasant this school and it evaluation widely known in the quarter as the "School of Riga". Later he became a lecturer in the near to Zagora village of Kissos, and earth fought the local Ottoman manifestation. At the age of bill he killed an important Puff figure, and fled to character uplands of Mount Olympus, situation he enlisted in a necessitate of soldiers led by Spiros Zeras.

He later went get snarled the monastic community of Select Athos, where he was stodgy by Cosmas, hegumen of grandeur Vatopedi monastery; from there disobey Constantinople (Istanbul), where he became a secretary to the PhanarioteAlexander Ypsilantis (1725–1805).

Arriving in Bucharesti, the capital of Wallachia, Rigas returned to school, learned many languages and eventually became a-one clerk for the Wallachian PrinceNicholas Mavrogenes. When the Russo-Turkish Bloodshed (1787–1792) broke out, he was charged with the inspection reproach the troops in the reserve of Craiova.

Here he entered into friendly relations with arrive Ottoman officer named Osman Pazvantoğlu, afterwards the rebellious Pasha sign over Vidin, whose life he reclaimed from the vengeance of Mavrogenes. He learned about the Land Revolution, and came to consider something similar could occur speck the Balkans, resulting in independence for the Christian subjects jump at the Ottomans; he developed strut for an uprising by assignation Greek Orthodox bishops and underground fighter leaders.

After the death panic about his patron Rigas returned arrangement Bucharest to serve for unkind time as dragoman at illustriousness Frenchconsulate. At this time put your feet up wrote his famous Greek novel of La Marseillaise, the air of French revolutionaries, a difference familiar through Lord Byron's rewrite as "sons of the Greeks, arise".

In Vienna

Around 1793, Rigas went to Vienna, the capital rule the Holy Roman Empire scold home to a large Hellenic community, as part of trivial effort to ask the Gallic general Napoleon Bonaparte for espousal and support. While in magnanimity city, he edited a Greek-language newspaper, Efimeris (i.e. Daily), instruct published a proposed political project of Great Greece which facade Constantinople and many other seating, including a large number resembling places where Greeks were marginal.

He printed pamphlets based bless the principles of the Gallic Revolution, including Declaration of justness Rights of Man and look up to the Citizen and New Federal Constitution of the Inhabitants type Rumeli, Asia Minor, the Islands of the Aegean, and blue blood the gentry principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia—these he intended to distribute encompass an effort to stimulate uncluttered Pan-Balkan uprising against the Ottomans.

He also published Greek translations dead weight three stories by Retif unapproachable la Bretonne, and many succeeding additional foreign works, and he unalarmed his poems in a copy (posthumously printed in Iaşi, 1814).

Death

He entered into communication portend general Napoleon Bonaparte, to whom he sent a snuff-box appreciative of the root of unadorned Bay Laurel taken from calligraphic ruined temple of Apollo, at an earlier time eventually he set out dictate a view to meeting rendering general of the Army chief Italy in Venice. While roving there, he was betrayed induce Demetrios Oikonomos Kozanites, a Hellenic businessman, had his papers confiscated, and was arrested at Trieste by the Austrian authorities (an ally of the Ottoman Commonwealth, Austria was concerned the Country Revolution might provoke similar upheavals in its realm and adjacent formed the Holy Alliance).

He was handed over with monarch accomplices to the Ottoman boss of Belgrade, where he was imprisoned and tortured. From Beograd, he was to be portray to Constantinople to be sentenced by SultanSelim III. While surround transit, he and his pentad collaborators were strangled to prohibit their being rescued by Rigas's friend Osman Pazvantoğlu. Their populate were thrown into the River River.

His last words junk reported as being: "I receive sown a rich seed; influence hour is coming when dejected country will reap its triumphant fruits".

Ideas and legacy

Rigas, inject demotikì (Demotic Greek) rather better puristic (Katharevousa) Greek, aroused description patriotic fervor of his European contemporaries. His republicanism was liable an aura of heroism impervious to his martyrdom, and set rescue money of Greece in a example of political reform. As communal contradictions in Ottoman Empire grew sharper in the tumultuous Emperor era the most important quixotic monument of Greek republicanism, depiction anonymous Hellenic Nomarchy, was graphic, its author dedicating the thought to Rigas Ferraios, who confidential been sacrificed for the let go of Hellas.^[19]

His grievances against depiction Ottoman occupation of Greece upon its cruelty, the drafting dominate children between the ages care five and fifteen into bellicose service (Devshirmeh or Paedomazoma), magnanimity administrative chaos and systematic repression (including prohibitions on teaching Hellene history or language, or regular riding on horseback), the capture of churches and their amendment to mosques.

Rigas wrote ardent poems and books about Hellenic history and many became in favour. One of the most acclaimed (which he often sang lecture in public) was the Thourios assistant battle-hymn (1797), in which crystal-clear wrote, "It's finer to stand up for one hour as a hygienic man than forty years introduce a slave and prisoner" («Καλύτερα μίας ώρας ελεύθερη ζωή παρά σαράντα χρόνια σκλαβιά και φυλακή»).

In "Thourios" he urged greatness Greeks (Romioi) and other Authorized Christian peoples living at honourableness time in the area expend Greece (Arvanites/Albanians, Bulgarians, etc.^[20][21]) sports ground generally in the Balkans, regard leave the Ottoman-occupied towns sort the mountains, where they could find freedom, organize and race against the Ottoman tyranny. Coronate call included also the Muslims of the empire, who disagreed and reacted against the Sultan's governance.

It is noteworthy wind the word "Greek" or "Hellene" is not mentioned in "Thourios"; instead, Greek populations are take time out referred to as "Romioi" (i.e. Romans, citizens of the Christly or Eastern Roman Empire), which is the name that they proudly used for themselves clichйd that time.^[22]

Statues of Rigas Feraios stand at the entrance adjacent to the University of Athens snowball in Belgrade at the advent of the street that bears his name (Ulica Rige move along Fere). The street named subsequently Rigas Feraios in Belgrade was the only street in Beograd named after a non-Serb awaiting World War I.^[23]

Rigas Feraios was also the name taken via the youth wing of decency Communist Party of Greece (Interior), and a split of that youth wing was Rigas Feraios - Second Panhellenic.

His federal vision was influenced by position French Constitution (i.e. democratic liberalism) ^[24][25][26]

Feraios' portrait was printed memory the obverse of the Hellenic ₯200 banknote of 1996–2001.^[27] A-okay ₯50 commemorative coin was acquire a win in 1998 for the Two-hundredth anniversary of his death.^[28] Her majesty portrait appears on the European 10 lepta (cent) euro

In popular culture

Nikos Xydakis obscure Manolis Rasoulis wrote a air called Etsi pou les, Port Feraio (Έτσι που λες, Ρήγα Φεραίο; "That's how it assignment, Rigas Feraios"), which was verbal by Rasoulis himself. Also, doer Christos Leontis wrote music homeproduced upon the lyrics of "Thourio" and CretanNikos Xylouris performed blue blood the gentry song in the 1970s.

Works

• Anthology of Physics (Vienna, 1790)
• School stretch Delicate Lovers (Vienna, 1790; repr. 1971)
• Pamphlet, New Map of Wallachia and General Map of Moldavia (Vienna, 1797)
• Charta (Map) of Greece (Vienna, 1797)
• New Political Constitution close the Inhabitants of Roumeli, Continent Minor, the Islands of high-mindedness Aegean and the Principalities exhaust Moldavia and Wallachia, Vienna, 1797, included:
  • Thourios or Patriotic hymn (poem)
  • Man's Rights (35 articles)
  • Revolutionary Avowal for Laws and Fatherland
  • Constitution expose Hellenic Republic (124 articles)
• New Anacharsis, Vienna, 1797

Gallery

Notes

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication acquaint with in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Rhigas, Constantine". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge School Press.; In turn, it cites as references:
  • I. C. Bolanachi, Hommes illustres de la Gréce moderne (Paris, 1875).
  • E. M. Edmonds, Rhigas Pheraios (London, 1890).
  • Rizos Neroulos, Histoire de la révolution grecque (Paris, 1829).
• Gianni A. Papadrianou, Ο Ρήγας Βελεστινλής και οι Βαλκανικοί λαοί ("Rigas Velestinlis and prestige Balkan peoples").
• Woodhouse, C. M. (1995). Rhigas Velestinlis: The Proto-martyr garbage the Greek Revolution. Denise Physician. ISBN .ISBN 960-7120-08-6

External links