Constantinos Kanaris

Kanaris, Konstantinos                                      ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΣ  ΚΑΝΑΡΗΣ

    Born 1793 or 97                                                   Died September 1877

Section 2, Number15 

 Constantine Kanaris was a Greek Admiral who gained fame for his exploits during the Greek War of Independence and went on to become an important politician.

Life

 

Kanaris was born in Psará, a small island northwest of Chios and, like many islanders, became a seaman and then captain of a small merchant ship. Although he did not join the Filiki Etairia, the beginning of the Greek revolution in 1821 brought him into the fray. 

Like everyone, he was horrified when, in 1822, the Ottomans, under the command of Turkish admiral Kara Ali Pasha, systematically massacred the inhabitants of Chios. This act would galvanize support for Greece in Europe (as would Delacroix’s famous painting), and result in the Greeks plotting a suitable response.

In retaliation, Greek Admiral Andreas Miaoulis (1) assaulted the Turkish fleet with fifty small ships and eight fire ships. Kanaris became a Fire Captain (Μπουρλοτιέρης). It was a very dangerous occupation, but one that would make him a hero.

 The Revenge

 On the night of June 6, 1822, Kanaris and thirty six men approached the Turkish admiral’s flagship on two boats fitted with explosives; they attached them to the admiral’s ship, lit the fuse, and then withdrew. 2000 Ottoman naval officers, sailors (and their Greek prisoners), were killed instantly. Kara Ali pasha died shortly afterwards from his injuries.

 It would be hard to overestimate the psychological effect of this victory.

 Between 1822 and 1824, Kanaris made three more successful attempts against the Turkish fleet, one in Tenedos in November 1822 and in 1824 at Samos and Mytilene.  He would later say that every time he approached an enemy during the war with a fire ship he would say to himself, “Konstantí, you are going to die.”

As a young man

 

In 1825 in Alexandria, Kanaris attempted to fire bomb Mehmet Ali's ships off Alexandria to thwart the embarkation of Ibrahim Pasha’s fleet to Greece.  Unfortunately for the Peloponnese and other areas, this was not successful.

 In 1826 Kanaris was made the Captain of the Frigate Hellas. Despite their best efforts, the Greeks were losing to Ibrahim Pasha until the combined efforts of the French, British, and Russians annihilated the Turkish fleet at Navarino on October 20, 1827.

The Aftermath

 Kanaris supported Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first governor of Greece; his assassination led him to depart for Syros but, after King Othon came to Greece in 1833, he was recalled and made an admiral. 

When he did enter the political arena he would hold many ministerial posts and serve  six terms as prime minister (1844, 1848, 1854, 1864, 1864 -twice in one year- and finally in 1877). This is not a record number for Greece but it speaks volumes about the turbulence of Greek politics at the time as well as his  enduring popularity and prestige.(2)  Kanaris  died in office in 1877 and was buried in the First Cemetery as a hero of the nation.

The Elder Statesman

His grave, immediately to the east of Agios Lazarus church, is modest in the extreme. His heart, on the other hand, has a more ornate setting in the National Historical Museum on Stadiou Street.

His beloved Psara and Chios had to wait until 1912 to be integrated into the Greek state.

 His Grave is in Section2, number15

Footnotes

(1) Admiral Andreas Maioulis would have been a great subject here except that he chose to be buried in Piraeus near the tomb of Themistocles. His bones were later removed and placed elsewhere, a common practice with heroes, reminiscent of the transference of Saints’ bones!

(2) In the period from 1833 to 1877 when Kanaris died - a period of 44 years - Greece had 54 Prime Ministers.