Peristera Kraka | |
---|---|
Περιστέρα Κράκα | |
Born | 1860 |
Died | 1938 (aged 77–78) |
Peristera Kraka ( Greek: Περιστέρα Κράκα; 1860–1938), also known by her nom-de-guerre Kapetan Spanovangelis ( Greek: Καπετάν Σπανοβαγγέλης), was a Greek commander of rebel forces during the 1878 Greek Macedonian rebellion; demanding the nullification of the Treaty of San Stefano that granted much of Ottoman Macedonia to Bulgaria, and the unification of Macedonia with Greece. [1] [2]
She was born in Siatista, Rumelia Eyalet, Ottoman Empire in 1860. [1] [2] Her brother Goulias Krakas was a rebel commander. [1] [2] When the 1878 Greek Macedonian rebellion began, she asked to join his forces, which he initially declined. [2] One day, the Ottomans visited her to take her for interrogation, but she managed to escape dressed as a man, and went to find her brother in order to join his forces. [1] [2] There, she was initially treated with suspicion by her comrades, but she soon won their respect. [2] The Ottomans managed to kill her brother; either by arresting and flaying him alive, or during a shootout between them and his group. [1] [2] Peristera (18 years old at the time) [1] was then proclaimed unanimously as the new commander of the rebel group, which consisted of over 40 men, and became known as "Kapetan Spanovangelis". [1] [2] She fought valiantly in the broader region of Kozani and Kastoria for the next six months. [1] [2] She also located her brother's killers, and avenged his death. [2] Her actions became known outside Greece, and the French newspaper Le Papillon called her, the Joan of Arc of the 19th century. [2] She stopped her guerrilla activity and returned to Siatista when the Turks granted her amnesty; mediated by the Metropolitan of Sisanion and Siatista Agathangelos, who welcomed her in the church of Saint Demetrios. [1] [3] This amnesty was violated by the Turks, and Peristera was forced to leave Macedonia (which was still under Ottoman rule) and take refuge in Thessaly. [1] [2] She settled in Ampelonas, where she met with a comrade of hers, named Nikolaos Apostolou (or Perdikas). [1] She married Apostolou in 1882, with whom she eventually had two daughters, named Anneta and Eleni. [1] [2] Apostolou was once arrested and imprisoned in Aegina; being accused of robbery. [1] [2] Peristera went to Athens and requested to meet with King George I, from whom she asked amnesty for her husband. [1] [2] According to tradition, she participated in a shooting match at the Shooting Range of Kaisariani, where she competed with the best shooters and won all of them. [1] [2] The King admired her shooting skills, and thus granted the requested amnesty. [1] [2] After 8 years of marriage, Apostolou was murdered in 1890. [1] In the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, Peristera's house was burned down by the Turks. [1] Around 1898, Peristera was married for a second time, to someone named Papagianopoulos; with whom she had one son, named Charilaos. [1] Her second husband also died in 1902. [1] Peristera lived the rest of her life in Ampelonas; devoted to raising her children. [1] She died in 1938. [1] [2] In 1990, a statue was raised in her honor, at her native town of Siatista. [1]