Hitherto our transport has been a Land Rover Discovery and a Mercedes people carrier.
Yesterday we went in two speedboats to Limeni and Areopolis in the Deep Mani. The terrain is harsh and barren compared to the Inner Mani where we have been staying. It reminds me of central Sicily where such hostile terrain became a stronghold for the Mafia.
Likewise the Deep Mani has bred Golden Dawn, a far right political party that garnered a degree of national support (7%) after the 2008 financial crisis but is now marginalised, thanks be to God. This is not the first time the Deep Mani has been a crucible for change. Two hundred years ago, in 1821 to be precise, a flag was raised in Areopolis to proclaim independence from the Ottoman Empire.
This act of defiance has been likened to Ukraine’s resistance against Russia in the sense that Ukraine has been highly effective waging a propaganda war and enlisting support from western countries. This is what the Greek rebels did in the 1820s and their stamina eventually paid off. Delacroix’s Greek Revolution (it looks a lot like his picture of the French Revolution) was enormously popular and European opinion swung behind the plucky Greeks in the Deep Mani.
An Ottoman-Egyptian army under the command of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt, having secured the rest of the Peloponnese, planned to wipe out the rebels in the Mani. Uncharacteristically he sent an envoy offering them the opportunity to surrender and got this reply.
“From the few Greeks of Mani and the rest of the Greeks who live there to Ibrahim Pasha. We received your letter in which you try to frighten us, saying that if we don’t surrender, you’ll kill the Maniots and plunder Mani. That’s why we are waiting for you and your army. We, the inhabitants of Mani, sign and wait for you.”
Against all the odds the Maniots prevailed, holding out until the Battle of Navarino (1827) put paid to the Ottoman offensive. Victory was secured by the Maniots’ skill in securing international support for their cause as much as by the Royal Navy giving the Ottoman fleet a good thrashing. One can only hope that British support for Ukraine will have such a felicitous outcome.
Very interesting Christopher. The date 1821 is an indelible one for many Greeks. I know my late parents in law used it for their alarm system and pass codes etc..