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(10/24/03 1:54 am) Reply
BOPEIO HPEIROS EINAI ELLHNIKH NORTHERN EPIRUS IS GREEK
AUTONOMY OF BOPEIO HPEIROS
HISTORY OF EPIRUS
Northern Epirus has been Hellenic
From the ancient years
And will remain Hellenic
To the end of the centuries
THE EPIROTIC LEGACY
Epirus, whose civilizing center was the most ancient and venerable of the Hellenic oracles, the Dodonian Oracle, includes the northwest section of Hellenic area from the Gulf of Ambracia to the Genousos River. Stavron (65BC-23AD), the great geographer of the ancients wrote: “Followingthe ancient (Gentian) route eastward from Epidamnos (Dyrrakhion) and Appolonia on the right the various Epirotic nations are located, all around bathed by the Ionian Sea and the Gulf of Ambracia, and on the left, the mountain range of Illyrian. A greater and more scientific geographer of the 19th century, Henry Kippert (1818-1899) was of the same opinion. He considered the Genousos River as the Northernmost boundary of Hellas, declaring in 1878 Berlin that “I do not know any more Hellenic country than Epirus in relation to the population, the language and the spirits.”
Initially, Epirus was called “APEIROS” from the Doric word “apeiros” and the Aeolian word “aperos”, both meaning spaces without end. Later, it was called Epirus (Epeirus plus land), in contrast with the sea and the Ionian Islands. From time immemorial Hellenic tribes have populated Epirus, especially of Doric origin, who spoke the Doric dialect. The most important Epirotic tribes were the Ambracians, Athemanes, Omphales, Amphilokhes, Molossuses, Tymphaeuses, Paroraeans, Thesproteans, Kestrinians, Chaones, Antitanes, Avantes, and the Apolloneans. Most of the Epirotic districts were autonomous and Pyrrhos, son of Aeakides, the great King of Epirus (318-275BC) united them into one powerful and unique kingdom which extended northward to the mouth of the Mati River, north of Epidamnos (Dyrrakhion). Pyrrhos, the first of all Hellenes to diagnose the danger threatening Hellenism from the Romans, traveled in 280 BC across the Ionian Sea at the invitation of the Tarantineans, in order to achieve the salvation of the Hellenic cities of Magna Graecia (Great Hellas) of lower Italy and Sicily. He wrote the ultimatum to the Romans: I shall not allow you to desert the land of our allies, neither to snatch the Hellenic cities, nor to subdue the free people either, but with arms in hand I shall restrain you from plundering the whole Italy and exploiting its’ population as slaves.
After Pyrrhos’ death, the Epirotes were ruled democratically and they moved their capital from Ambracia to Phoenicia (capital of Chaonis, and presently a village near Delvinon), where “the Communal of Epirotes “ was located. Phoenice, then a thickly populated city and a homonymous plain, was located not too far away from the bed of the Dodon River, whose seaport, Onchismos (Agii Saranda), had been marauded by the Illyrians in 230 BC, and rebuilt by Justinian I, and again demolished in 522 AD by the Ostrogoths. Epirus had also been occupied by the Romans in 167 BC, and had suffered complete destruction, having been dug up by Aemilius Paulus, whose name has always been and will forever be homonymous to the abominable and the abhorrent in the souls of the Epirotes, since Plutarch had written:
When the fixed day came, the Roman soldiers dashed forward at the same hour and seized 70 cities, and in one hour’s interval had subdued 150,000 people, so that the whole world beheld in horror to the end of the war, which ruined a whole nation.Thus the Romans remunerated the Epirotes for King Pyrrhos’ kindness and philanthropy toward them, and finally marking the excruciating end of the powerful Epirus in the ancient times.
OTTOMAN OCCUPATION AND THE STRUGGLES OF INDEPENDENCE, UNIFICATION AND AUTONOMY
During the Byzantine Empire, Epirus constituted the 12th and 13th sub-prefectures, which Theodosius the Great had named “The Old and New Epirus”. As the historian, Procopius Caesarius (5th century AD), witnessed: “Outside the Gulf (Adriatic Sea), the population are Hellenes, called Epirotes till the seaport Epidamnos (Dyrrakhion).” After the Franks conquered Constantinople, Emperor Komnini, based on the Epirotes’ nationalism, established the Depotate of Epirus (1204-1260 AD), which was extended northward to Dyrrakhion. During and after the Turkish occupation of Hellas, Epirotes suffered great misfortunes under the rulers because they did not offer “obedient neck” to the conqueror and fought continually. Chimara and Souli became impregnable fortresses of Hellenism. During the Turkish rule, the Hellenic nation fell into darkness, yet the Epirotes built various schools, and the Epirotic cities of Ioannina and Moschopolis became the resplendent lighthouses of Hellenism. Epirus suffered many tribulations by the Turkish-Albanians of Ali Pasha, who directed a coercive conversion to Islam, conflagrations, pillages, and other tortures, the kind of which humanity had not known until then so that many cities and towns fled before the hordes of this savage sand trap.
When the Hellenic Revolution broke out, the Epirotes were the first to take up arms, and rushed to all the battlefields; from Moschopolis, Korytsa, Argyrokastron, Chimara, Souli, and other places. Our nation owes a great deal to Constantine Daralopoulos from Premeti, the alleged Hyponomopios (sewer-maker), the chief builder of the sewers and sub-sewers, that the Hellenic combatants mined with explosives and blew up the Turks at the Acropolis and at Mesolonghion. Although Epirotes offered so many services towards the independence of Hellas, Epirus had not been included in the liberated territory of the state of Hellas. The first Governor of Hellas, Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776-1831), was of Epirotic origin, and declared in Argyrokastron on October 30, 1828 that: “the expansion of Hellas must be defined by the line beginning north of Avlon.” But the Epirotes who taught all Hellenes how to die for Hellas, never remained inactive. In the beginning of the year in 1854, they took up arms against the ruler. Although the Epirotes bravely struggled all throughout Epirus, the enormously powerful Turkish military unfortunately mastered the Epirotic revolution.
The rulers then began new acts of violence and brutality against the people of Epirus. Once again in retaliation the Epirotes were incited to rebellion, and urged on by the Abbott Philimon from Agios Andreas. On February 12, 1878, under the leadership of the Captain of the Gendarmerie, Stephanou, forces unfurled the banner of the Hellenic Revolution in the village of Lykouszion, near Agii Saranta. The revolutionary forces desperately fought for 13 days against Turkish forces, who repressed the revolt and inflicted new and greater misfortunes on the inhabitants of Chaonia (Agii Saranta, Delvinon, and Chimara).
The conference of Berlin in March 1881only ceded to Hellas, the regions of Thessalia and Arta, the area in southern Epirus. At this time foreign intrigue for Epirus and Hellenism in general, began. Since Turkey was considered Europe’s sick man, the powers of Italy and Austria persuaded Albanians to form an independent Albania at Hellas’ expense. The Albanians, who had never had a national conscience and felt more Turk than the Asian Turks themselves, presented themselves as descendants of Pelasgi and Illyrii, etc. In articles and proclamations to various European newspapers in 1878, the Albanians declared: Albanians are descendants of Paelasghi and Illyrii, and Homer, and all the heroes of the expedition against Troy were Albanians! Even Philip of Macedonia, Alexander the Great, Pyrrhos the King of Epirus, George Kastriotis and all the heroes of the Hellenic Revolution of 1821 had been Albanians, and Hellenes were cowards, imposters, and machinates for millennium, who reaped the Albanian treasures, etc. Also they protested of the “ ingratitude of the Hellenes towards the hero, Ali Pasha, whose many sacrifices for the Hellenic Revolution made him the savior of Hellas!”
The Hellene-Turkish war of April 5 1897 and the defeat of the Hellenes caused more tragedies for unredeemed Hellenism. With the beginning of the First Balkan War (October 5, 1912), the Hellenic Army, under the leadership of General Panagiotis Danglis (from Premeti), smashed the Turkish resistance and conquered the capital of Macedonia, Thessaloniki (Salonika) on October 26, 1912, and liberated Ioannina, the capital of united Epirus on February 21, 1912. The lion-hearted Hellenes advanced north and granted liberty to the Hellenic areas of Epirus. On December 5, 1912 in the heroic city of Chimara, the leader of the Greek forces, Spiromilios, hoisted the Hellenic flag, and on March 3, 1913, Arghyrokastro, Premeti, Kleisoura, Frasseri, and other Epirotic cities were freed. On December 12, 1912, the Great Powers, at the suggestion and instigation of Italy and Austria, however, decided in London to establish an Albanian state. The Treaty of London on May 7, 1913 ended the First Balkan War, and declaring in its’ Third Article, “The six Great Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, England and Russia) shall look after the tracing of the Albanian boundaries”. Consequently, on July 29, 1913, the Six Great Powers signed a protocol for the independence of Albania. On December 17, 1913, the protocol assigned to the newly established Albanian state, the Hellenic province of Epirus, without taking into consideration the national aspirations of the inhabitants. The protocol was a monumental crime committed by the Great Powers toward Hellas and Hellenism overall.
In these purely Hellenic provinces, 360 Hellenic schools served 22,500 students. These Hellenic provinces and their rich Hellenic heritage were granted to the artificial state of “Albania”. All of civilized humanity shuddered at the unjust dichotomy of Hellenic Epirus. A renowned French journalist, in the preface of his book, The Unfortunate Epirus, wrote: “Italy has written illustrious pages in world history, but at this moment is tracing the most repugnant and hateful policy, aspiring to the fulfillment of its imperialistic dreams against Northern Epirus”.
On January 31, 1914 the ambassadors of the Six Great Powers in Athens, demanded that the Hellenic government evacuate the liberated Hellenic provinces, which were granted to Albania, and blackmailing the government so that in the case of its’ refusal, they would not permit the union of the East Aegean Islands to Mother Hellas. Hellas was forced to conform to the recommendations of the Great Powers, leaving the Hellenic population in Northern Epirus at the mercy of the Albanians. Armed demonstrators then assembled in all the cities and towns of Northern Epirus to protest the unjust handing over of their native country to the most cruel ruler. In their desperation, they seized arms, and under the leadership of Georgios Chr. Zografos and Vasilios, Bishop of Dryinopolis, on February 17, 1914, declared the Autonomous State of Northern Epirus having Argyrokastron as the capital. The new Northernepirotic government issued a proclamation to the people of Epirus stating:
Epirotes, one after the other all our hopes and expectations are lost. They are tearing us away from the breast of our Mother Hellas. Our motherland is now the confined prey of an unwanted potentate by virtue of injustice and the void will of the might earth. But our right, the right of the people of Epirus, is remaining resolute. Northern Epirus declares its independence and invites its citizens who have submitted to every kind of sacrifice to defend its territory and liberties”.
Everywhere, throughout Northern Epirus, assembled Defense Committees and Holy Companies. The patriotism of the Northernepirotes electrified Hellenism entirely. Free Hellenes, soldiers and officers, quit their ranks in the Hellenic Army and fought as part of the Northernepirotic army against the Albanians, who were led by the Dutch, Italian and Austrian officers. The Hellenic students also joined in the holy fight for the Northernepirotes. In fact Northernepirotic, high school students in Ioannina, secretly set out to Argyrokastron, to close the ranks of the Holy Companies. They addressed the President of Northern Epirus as follows:
"Your Excellency, we left the scholastic benches on hearing the appeal of our motherland. Being Epirotes, we hastened to the voice of our massacred Epirus, which is determined to continue the labors of the Souliotes and entomb ourselves underneath the ruins of our motherland before surrender to its slaughters".
In addition, the UNION OF HELLENE STUDENTS of the University of Athens, unanimously declares: “The gigantic struggle of the sons of the Great Motherland, the Northepirote brothers, vibrated the breasts of the students of our university, who hasten to come to their help.”
AUTONOMY GAINED AND LOST
THE WORLD WARS (1914 - 1944)
The everyday triumphs of the Northernepirotic army brought Albania to despair and the organizers of the Albanian state were forced to conclude an armistice. The Great Powers together with the Albanian government, in the Protocol of Kerkyra (Corfu) of May 17, 1914, recognized the Hellenic status of Northern Epirus and the rights of the Hellenism of Northern Epirus.
In the beginning of World War I (August, 1914), the Great Powers, ordered Hellas to reoccupy Northern Epirus, and the Northernepirotic government handed the territory over to Hellas, since this had been the age old aspiration of its’ inhabitants. The proclamation of the Northernepirotic government addressing the people of Epirus, on October 24, 1914, gave rise to shivering national emotions:
Our fight has ended triumphant. Our aspirations have been fulfilled. We did not succumb to humiliating orders. With your liberating struggle, you rebaptized in Heroism and honor the Hellenic Family, who waited for us with open arms. You are now coming into the Family, worthy brothers of those who aggrandized and made glitter the star of the glory of Hellenism on the victorious battlefields. At this moment, though, our thoughts and appreciations turn to the brave who struggled for us and now suffer incurable wounds or they already know the mystery of death. In the name of the people of Northern Epirus, we salute the officers, the non-commissioned officers, and the soldiers, who from all over Hellas, ran to the Epirotic flag, and heroically struggled for us. Now that we lay down our power, we pray to God, who blessed our struggle, to keep under His holy protection our beloved Epirus, bosom of our Mother Hellas.
On December 16, 1915, the first Representative election was held in Northern Epirus and the Representatives-elect took place in the Hellenic Parliamentary session of 1916. Italy, however, in a sudden political coup, took possession of Northern Epirus and in 1917 ceded it to Albania. On May 17, 1920, The United States Senate voted for the reunion of Northern Epirus with Hellas.
After the catastrophe of Asia Minor, the military and political condition in Greece is very dreadful. While the adjustment of the Hellenic-Albanian border is pending, Italian propaganda reports the assassination of the Italian General, Telini, on August 27, 1923 on Hellenic soil. Furthermore, Mussolini, acting as a modern Ceasar, bombs the island of Kerkyra (Corfu) on August 31, 1923 and disembarks 18,000 soldiers, who remained there until September 27, 1923.
After the definite assignment of Northern Epirus to Albania (January 27, 1927), each consecutive Albanian government systematically combats the Hellenic language. In 1934, the government of King Ahmed Zogou arbitrarily closes all Hellenic schools in Northern Epirus, forcibly imposing the Albanian language. The Northernepirote students refuse to attend the Albanian language lessons and the Hellenic Northernepirotes resist Albanian authority. The Albanian government, therefore, proceeds with the collective arrests of the Northernepirotes. The Hellenic government takes recourse with the League of Nations and the International Court of the Hague, which on February 21, 1935, condemned Albania, and the Hellenic schools operated again in some districts. On April 7, 1939, Italy occupied Albania, pretending it wanted to aggrandize it beyond the Gulf of Ambracia and to West Macedonia, and so circulated maps of “Great Albania”. The Italian authorities immediately started arresting and deporting thousands of Hellenes from Northern Epirus, in preparation of their invasion of Hellas. On October 28, 1940, the unchallenged Italians, together with independent Albanian divisions helping them, attack Hellas. Thousands of Albanians led by Italian army officers and battalions of blackshirts participate in these battles.
The courageous Hellenes, worthy of their glorious ancestors, drove back the Italian impudence, and in no time, they marched forward to Northern Epirus. Once again the blue and white flag waved over the cities and towns of the Hellenic Northern Epirus. Indescribable was the heroism of the Hellenic military forces and the enthusiasm of the Northepirote Hellenes who welcomed, and in many ways invigorated them. Unfortunately, the political and military leadership of Hellas was not inspired by the same patriotic sentiments. The war communiques never mentioned Northern Epirus or the Northepirotic Mountains, yet , unacceptably referred to “Albania” and the “Albanian mountains”. Prime Minister, Ioannis Metaxas, a faithful executive of the British government’s orders, besides the Dodecanese islands did not mention Northern Epirus or Cyprus in a communique to the owners and editors of Athenian newspapers of October 30, 1940. On the evening of November 22, 1940, when the Hellenic armed forces liberated the Hellenic Northepirotic city of Korytsa, he addressed the enthusiastic people of Hellas in a broadcast on the national radio station in Athens, stating unacceptably: “We fight not only for our own existence but for the other Balkan peoples and for the liberation of Albania.” While the Albanian people fought in a brotherly way with the Italian troops against Hellas, Metaxas was not interested in the liberation of Northern Epirus, but for the liberation of hostile Albania.
The Hellenic Army did not pay attention to the impudence of the Prime Minister, and so continued the fight for the liberation of the rest of the Northernepirotic cities and the definite elimination of the Fascist forces. After the German attack on April 6, 1941, the position of Hellas became exceptionally critical, since a handful of Hellenes struggled to resist two empires with their satellites. Though the Hellenes were superhumanly fighting on all fronts, they could not restrain the advance of the iron-clad divisions of the Nazis, who were backed up by contemporary war planes and were safeguarded by faithful allies. Yugoslavia surrendered in three days and on May 20, 1941, Hellas submitted to the numerical and contemporary qualitative supremacy of the Germans and with them as victors, so were Italy, Bulgaria and Albania. The Bulgarians occupied East Macedonia, and the Albanians occupied Northern Epirus and Thesprotia. But the Northernepirotes did not surrender to the violence; instead they formed many and various guerrilla groups striking the barbarian conquerors from all fronts. M.A.B.H. (Northern Epirus Liberation Front), was one of the guerilla groups and under the leadership of a national martyr, Vasilios Sakhinis (1897-1943), who was executed by the Albanians on November 17, 1943 at Argyrokastron.
Northernepirotic Hellenism passed through a time of terror. The Albanian brigade groups, under the shelter of the Fascists and Nazis, perpetuated the darkest of crimes against the unpatronized Hellenes of Northern Epirus. The lootings, murders, arsons, etc., became everyday companions to the unfortunate Northernepirotic people. Their hatred against Hellenism, stirred by the heroic battles of the Northernepirotic armed forces during the national liberation struggle and the revolt of 1934 for the defense of the Hellenic language, caused animated Albanians to execute 24 brave men in cold blood on August 2, 1943. They were shouting “Long live Hellas” and “The eight million of our brother Hellenes will revenge our unjust loss” as they were being shot.
FROM WAR TO TERROR
THE COLD WAR YEARS
On November 2, 1944, with the help of Russia, Tito Yugoslavia, Hellenic E.A.M. and the blessing of England, the Communist party prevailed in Albania. Enver Hoxha’s government began a new systematic campaign against the Hellenes of Northern Epirus: collective arrests, tortures, executios, dislodgements, arsons, etc.. A Northernepirote did not exist who had not tasted the beatings and tortures of the executioners of the “Popular Republic of Albania”. A Northernepirote did not exist, who did not return deformed from the medieval dungeons of Avlona, Berati, Tirana, etc.. The executioners bathed their victims in kerosene and threatened them with arson if they would not answer to their torturer’s liking. Great Britain, Hellas’ ally and protector, was the first guarantor of Albania’s independence; this being done against the vivid protest of the exiled Hellenic government.
When the issue of Northern Epirus came on the agenda in the Politburo of the K.K.E (Hellenic Communist Party), a decision was made that “If an attack against Albania was made, we shall not agree, but we shall not oppose either”. Enver Hoxha immediately protested this decision to Stalin, in result the KKE decision was reconsidered by the Secretary General of the KKE, Nikos Zachariades. Yet here is the clever Hellenic nation, where in its’ critical historical moments was and is unhappily today, deprived of political leadership. This was due to the fact that the Hellenic leaders, either rightists or leftists, did or did not serve their national interests and became blind agents and instruments of one or another Major Powers. On July 29, 1946, the United States Senate voted for the second time that “Northern Epirus must be given back to Hellas”.
On May 18, 1946, the Hellenic Parliament (Vouli) voted that it should insist on the rendering of of Northern Epirus to Hellas. George Papandreou in his speech delivered in the Vouli, said: In order to make peace with Albania, the first term must be the restitution of Northern Epirus to Hellas". On August 30, 1946, the Premier Constantine Tsaldaris, leading the Hellenic delegation, presented the Northepirotic issue to the Paris Peace Conference. The Soviet delegation, together with those from its satellite countries, reacted vividly. On September 26, 1946, the Hellenic delegation, which was unprepared and unequipped for such an important national mission, withdrew the recourse from the agenda "...in order to facilitate the work of the conference!" and contented itself with the annexation of the Dodecanese, and according to the decision of the conference, the North Epirotic issue would be put into consideration by the foreign ministers of the four Great Powers (United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain and France). In other words, what the Hellenic people won on the battlefield was lost by the inexperienced diplomats, who returned to Athens as heroes. Since then, the Northepirotic issue has never been discussed in international organizations because Hellas, though entitled by the Peace Conference to bring back the issue, never again put it on the agenda.
In June 1959, the Secretary General of the Russian Communist Party and Premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, visited Albania, and was convinced of the Hellenicity of Northern Epirus. The next year (1960), he accepted the proposal of Sophocles Venizelos for the autonomy of Northern Epirus, and promised that he would bring the issue up at the Convention of the Rumanian Communist Party in Bucharest, to be held on June 20, 1960, where the leaders of East European communist countries were invited. The Khrushchev - Venizelos agreement angered Enver Hoxha, who did not attend the convention.
At that time, tragic events took place in Northern Epirus. The Albanian government, in a matter of three days, proceeded to arrest large numbers of Northern Epirotes (Hellenes and Muslims), including those who were officers in the Albanian military as well as members of privileged society. Many of those arrested were submitted to torture, and died before appearing at their trial in Tirana, which were held in May and June of 1961. Those who were arrested were accused of plotting a revolution to reclaim Northern Epirus as an autonomous state. Many of them were condemned to death, which shocked the hearts of the Northern Epirotic people.
On April 21, 1967, military officers subverted the parliamentary political system of Hellas, and imposed the Junta Government. Consequently, the opportunistic Albanian government, taking advantage of the chaotic political situation in Hellas, proceeded with anti-Hellenic aggression: suppression of the Christian religion by fire and iron, defrocked the clergy, set fire to holy icons, and altered the churches into museums, stables and storehouses. Many people who opposed these acts were either tortured or sent to forced labor camps; the Hellenic government not only avoided denouncing the barbaric anti-Hellenic actions of Albania, but went on to re-establish diplomatic relations with them. On May 7, 1971, Dimitrios Bitsios, representing the Junta government, signed a pact , and exchanged ambassadors with Albania, without communicating the terms of the agreement.
Note that after World War II, no Parliamentary Government of Hellas wanted to resume relations with Albania because the latter refused the arrangement of the North Epirotic issue. Rentis and the Ambassador to the United Nations, Dimitrios Bitsios, attempted to restore relations with Albania. Epirotan members of the Hellenic Parliament (of all arrays), gathered together and threatened the government that if it continued to negotiate with Albania without a solution for the North Epirotic issue, they would withdraw their vote of confidence. The government complied with the suggestions of the Epirotan members of Parliament, but George Papadopoulos with the phrase, "We decide and command", claimed the government did not need the vote of confidence to function.
After the invasion of Cyprus by the Turks and the reestablishment of democracy in Hellas, the Northepirotic issue was forgotten by all Hellenic parties and newspapers. Anyone who would dare mention the issue was implacably persecuted for the fear of annoying the Albanian government. On September 23, 1975, the No. 5339 decision of the Albanian government ordered the Registrar's offices in the country to refuse registration to newborn infants according to the wishes of the parents, if they did not correspond to the political and ideological lines of the Albanian Communist Party. Furthermore, in 1976, the government ordered the change of the names of those who did not correspond to the Pan-Albanian ideas of Enver Hoxha, who had earlier executed a defrocked priest for baptizing an infant; this act produced worldwide indignation, and a great protest-demonstration was organized of by the Panepirotic Confederation of the United States and Canada outside of the United Nations Building on March 6, 1976. The one and only exception was the Hellenic press and government, which not only did nothing to denounce the flatly arbitrary act of the Albanian government, but continuously praised their good relations with Albania.
In the beginning of 1979, Mr. Mezlwinsky, the head of the American delegation to the Committee of Human Right of the United Nations in Geneva, alluding to the Northepirotic issue said: "We wonder if there is not immediate need to save the Hellenic Epirotic Minority which resides in Albania from being persecuted, chased and systematically exterminated?" This action incited immediate reaction and, paradoxically, none from the part of Albania, because they knew very well, and better than anyone else, the verity of the charges and did not care to condraditct it.
Re: BOPEIO HPEIROS EINAI ELLHNIKH NORTHERN EPIRUS IS GREE
So sad, real sad...
Exactly what do you intend with this post mr.Kartoffelsalat?
You honestly think you'll annexe this region or what?
Re: BOPEIO HPEIROS EINAI ELLHNIKH NORTHERN EPIRUS IS GREE
Voreio Epirus and other Greek parts in the Agean was given to you by Greek Communists.
These parts were born from Greek Communistic ideology
They were misguided and sucked in by Slavic communists and as Greek slowly transforms its roots to capitalism, Greece will take what is hers.
Re: BOPEIO HPEIROS EINAI ELLHNIKH NORTHERN EPIRUS IS GREE
You're forgeting Southern Italy, you must claim it to, afterall it was called 'Magna Graecia'! Then dont forget all of FYROM, oh, btw, the whole byzantine empire, afterall it once all belonged to Greece, while you're at it take the whole Roman Empire, afteraφφ they only copied your beliefs, architecture etc. Then while youδ're at it, conquor the germanic barbarians to the north, what do they care?
Canaris and DHF: dont take this as an attack against your people, just want to make it clear for these other individuals how stupid they sound
.
Those greeks are just posting that because they are scared of us revieling the truth that the ancient eprotes and modern ones are illyrian-albanian, no matter how much they have been hellenized.
Pyrros Moderator
Posts: 306
(10/31/03 8:09 am) Reply
Re: .
Thats why you can distinguish an albo
lets say from 2 km ...
Blond or red haired ppl are not common in Greece,
(and boy, these albos look ugly).
Albos dont ask from people to even consider
your statements, when you dont even know who the hell
is your own nation (linguistically, culturally, etc...)
.
Pyrros, what does your statement have to do with any thing about Epirus. You are truly and ignoramus that can't respond intelligently to what I wrote.
bato Registered User
Posts: 1
(11/4/03 5:36 pm) Reply
TO PIRRO
Do you know your origin elinidha?The greeks come from AFRICA ,from Phoenixians.Dont forget the BLACK ATHENA.YOU ARE NOT EUROPIANS.Second Albania was from Preveza to North.Tell me one time in history whe we invated Greece,allways the Greek shovinists&serbs try to invade Albania.Many people speak Arvanitika still today in Greece and they are Albanians.
canaris Moderator
Posts: 890
(11/5/03 4:54 am) Reply
watch what you say It might richochet back to you!
-------------THE TRUTH-------------
The Name Of Epirus Was Given by the Hellenes.
It Was Given Be The "Corcyrians" in Corfu wich is
probably reasonable to give that name,because the
land accross them was "Epirus" as they were in an Island.
The region of epirus by most of the facts that ancient
historians have given to us seems to be a non greek region:
1)"Thucydides" In his book (Peloponessian War) He discribes
the Barbarian Allies of the Peloponessians.
"From the Hellenes there were the Ambraciots, Leucadians and 1000 Peloponessian hoplites." "From the Barbarians there were: 1000 Chaones wich have no King but 2 Prostats for 1 year Fotis and Nikanores.
The Chaones are joint by Thesprotes wich they to have no King.
In the head of the Mollosians and the Atintanians was
Sabylinthius wich was the tutor of King Tharypa (yet still a child).
There were also the Parauej with ther King Oroides and 1000 Orestes."
2)"Skylaks" He writes around (370-360 b.c) A Geographic book.
He describes the People that lives in Adriatic and Ionian region. "In The North Adriatic lives the tribe of the Liburnians,
"The middle and the South Adriatic sea Is Populated By Illyrians"
"The Ionian sea is devided Between Chaons and Thesprots.Between them The Mollosians
have opened an exit to the sea wich is (40 stadia=8Km)."
"After Mollosia it comes Ambracia an Hellenic Polis,which is (80 stadia) away from the sea"
"From there and down is Hellas no end"[/i]
3)Plutarch-----------(Pyrrhus)------------
In his Book it is said:
"From him Achilles came to have divine honours in Epirus, under the name of Aspetus,
in the language of the country"
Aspetus=Speito in Albanian and Fast in English.
Pyrrhus was brought at the home of the Illyrian King Glaucias:
"Thus being safe, and out of the reach of pursuit, they addressed themselves to
Glaucias, then King of the Illyrians,and finding him sitting at home with his wife,
they laid down the child before them."
He was rised as an Illyrian Prince:
"At present, therefore, he gave Pyrrhus into the charge of his wife, commanding he should
be brought up with his own children; and a little later, the enemies sending to demand him,
and Cassander himself offering two hundred talents, he would not deliver him up;
but when he was twelve years old, bringing him with an army into Epirus, made him king."
The Brotherhood between him and Glaucias sons:
"He took a journey out of the kingdom to attend the marriage of one of Glaucias's sons,
with whom he was brought up;"
Strabo:
He has writen about the passengers wich passes the Egnatia road(Via Egnatia): "Starting from Epidamnus(Durres,Dyrrahio) and down to Apollonia,
in the Right they have the tribes of Epirus.....,
in the Left they have the mountains of Illyria.....Then Sailing from Ambracian Golf and on, the places wich is in the East and across Peloponnesous are Helle
Also he writes: "After the Epirots and Illyrians,
from the Hellenes are Akarnanes,Etoles,Lokries and Ezoles
Appianus:---------(Historia Romana)-----------
In his book "Historia Romana" it is an article about the Illyrians: "The Hellenes call Illyrians, those people wich live across
Thrace and Macedonia from Chaones and Thesprotes till the river of Istria"
Ephores:
He sais that: "the Head(start) of Hellas,
is Akarnania from the West,because it is the
first that contacts with the Epirots tribes"
Malte Brun (Geographer from Danmark)
Analised the Geography of Strabon, and came to concluson that Etolia and Akarnania, where considered by Ancient Greeks as Semi-Barbarians
Strabo and Plutarchus
they write that "Epirots speek a different language from the Greek"
it resembles very much to Macedonian"
Puqueville:
when he speaks about Etolia and Akarnania, he sais that: these places are called Shqiperia, and the inhabitants where calld Shqiptar
Ch.Brouchneri (Geographer of the king of England)
Albania(Shqiperia) is a province of European Turkey, In north it borders with Bosnia and Dalmatia,
In south whith Livadhia,in East with Thesalia and Macedonia
Teodor Momsen (Historian)
In his Book: (History of Ancient Rome).
he calls the Epirotians, Albanians(Shqiptars) of antiquety
Laibnic (the so called Aristotles of modern times)
in his letter sent in 24 January 1705, he writes that
"The Language of Ancient Epirots maight exist somewere in Epirus"
the same believes and
J.E.Tunman: In Epirus lived only non-greeks populations, they spoke Macedonian which is the same with illyrian.the same believes and F.Bop,
J.R.F.Ksilander, J.G.F.Han, J.F.Falmerajer , T.Mommsen
P.Krecmer
He sais that:
All the group of North Tribes, from the borders of Epirus, at least from the times of Herodotus, had been called Illyrians, or Hyllirians which is more ancient.
Edison L.Clark
He writes :
Albanians, Arnauts as the turks calls them, or Shqiptars,
live in the territory of ancient Epirus and in the territory of illyrians in East Macedonia. From Montenegro(North) till the Ambracian Golf (South).
He continues : Ancient Epirots are different from Ancient Greeks, like Albanians from todays Greeks.Epirots and Illyrians where neighbour tribes , but of the same blood, which spoke different dialects of the same language.
----<Catholic Encyclopedia of 1900>-----
Albania
The ancient Epirus and Illyria, is the most western land occupied by the Turks in Europe.
Its extreme length is about 290 miles, and its breadth from forty to ninety miles. On the west and southwest it is bounded by the Adriatic and the Ionian seas. It is generally divided into three regions: Upper Albania, from the Montenegrin frontier to the river Shkumbi; Lower Albania, or Epirus, from the Shkumbi to the Gulf of Arta; and Eastern Albania, to the east of the Schar-Dagh chain.... After Scutari, Yanina is the largest and most interesting town of modern Albania.
Statistics that prof. Nikolla Jorga gives us about the Cameria population in 1912 the year when it was occupied from Greece, in his Albanian History book that he wrote in French in 1919.
The demographic map of British military mission sent to the British government in London indicates that on the eve of the second World War, 75 % of Cameria population was Albanian.
- The pro-Greek historian Spiro Muselimi, in his book “Historical Sight Through Thesprotia”, edited in Joannina on 1974, wrote that “The bishop of Thesprotia in the year 1870 translated some parts of Bible into Albanian, as the people of orthodox faith of the region did not understand any word in Greek”.
Re: -------------AYTH EINAI H ALH8IA-------------
PSEMATA APO TOYRKOIKO LOBBY TA PHRES TROJAN
EPIRUSA Classic-Age Kingdom, Epirus re-emerged as a large and powerful Despotate in the north-central portion of modern Greece, below the Albanian-Macedonian frontier, but above Achaea and Morea. It was formed as a result of the chaos that erupted when the Empire was overturned by marauding Crusaders in 1204.
Echetos
Neoptolemos
Elenos
Molossos
?
Sibilynthos
Admitos............................................469-423
Tharypas...........................................423-395
AEACID
Alcetas I..........................................fl. 395
Neoptelemus I
Arybbas............................................360-342 d. 322
Alexander I........................................342-331
Neoptelemus II.....................................331-323 d. 295
Arybbas (restored).................................323-322
Aeacides...........................................322-317 d. 313
Neoptelemus II (restored)..........................317-313
Aeacides (restored)....................................313
Alcetas II.........................................313-307
Pyrrhus I (King of Macedon 288-4, 274-2)...........307-302 d. 272
Neoptelemus II (re-restored).......................302-297 d. 295
Pyrrhus I (King of Macedon 288-4, 274-2)(rest.)...297-272
Alexander II.......................................272-c. 240
Pyrrhus II......................................c. 240- ?
Ptolemy............................................ ? -235
Epirote League.....................................235-165
Harops (Tyrant)....................................165-159
To the Roman Republic..............................159-27
To the Roman Empire.............................27 BCE-395 CE
To the Byzantine Empire............................395-c. 600
To local Slavic clans...........................c. 600-916
To the Byzantine Empire............................916-988
To Bulgaria........................................988-1014
To the Byzantine Empire...........................1014-1204
DUKAS
Michael I.........................................1204-1215
Theodore..........................................1215-1230
Manuel............................................1230-1237
Michael II........................................1237-1271
Nicephorus I......................................1271-1296
Thomas............................................1296-1318
ORSINI
Nicholas..........................................1318-1324
John..............................................1324-1339
Nicephorus II.....................................1339-1340
To Serbia.........................................1340-1389
To the Ottoman Empire.............................1389-1913
Ottoman Walis of Yanya (Epirus, including Albania and Ionnina)
Muhammad.....................................late 1400's
??
Damad Muhammad Bey............................mid 1500's
??
Mustafa Pasha................................1670-1702
Aslan Pasha..................................1702-1720
Haci Ahmed Pasha.............................1720-1736
Ibrahim......................................1736-1739
Hόseyin Molus................................1739-1740
Ahmed Pasha..................................1740-1748
Mustafa Pasha................................1748-1759
Sόleyman Pasha...............................1759-1762
Mehmed Pasha.................................1762-1775
Ali Pasha....................................1775-1778
Vekir Pasha..................................1778-1780
Sόleyman Pasha...............................1780-1786
Kurd Ahmad Pasha of Derven...................1786-1787
Alisot Pasha......................................1787
Ali Pasha bin Vuli "the Lion of Janina"...........1787-1822
Though nominally an Ottoman official, Ali Pasha the Lion was de facto ruler of northwestern Greece and Albania; today he is an Albanian national hero.
Hursid Pasha......................................1822
Omer Brδni Pasha..................................1822
??
Hόsrev Pasha.................................1844-1845
Hafiz Pasha.......................................1846
Mehmed Hafiz Pasha................................1847
Rόstem Pasha.................................1848-1849
Ismail Pasha.................................1850-1851
Ali Reza Pasha....................................1852
Rόstem Pasha (restored)......................1852-1853
Greek rebellion
George Tissamenos......................................1854 with...
Theodor Kolokotronis...................................1854 and...
Ioannis Typaldos.......................................1854 and...
Negris.................................................1854
Walis of Yanya
Besim Pasha.......................................1854- ?
Mehmed Emin Pasha
Hόseyin Pasha.....................................1857-1858
Akif Pasha........................................1859- ?
??
Kaserli Ahmed Pasha...............................1864- ?
Ibrahim Edhem Pasha...............................1867- ?
Ahmed Resim Pasha.................................1870-1871
Sefvet Pasha......................................1872-1873
Cevdet Pasha...........................................1874 d. 1895
Mustafa Pasha..........................................1874
Akif Pasha.............................................1875
Husni Pasha............................................1876
Nazif Pasha............................................1877
Ferik Arif Pasha..................................1878-1879
Cevdet Pasha (restored)...........................1879- ? d. 1895
Mustafa Asim Pasha.....................................1881
??
Ahmed Hifzi Pasha.................................1893-1898
Esad Pasha........................................1899-1900
Osman Favzi Pasha.................................1900-1906
Seyfullah Pasha...................................1906-1908
Nasim Beg..............................................1908
Ali Riza Bey......................................1909-1910
Zihni Bey.........................................1911-1912
To Greece thereafter, regained in stages:..1831, 1881, 1913
Italian invasion and Greek counterstrike...............1940-1941
Much of Epirus to Albania (Italy)......................1941-1944
Principality of Pindos A portion of Epirus was formed into a local statelet, a puppet regime within the Fascist orbit, set up as a sop to Vlakh nationalist interests. The Vlakh (cf. Rom. Vlach, Wallachian) are a Romanian ethnic folk living in some numbers in northern Greece.
Alkiviadis Diamantis..............................1940-1943
Julius Csesznegi..................................1943-1944
Anarchic conditions and Civil War......................1944-1947
To Greece..............................................1947-
IOANNINA A city and district in northwestern Greece; central Epirus.
To Epirus...........................................to 1340
To Serbia.........................................1340-1367
Thomas Comnenus-Preloubovic.......................1367-1384
Maria Angelina....................................1385-1394 with...
Esau Buondelmonte.................................1385-1411
Charles Tocco (of Cephalonia).....................1411-1429
To the Ottoman Empire.............................1429-1790
Ali Pasha Tepelenlis..............................1790-1822
To the Ottoman Empire.............................1822-1913
For Ottoman Governors of Yanina, see just above, Epirus.
To modern Greece thereafter...
IOLKOS A very ancient state in Thessaly, the ruins of which are near Demetrias, within the greater metroplitan area of the port of Volos.
Purely legendary monarchs, flourishing near the end of the second millenia BCE, if they existed at all.
Critheas
Aeson
Pelias
Acastus
Jason (Legendary leader of the Argonauts)
LARISSA The biggest town of modern Thessaly, capital city of the administrative division of Larissa. The older name of the city was Pelasgis.
Akrisios
ALEBADES
Alebas.................................................6th cent.
Allied to Athens during the Peloponesian War, 440's-404; Leading city of the Thessalian League......5th-4th cent.
Eurypylos, with...
Thrassydaeos...........................................5th cent.
Eurylochos.............................................5th cent.
Aristippos.............................................c. 402
Midios.................................................c. 394
To Pheres..............................................c. 359/2
Simos..................................................c. 350
Oligarchy
To Pheres..............................................4th cent
Polydoros
To Macedonia.......................................369-368
To Thebes..........................................368-344
To Macedonia.......................................344-196
Thorax
To Roman Republic (within the Thessalian League)...196-27
To Roman Empire.................................27 BCE-395 CE
To the Visigoths...................................395-396
To the Byzantine Empire............................396-475
To the Ostrogoths......................................475
To the Byzantine Empire............................475-c. 625
To various Slavic tribes........................c. 675-805
To the Byzantine Empire............................805-986
To Bulgaria........................................986-1018
To the Byzantine Empire...........................1018-1202
Leon Sgouros......................................1202-1204
De LARSA
William...........................................1204- ?
COMNENUS
Constantine Angelus................................ ? -1230
To Bulgaria.......................................1230-1241
To Epirus.........................................1241-1271
To Despotate of Nea Patras........................1271-1309
To Catalan mercenaries............................1309- ?
To the Byzantine Empire............................ ? -1339
John Monomachos
To Serbia.........................................1339-1396
To the Ottoman Empire.............................1396-1881
To Greece.........................................1881-1897
To the Ottoman Empire.............................1897-1898
To Greece thereafter...
MACEDONIA See Controversy (I) file. See Controversy (II) file.The original Macedonians were an aggressive and turbulent folk of Hellenic stock, responsible for one of the world's great (if ephemeral) empires. What follows is a record of the Hellenic state, together with the subsequent development of the area, and ending with a record of the southern portions of Macedonia which are now once again in Greek hands.
Kisseus
ARGEAD
Caranus
Comus
Tyrmas
Perdiccas I.....................................c. 700-678
Argaeus I..........................................678-640
Philip I...........................................640-602
Aeropus............................................602-576
Alcetas............................................576-547
Amyntas I..........................................547-498
Alexander I........................................498-454
Perdiccas II.......................................454-413
Archelaus..........................................413-399
Orestes............................................399-396
Archelaus II.......................................396-393
Amyntas II.............................................393
Pausanias..............................................393
Amyntas III............................................393 d. 370
Argaeus II.........................................393-392
Amyntas III (restored).............................392-370
Alexander II.......................................370-368
Ptolemy I Alorites.................................368-365
Perdiccas III......................................365-c. 356 with...
Amyntas IV.........................................360-359
Philip II..........................................359-336
Alexander III the Great............................336-323
Philip III Arrhidaeus..............................323-317 with...
Alexander IV.......................................323-310 Both under the regency of...
Perdiccas, 323-321 and then...
Antipater, 321-319 and then...
Policeperkon, 319-316 and then...
Olympiada (fem.), 316 and then...
CASSANDRID
Cassander (Regent 316-310; Ruler 310, King c. 306).310-297 opposed by...
ANTIGONID
Antigonas I One-Eye................................306-301
If you are visiting here from other portions of the archive, here is an express to get you back to where you were:
Aegina, Aegion, Afghanistan, Armenia, Athens, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Cappadocia, Caria, Characene, Commagene, Corinth, Cos, Crete, Cyprus, Egypt, Euboea, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lemnos, Lesbos, Libya, Lydia, Megalopolis, Megara, Mesopotamia, Pheres, Phthia, Samos, Sicyon, Syria, Thebes, Thessaly, Zante.
CASSANDRID
Philip IV..........................................297-296
Alexander V (in the West)..........................296-294 with...
Antipater I (in the East)..........................296-294
ANTIGONID
Demetrius I the Besieger (King 305-283)............294-288 d. 283
AEACID
Pyrrhus (West 288-4; King of Epirus 307-2, 297-72).288-285 d. 272: with...
LYSIMACID
Lysimachus (East 288-4; King of Thrace 323-281)....285-281 and then...
PTOLEMID
Ptolemy II Keraunas (King of Thrace 281-273).......281-279 d. 273: and then...
Meleager...............................................279 followed by...
CASSANDRID
Antipater II Etesias...................................279 and finally...
SOSTHENID
Sosthenes (ruled as army commander, not as King)...279-277
ANTIGONID
Antigonas II Gonatus (King from 283)...............277-274 d. 239
AEACID
Pyrrhus (King of Epirus 307-2, 297-72) (restored)..274-272
ANTIGONID
Antigonas II (restored)............................272-239
Demetrius II.......................................239-229
Antigonas III Doson................................229-221
Philip V...........................................221-179
Perseus............................................179-168 d. 165
To Roman Republic..................................168-149
Andriskos..........................................149-148
To Roman Republic..................................148-27
To Roman Empire.................................27 BCE-395 CE
To the Byzantine Empire............................395-c. 600
Slavic incursions and settlement................c. 600-916
To the Byzantine Empire............................916-988
To Bulgaria........................................988-1014
To the Byzantine Empire...........................1014-1187
To Bulgaria.......................................1187-1330
To Serbia.........................................1330-1371
To Ottoman Empire.................................1371-1913
Southern Macedonia to Greece......................1913-1941
Go HERE for northern Macedonia
To Germany........................................1941-1945
To Greece.........................................1945-
MARONEA A town in Thrace.
Maron
To the tribe of Kikones
Euphemius
Colony of the island of Chios............mid 7th cent.-478
Alliance with Athens...............................478-404
Spartan influence..................................404-378
Autonomous ?.......................................378-357
To Thrace..........................................357-350
To Macedonia.......................................350-240
To Egypt...........................................240-200
To Macedonia.......................................200-197
To the Seleucid Empire.............................197-189
To the Roman Republic..............................189-186
To Macedonia.......................................186-168
Returned to Rome, 168.
OLYNTHOS Ancient city of Greece, on the peninsula of Chalcidice, NE of Potidaea. A league of Chalcidic cities grew up in the late 5th cent. BCE, and Olynthos, as the head of this Chalcidian League, vigorously opposed the threats of Athens and Sparta.
To the tribe of Vottioi.............................c. 650
To Halkida of Euboea
Kritobulos.........................................479- ?
To the Athenian League.............................454-432
Autonomous.........................................432-423
Chief city in the League of Chalkidiki.............423-379
To Sparta..........................................379-375
Teleutias.....................................379-375
Autonomous within the League of Chalkidiki.........375-348
Destroyed by Macedonia 348.
ORMENIO Ancient town in Magnesia (Thessaly).
Ormenos
Amyndor
Evaemon
Eurypylos
To Demetrias from 292
PHTHIA A region in south Thessaly, called "Achaean Phthiotis" in classical years.
AEOLIDES
Xouthos
Doros
Achaeos
Phthios I
Phthios II
Hellen
MYRMIDONES
Myrmidon
Actor
Echecles, with..
Eurytion
PILEIDES
Pileas
Achilles (of Trojan War fame)
?
To Thessaly
The town of Pharsalos, capital city of Achaean Phthiotis, was governed by three families: Echekratides, Daochides and Menonides
Echecratidas I (of Thessaly: Echekratides)......fl. c. 530
Menon I (Menonides).............................fl. c. 525
Andiochos (of Thessaly).........................fl. c. 515
Acnonios (Daochides)............................fl. c. 480
Menon II (Menonides)............................... ? -476
Echecratidas II (Echecratides).....................476-460
Orestes............................................460-454
Menon III (Menonides)..............................454-432 ?
Daochos I (of Thessaly: Daochides).................432-405
Menon IV (Menonides)
Sisyphus I (Daochides)
Polydamas...................................fl. c. 380-370
Menon V (Menonides)
Agelaos (of Thessaly)...........................fl. c. 361
Cottyphus..........................................346-339
Daochos II (Daochides)......................fl. c. 339-338
Sisyphus II (Daochides)
To Macedonia....................................c. 330-229
To Aetolian League.................................229-217
To Macedonia.......................................217-168
To Roman Republic..................................168-27
To Roman Empire.................................27 BCE-395 CE
To Byzantine Empire................................395-1204
To Thessalonica...................................1204-1222
To Epirus.........................................1222-1246
To ByzantineEmpire (Nicaea, then Constantinople).1246-1271
To Thessaly.......................................1271-1393
To OttomanEmpire.................................1393-1881
To Greece.........................................1881-
POTIDAEA A town in Chalkidiki. Renamed Kassandreia in 316. This city, located on the western finger of Chalkidicia, was the spark which ignited the Peloponessian War (432-404) - the old Alliance broke asunder and Sparta commenced hostilities when Athens ruthlessly suppressed a revolt here, forcing the evacuation of a number of Chalkidician communities.
Colonization by Corinth
Evagoras
To the Athenian League.............................479-443
Revolt.................................................443
To the Athenian League.............................443-432
Revolt.................................................432
Abandoned and razed by Athens......................430-432
To Athens..........................................430-401
Within the Chalkidician League.....................401-382
Under the control of Sparta........................382-364
To Athens..........................................364-356
To Olynthos........................................356-348
To Macedonia.......................................348-168
To the Roman Republic..............................168-27
To the Roman Empire.............................27 BCE-395 CE
To the Byzantine Empire............................395-540
Destroyed by the Huns and the Slavs 539/540
PREVEZA A town and fortress guarding the entrance to Amvrakikos Gulf, in coastal Epirus.
Founded c. 290 BCE as Berenicia, by King Pyrrhus of Epirus.
General Epirote sequence until...
To the Ottoman Empire.............................1389-1499
To Venice.........................................1499-1699
To the Ottoman Empire.............................1699-1717
To Venice.........................................1717-1797
Proveditori (Governors)
Giovannantonio Trevisano.....................1721-1723
Agostino Balbi...............................1723-1725
Giovannantonio Bembo.........................1725-1727
Francesco Donato.............................1727-1729
Giovan Pietro Venier.........................1729-1731
Giorgio Bembo................................1731-1733
Rocco Carnaro................................1733-1735
Fiorino Duodo................................1735-1737
Giovani Trono................................1737-1738
Pelegrino Basegio............................1738-1741
Antonio Marin................................1741-1745
Emmanuele Michele Venier.....................1745-1747
Pietro Vitturi...............................1747-1749
Pietro Pasqualigo............................1749-1751
Giovanno Bonlini.............................1751-1752
Daniele Gaetano Da Riva......................1753-1755
Alessandro Donato............................1755-1757
Francesco Soranzo............................1757-1759
Marco Da Riva................................1759-1761
Giorgio Cornaro..............................1761-1763
Giovannandrea Catti..........................1763-1766
Lodovico Morosini............................1766-1768
Giovannantonio Giorgio.......................1768-1770
Silvestro Dandolo............................1770-1772
Camillo Bernardino Gritti....................1772-1774
Antonio Vettore Dolfino......................1774-1776
Jacopo Soranzo...............................1776-1779
Giovannantonio Cornaro.......................1779-1781
Jacopo Contarini.............................1781-1783
Angelo Marino Participazio Badoer............1783-1785
Giovannandrea Catti..........................1785-1787
Andrea Giorgio...............................1787-1789
Alessandro Iseppo Semitecolo.................1789-1791
Nicolo' Venier...............................1791-1793
Marino Minio.................................1793-1796
Jacopo Lorenzo Soranzo.......................1796-1797
To France.........................................1797-1798
To Epirus (Ali Pasha).............................1798-1822
To the Ottoman Empire.............................1822-1912
To Greece thereafter...
THESSALONIKA A Crusader Kingdom set up over much of present-day Greece following the toppling of the Empire in 1204. Technically the Liege of many of the other states listed on this page, its actual control was minimal. In 1271, it was granted as a despotate to the younger heir of Epirus.
ALERAMO (Mqs. of Montferrat)
Renι (titular only).................................c. 1180
Boniface..........................................1204-1207
Demetrius.........................................1207-1221
To Epirus.........................................1221-1240
ANGELUS-COMNENOS
John..............................................1240-1244
Demetrius.........................................1244-1246
To Byzantine Empire...............................1246-1348
PALEOLOGOS
Andronicus........................................c. 1252
LASCARIS
Michael...........................................c. 1257
PALEOLOGOS
John..............................................c. 1260
To Serbia.........................................1348-1371
To the Ottoman Empire.............................1371-1913
To Greece thereafter...
Thus, the interior of the region between Epirus and Thrace, the old "Empire" of Salonika - what the Franks often referred to as "Romania". Some coastal districts fared differently; here is a sequence for the port city of Thessalonika itself...
Thessalonika City
To Byzantine Empire...............................1246-1372
PALEOLOGOS
Constantinus......................................1321
SPHRANTZIS
? ...........................................1328-1341
SYNADINOS
Theodore
The “Zilotes” Revolution
APOKAPHKOS
John
PALEOLOGOS
Michael
APOKAPHKOS
John (restored)
PALEOLOGOS
Andrew
METOCHITES
Alexius
PALEOLOGOS
Anna...........................................c. 1353
Manuel (Byz. Emperor 1391-1425)..............1369-1387 d. 1425
To the Ottoman Empire.............................1372-1390
To Byzantine Empire...............................1390-1423
LASCARIS
Demetrius....................................1415-1420
PALEOLOGOS
Andronicus...................................1420-1423 d. 1429
To Venice.........................................1423-1430
To the Ottoman Empire.............................1430-1913
Walis of Selanik (Thessalonika)
Yuqub Pasha..................................1847-1851
Yusuf Siddiq Pasha................................1852
Salih Pasha..................................1853-1854
Osman Pasha.......................................1855
Mustafa Nuri Pasha................................1856
Abdi Pasha........................................1857
Vecihi Pasha......................................1858
Ismail Pasha......................................1859
Mehmed Akif Pasha.................................1859
Ahmed Ala Beg................................1860-1863
Mehmed Akif Pasha (restored).................1863-1868
Sabri Pasha..................................1868-1871
Ismail Pasha.................................1871-1872
Φmer Fevzi Pasha.............................1872-1873
Mehmed Akif Pasha (re-restored)..............1873-1874
Reuf Pasha........................................1875
Midhat Pasha......................................1875
Esref Pasha..................................1875-1876
Abdi Pasha........................................1877
Ahmed Rasim Pasha.................................1877
Halil Rifat Pasha............................1878-1879
??
Zihni Pasha..................................1893-1895
Hasan Fehmi Pasha.................................1895
Hόseyin Riza Pasha...........................1896-1898
Haci Hasan Refik Pasha.......................1899-1900
Tevfig Beg........................................1901
Hasan Fehmi (restored).......................1902-1903
Ra'uf Pasha..................................1904-1907
Danis Beg.........................................1908
Ibrahim Beg..................................1909-1911
Nazim Pasha.......................................1912
To Greece thereafter...
THESSALY In northern Greece, at the angle of the peninsula, where the land shifts from north/south to east/west.; souyh of Macedonia and southwest of Thrace. Thessaly is a rather wild and forbidding country, and it's chief fame seems to be the presence of numerous and powerful witches; in ancient times the cult of Hekate was very strong here.
Deucalion
Hellen (the individual whose name has been adapted to describe the whole nation: the Hellenes)
Aeolos
Pelasgos
Aemon
Aeatos with...
Polymnea
Thessalos
?
Alevas....................................fl. end 7th cent.
Eurilochus......................................fl. c. 590
Skopas..........................................fl. c. 560
Lattamyas.......................................fl. c. 540
Echecratidas I..................................fl. c. 530
Andiochus..........................................fl. 515
Cineas.............................................fl. 511
Thorax.............................................500-476
Echecratidas II....................................476-460
Orestes............................................460-453
Aristomides, with...
Angelus
Dachos.............................................432-405
vacant
Jason..............................................371-370
Polydoros..............................................370
Polyphron..........................................370-369
Alexander..........................................369-358 with...
Agelas.................................................361
Unknown............................................358-352
Eudicus............................................352-344
To Macedonia.......................................344-3rd cent.
Echecrates.............................................3rd cent.
To Macedonia.................................3rd cent.-171
Hippias................................................171
To Macedonia.......................................171-168
To Roman Republic..................................168-bfr. 117
Agasimos...............................................bfr. 117
To Roman Republic.............................bfr. 117-47
Agisaretos..........................................47-44
To Roman Republic...................................44-27
To Roman Empire.................................27 BCE-c. 25
Agathanor I......................................c. 25-15
To Roman Empire.................................15 BCE-1st cent. CE
Agathanor II Poplius...................................1st cent.
To Roman Empire..............................1st cent.-395
To Byzantine Empire................................395-c. 1200
KAMYTZES
Manuel..............................................c. 1201
To Thessalonica...................................1204-1205 (-1222)
Partitioned into many small Latin principalities..1205-1222
To Epirus.........................................1222-1246
To Byzantine Empire (Nicaea, then Constantinople).1246-1271
PALEOLOGOS
John III Uros Dukas...............................1371- 13 ?
Alexius Angelus...................................13 ? -1393
To the Ottoman Empire.............................1393-1881
Walis of Terhala (Thessaly)
Ali Pasha of Iannina.........................1785-1820 d. 1822: with...
Ahmed Cevad Pasha............................1797-1798
??
Ziya Pasha.................................c.1845–1849
Sami Pasha........................................1849
??
Ismail Nahmi Pasha................................1863
Hasan Tahsin Pasha...........................1863–1866
Tunuslu Ibrahim Edhem Pasha.......................1866 d. 1893
??
To Greece.........................................1881-
THRACE A large region once considered to encompass all the northern verge of Hellas, but later coming to be regarded as the northeastern hill country, to distinguish it from Paeonia and Macedonia. The Thracians were regarded as a wild a savage set of barbarians, inhabiting a mountainous wilderness with a rigorous climate. Much of ancient Thrace is now Bulgaria, but the Aegean coast from the island of Thassos to Turkish Gallipoli is still in Greek hands.
LEGENDARY
Orpheus.........................................fl. c. 1500's
Rhesus
Lycurgus
Tereus
Zalmoxis........................................fl. c. 900's
ODRYSSAES
Tires..............................................480-460
Sitalkes...........................................460-424
Sadokos............................................425-424
Seuthes I..........................................424-415
Amadokos...........................................415-391 with...
Seuthes II.........................................405-384 with...
Maesades...........................................389-384 and...
Eurizelmes.........................................389-384
Kotys I............................................384-359
Kersouleptes I.....................................359-341 with...
Thirisades.........................................359-356 and...
Amadokos II........................................359-351 and then...
Ketriporis.........................................356- ? and then...
Skostodokos........................................351- ? and then...
To Macedon.........................................343-323
Seuthes III...................................341-c. 306 with...
LYSIMACID
Lysimachos (King in Macedon 288-281)...............323-281
PTOLEMID
Ptolemy Keraunas (King of Macedon 281-279).........281-273 with...
Arsinoλ (fem.)......................................281-273 opposed by...
Local leaders
Odroes..........................................c. 280-273 and...
Orsoaltios......................................c. 280-273 and...
Kersivaulos.....................................c. 280-273 and...
Adaeus..........................................c. 280-273 and...
Skostodos.............,.........................c. 280-273
To the Galatians...................................273-213
ODRYSSAES
Seuthes IV.........................................213-208
To Macedon.........................................208-183
To Pergamon........................................183-180
Kotys II...........................................180-168
To Rome............................................168-150
Diygyles........................................c. 150-140
To Rome............................................140-73
Sadalas I...........................................73-57
Kotys III...........................................57-48
SAPES
Raskouporis I.......................................48-42 with
Raskos
Roimitalkes I with... (from 7 BCE-12 alone)
Raskouporis II
Kotys IV
Kotys V with...
Roimitalkes II
Roimitalkes III.....................................38-29
To the Roman Republic...............................29-27
To the RomanEmpire.............................27 BCE-395 CE
To the Byzantine Empire............................395-681
The interior to Bulgaria thereafter...
TORONI A town in Chalkidiki.
Colonization by Chalkida...............................8th cent. BCE
To the Athenian Alliance
To Sparta..........................................423-422
To Athens..........................................422-404
Within the Chalkidician League.....................404-382
Under the control of Sparta........................382-364
To Athens..........................................364-356
To Olynthos........................................356-348
To Macedon.........................................348-168
To the Roman Republic..............................168-27
To the Roman Empire.............................27 BCE-395 CE
To the Byzantine Empire thereafter...
VODONITSA A little town near Lamia, presently called Mendenitsa. A Mediaeval principality.
To the Byzantine Empire..............................395-1204
PALLAVICINI
Guido.............................................1204-1237
Umbertino.........................................1237-1278
Jezebel...........................................1278-1286 with...
Anthony de Flamenc................................1278-1286
Thomas
Albert............................................. ? -1311
FADRIGUE
Alphonse..........................................1311-1312
PALLAVICINI
Maria.............................................1312-1327 with...
CORNARO
Andrew............................................1312-1327
PALLAVICINI
Gulielma (fem.)....................................1327-1334 with...
ZACCARIA
Bartolomew........................................1327-1334 d. 1366
GIORGI
Nicholas I........................................1335-1345
Francis...........................................1345-1382
?
Jacob.............................................1388-1410
Nicholas II (Lord of Karystos 1410-36)............1410-1414 d. 1436
To the Ottoman Empire..............................1414-1821
To modern Greece..................................1821-
Nοσοκομειακή περίθαλψη σε στρατιωτικά νοσοκομεία και διακομιδές ασθενών 1.007.500.000 δρχ.
Eπισκευή 4 E/Π υπουργείου Yγείας 15.000.000 δρχ.
Aνακατασκευή του Γυμνασίου «KOMBINET» στα Tίρανα 20.000.000 δρχ.
Έργα που έχουν προγραμματιστεί και βρίσκονται σε εξέλιξη:
Έργο Κόστος
Kατασκευή του Στρατιωτικού Nοσοκομείου Aργυροκάστρου 500.000.000 δρχ.
Aναδιοργάνωση της Nαυτικής Bάσης του Δυρραχίου 1.200.000.000 δρχ.
Aναδιοργάνωση του στρατιωτικού τμήματος του αεροδρομίου της Pίνας Tιράνων 70.000.000 δρχ.
Aναδιοργάνωση και εκπαίδευση μιας ταξιαρχίας αμέσου επεμβάσεως των αλβανικών Eνόπλων Δυνάμεων 1.100.000.000 δρχ.
Παράδοση 10 Tεθωρακισμένων Oχημάτων Mεταφοράς Προσωπικού 2.760.000.000 δρχ.
www.envi.gr/H_frames.htm
Η απάντηση της Αλβανίας:
Παραχωρήθηκε στην Tουρκία η ναυτική βάση της Xειμάρρας, μία από της καλύτερες της Aλβανίας, έναντι 5.000.000 δολαρίων, ποσού αναλόγου της βοήθειας που έχει προσφέρει η Eλλάδα στη χώρα αυτή, όπως μας πληροφορούν οι εφημερίδες «Aδέσμευτος Tύπος» (4/3/99) και «Eλευθεροτυπία» (5/3/99). Oι τούρκοι επίσης αγόρασαν στρατιωτικές βάσεις στην Kορυτσά και στους Aγίους Σαράντα.
. Συνεχίζει να υπάρχει κλίμα εκφοβισμού, στους ελληνικούς πληθυσμούς της χώρας. Οι πράκτορες της αλβανικής υπηρεσίας πληροφοριών, της ΣΙΗΚ -πρώην κομμουνιστική ΣΙΓΚΟΥΡΙΜΙ- περιτριγυρίζουν τις ελληνικές περιοχές και εκφοβίζουν -με κάθε μέσο- το ελληνικό στοιχείο και καταγράφουν κάθε κινησή του. Επίσης συχνές είναι οι δολοφονίες Ελλήνων πολιτών και κυρίως ατόμων που προσπαθούν να δρατηριοποιηθούν εθνικά ή οικονομικά στο χώρο της Βορείου Ηπείρου. Τα ελληνικά σχολεία συνεχίζουν να υπολειτουργούν ΜΟΝΑΧΑ στη μειονοτική ζώνη. Η -επι κομμουνισμού ελληνική δημευμένη γη- παραμένει στα χέρια του κράτους και δεν επιστρέφεται στους νόμιμους δικαιούχους της. Παρά τη -λεγόμενη- θρησκευτική ελευθερία, τα Τίρανα δεν δέχονται τους τρείς εκλεγμένους ορθόδοξους Μητροπολίτες του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, δεν έχει επιστραφεί η εκκλησιαστική περιουσία (ναοί, μοναστήρια, κειμήλια) ενώ συνεχίζουν να παρεμποδίζουν -με κάθε τρόπο- την ηρωϊκή δραστηριότητα του ορθόδοξου Αρχιεπισκόπου Αλβανίας κ.κ Αναστασίου. Παράλληλα, διώκονται οι πολιτικές δραστηριότητες της ελληνικής μειονότητας, του κόμματος "ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ" και των στελεχών του.
Αποτέλεσμα όλων των παραπάνω, είναι η φυγή του Βορειοηπειρωτικού Ελληνισμού απο τις πανάρχαιες εστίες του και η μεταναστευσή του στην Ελλάδα. Τα έρημα ελληνικά χωριά -σήμερα ακόμα- ΕΠΟΙΚΙΖΟΝΤΑΙ απο Αλβανούς του βορρά.
Av η Ελληνική εξωτερική πολιτική έχει τέτοια αποτελέσματα στην αλβανία τότε τι να περιμένω για Κυπριακό, Θράκη, Αιγαίο,Σκόπια...
Re: -------------AYTH EINAI H ALH8IA-------------
yiati re mpayasa, den ehoun i amerakani ellinika kefalaia sta panepistimia tous ? ashima pragmata eina afta ? asta, ta ehases alvane..
Re: -------------AYTH EINAI H ALH8IA-------------
NORTHERN EPIRUS IS GREEK
THE EPIROTIC LEGACY
Epirus, whose civilizing center was the most ancient and venerable of the Hellenic oracles, the Dodonian Oracle, includes the northwest section of Hellenic area from the Gulf of Ambracia to the Genousos River. Stavron (65BC-23AD), the great geographer of the ancients wrote: “Followingthe ancient (Gentian) route eastward from Epidamnos (Dyrrakhion) and Appolonia on the right the various Epirotic nations are located, all around bathed by the Ionian Sea and the Gulf of Ambracia, and on the left, the mountain range of Illyrian. A greater and more scientific geographer of the 19th century, Henry Kippert (1818-1899) was of the same opinion. He considered the Genousos River as the Northernmost boundary of Hellas, declaring in 1878 Berlin that “I do not know any more Hellenic country than Epirus in relation to the population, the language and the spirits.”
Initially, Epirus was called “APEIROS” from the Doric word “apeiros” and the Aeolian word “aperos”, both meaning spaces without end. Later, it was called Epirus (Epeirus plus land), in contrast with the sea and the Ionian Islands. From time immemorial Hellenic tribes have populated Epirus, especially of Doric origin, who spoke the Doric dialect. The most important Epirotic tribes were the Ambracians, Athemanes, Omphales, Amphilokhes, Molossuses, Tymphaeuses, Paroraeans, Thesproteans, Kestrinians, Chaones, Antitanes, Avantes, and the Apolloneans. Most of the Epirotic districts were autonomous and Pyrrhos, son of Aeakides, the great King of Epirus (318-275BC) united them into one powerful and unique kingdom which extended northward to the mouth of the Mati River, north of Epidamnos (Dyrrakhion). Pyrrhos, the first of all Hellenes to diagnose the danger threatening Hellenism from the Romans, traveled in 280 BC across the Ionian Sea at the invitation of the Tarantineans, in order to achieve the salvation of the Hellenic cities of Magna Graecia (Great Hellas) of lower Italy and Sicily. He wrote the ultimatum to the Romans: I shall not allow you to desert the land of our allies, neither to snatch the Hellenic cities, nor to subdue the free people either, but with arms in hand I shall restrain you from plundering the whole Italy and exploiting its’ population as slaves.
After Pyrrhos’ death, the Epirotes were ruled democratically and they moved their capital from Ambracia to Phoenicia (capital of Chaonis, and presently a village near Delvinon), where “the Communal of Epirotes “ was located. Phoenice, then a thickly populated city and a homonymous plain, was located not too far away from the bed of the Dodon River, whose seaport, Onchismos (Agii Saranda), had been marauded by the Illyrians in 230 BC, and rebuilt by Justinian I, and again demolished in 522 AD by the Ostrogoths. Epirus had also been occupied by the Romans in 167 BC, and had suffered complete destruction, having been dug up by Aemilius Paulus, whose name has always been and will forever be homonymous to the abominable and the abhorrent in the souls of the Epirotes, since Plutarch had written:
When the fixed day came, the Roman soldiers dashed forward at the same hour and seized 70 cities, and in one hour’s interval had subdued 150,000 people, so that the whole world beheld in horror to the end of the war, which ruined a whole nation.Thus the Romans remunerated the Epirotes for King Pyrrhos’ kindness and philanthropy toward them, and finally marking the excruciating end of the powerful Epirus in the ancient times.
OTTOMAN OCCUPATION AND THE STRUGGLES OF INDEPENDENCE, UNIFICATION AND AUTONOMY
During the Byzantine Empire, Epirus constituted the 12th and 13th sub-prefectures, which Theodosius the Great had named “The Old and New Epirus”. As the historian, Procopius Caesarius (5th century AD), witnessed: “Outside the Gulf (Adriatic Sea), the population are Hellenes, called Epirotes till the seaport Epidamnos (Dyrrakhion).” After the Franks conquered Constantinople, Emperor Komnini, based on the Epirotes’ nationalism, established the Depotate of Epirus (1204-1260 AD), which was extended northward to Dyrrakhion. During and after the Turkish occupation of Hellas, Epirotes suffered great misfortunes under the rulers because they did not offer “obedient neck” to the conqueror and fought continually. Chimara and Souli became impregnable fortresses of Hellenism. During the Turkish rule, the Hellenic nation fell into darkness, yet the Epirotes built various schools, and the Epirotic cities of Ioannina and Moschopolis became the resplendent lighthouses of Hellenism. Epirus suffered many tribulations by the Turkish-Albanians of Ali Pasha, who directed a coercive conversion to Islam, conflagrations, pillages, and other tortures, the kind of which humanity had not known until then so that many cities and towns fled before the hordes of this savage sand trap.
When the Hellenic Revolution broke out, the Epirotes were the first to take up arms, and rushed to all the battlefields; from Moschopolis, Korytsa, Argyrokastron, Chimara, Souli, and other places. Our nation owes a great deal to Constantine Daralopoulos from Premeti, the alleged Hyponomopios (sewer-maker), the chief builder of the sewers and sub-sewers, that the Hellenic combatants mined with explosives and blew up the Turks at the Acropolis and at Mesolonghion. Although Epirotes offered so many services towards the independence of Hellas, Epirus had not been included in the liberated territory of the state of Hellas. The first Governor of Hellas, Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776-1831), was of Epirotic origin, and declared in Argyrokastron on October 30, 1828 that: “the expansion of Hellas must be defined by the line beginning north of Avlon.” But the Epirotes who taught all Hellenes how to die for Hellas, never remained inactive. In the beginning of the year in 1854, they took up arms against the ruler. Although the Epirotes bravely struggled all throughout Epirus, the enormously powerful Turkish military unfortunately mastered the Epirotic revolution.
The rulers then began new acts of violence and brutality against the people of Epirus. Once again in retaliation the Epirotes were incited to rebellion, and urged on by the Abbott Philimon from Agios Andreas. On February 12, 1878, under the leadership of the Captain of the Gendarmerie, Stephanou, forces unfurled the banner of the Hellenic Revolution in the village of Lykouszion, near Agii Saranta. The revolutionary forces desperately fought for 13 days against Turkish forces, who repressed the revolt and inflicted new and greater misfortunes on the inhabitants of Chaonia (Agii Saranta, Delvinon, and Chimara).
The conference of Berlin in March 1881only ceded to Hellas, the regions of Thessalia and Arta, the area in southern Epirus. At this time foreign intrigue for Epirus and Hellenism in general, began. Since Turkey was considered Europe’s sick man, the powers of Italy and Austria persuaded Albanians to form an independent Albania at Hellas’ expense. The Albanians, who had never had a national conscience and felt more Turk than the Asian Turks themselves, presented themselves as descendants of Pelasgi and Illyrii, etc. In articles and proclamations to various European newspapers in 1878, the Albanians declared: Albanians are descendants of Paelasghi and Illyrii, and Homer, and all the heroes of the expedition against Troy were Albanians! Even Philip of Macedonia, Alexander the Great, Pyrrhos the King of Epirus, George Kastriotis and all the heroes of the Hellenic Revolution of 1821 had been Albanians, and Hellenes were cowards, imposters, and machinates for millennium, who reaped the Albanian treasures, etc. Also they protested of the “ ingratitude of the Hellenes towards the hero, Ali Pasha, whose many sacrifices for the Hellenic Revolution made him the savior of Hellas!”
The Hellene-Turkish war of April 5 1897 and the defeat of the Hellenes caused more tragedies for unredeemed Hellenism. With the beginning of the First Balkan War (October 5, 1912), the Hellenic Army, under the leadership of General Panagiotis Danglis (from Premeti), smashed the Turkish resistance and conquered the capital of Macedonia, Thessaloniki (Salonika) on October 26, 1912, and liberated Ioannina, the capital of united Epirus on February 21, 1912. The lion-hearted Hellenes advanced north and granted liberty to the Hellenic areas of Epirus. On December 5, 1912 in the heroic city of Chimara, the leader of the Greek forces, Spiromilios, hoisted the Hellenic flag, and on March 3, 1913, Arghyrokastro, Premeti, Kleisoura, Frasseri, and other Epirotic cities were freed. On December 12, 1912, the Great Powers, at the suggestion and instigation of Italy and Austria, however, decided in London to establish an Albanian state. The Treaty of London on May 7, 1913 ended the First Balkan War, and declaring in its’ Third Article, “The six Great Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, England and Russia) shall look after the tracing of the Albanian boundaries”. Consequently, on July 29, 1913, the Six Great Powers signed a protocol for the independence of Albania. On December 17, 1913, the protocol assigned to the newly established Albanian state, the Hellenic province of Epirus, without taking into consideration the national aspirations of the inhabitants. The protocol was a monumental crime committed by the Great Powers toward Hellas and Hellenism overall.
In these purely Hellenic provinces, 360 Hellenic schools served 22,500 students. These Hellenic provinces and their rich Hellenic heritage were granted to the artificial state of “Albania”. All of civilized humanity shuddered at the unjust dichotomy of Hellenic Epirus. A renowned French journalist, in the preface of his book, The Unfortunate Epirus, wrote: “Italy has written illustrious pages in world history, but at this moment is tracing the most repugnant and hateful policy, aspiring to the fulfillment of its imperialistic dreams against Northern Epirus”.
On January 31, 1914 the ambassadors of the Six Great Powers in Athens, demanded that the Hellenic government evacuate the liberated Hellenic provinces, which were granted to Albania, and blackmailing the government so that in the case of its’ refusal, they would not permit the union of the East Aegean Islands to Mother Hellas. Hellas was forced to conform to the recommendations of the Great Powers, leaving the Hellenic population in Northern Epirus at the mercy of the Albanians. Armed demonstrators then assembled in all the cities and towns of Northern Epirus to protest the unjust handing over of their native country to the most cruel ruler. In their desperation, they seized arms, and under the leadership of Georgios Chr. Zografos and Vasilios, Bishop of Dryinopolis, on February 17, 1914, declared the Autonomous State of Northern Epirus having Argyrokastron as the capital. The new Northernepirotic government issued a proclamation to the people of Epirus stating:
Epirotes, one after the other all our hopes and expectations are lost. They are tearing us away from the breast of our Mother Hellas. Our motherland is now the confined prey of an unwanted potentate by virtue of injustice and the void will of the might earth. But our right, the right of the people of Epirus, is remaining resolute. Northern Epirus declares its independence and invites its citizens who have submitted to every kind of sacrifice to defend its territory and liberties”.
Everywhere, throughout Northern Epirus, assembled Defense Committees and Holy Companies. The patriotism of the Northernepirotes electrified Hellenism entirely. Free Hellenes, soldiers and officers, quit their ranks in the Hellenic Army and fought as part of the Northernepirotic army against the Albanians, who were led by the Dutch, Italian and Austrian officers. The Hellenic students also joined in the holy fight for the Northernepirotes. In fact Northernepirotic, high school students in Ioannina, secretly set out to Argyrokastron, to close the ranks of the Holy Companies. They addressed the President of Northern Epirus as follows:
"Your Excellency, we left the scholastic benches on hearing the appeal of our motherland. Being Epirotes, we hastened to the voice of our massacred Epirus, which is determined to continue the labors of the Souliotes and entomb ourselves underneath the ruins of our motherland before surrender to its slaughters".
In addition, the UNION OF HELLENE STUDENTS of the University of Athens, unanimously declares: “The gigantic struggle of the sons of the Great Motherland, the Northepirote brothers, vibrated the breasts of the students of our university, who hasten to come to their help.”
AUTONOMY GAINED AND LOST
THE WORLD WARS (1914 - 1944)
The everyday triumphs of the Northernepirotic army brought Albania to despair and the organizers of the Albanian state were forced to conclude an armistice. The Great Powers together with the Albanian government, in the Protocol of Kerkyra (Corfu) of May 17, 1914, recognized the Hellenic status of Northern Epirus and the rights of the Hellenism of Northern Epirus.
In the beginning of World War I (August, 1914), the Great Powers, ordered Hellas to reoccupy Northern Epirus, and the Northernepirotic government handed the territory over to Hellas, since this had been the age old aspiration of its’ inhabitants. The proclamation of the Northernepirotic government addressing the people of Epirus, on October 24, 1914, gave rise to shivering national emotions:
Our fight has ended triumphant. Our aspirations have been fulfilled. We did not succumb to humiliating orders. With your liberating struggle, you rebaptized in Heroism and honor the Hellenic Family, who waited for us with open arms. You are now coming into the Family, worthy brothers of those who aggrandized and made glitter the star of the glory of Hellenism on the victorious battlefields. At this moment, though, our thoughts and appreciations turn to the brave who struggled for us and now suffer incurable wounds or they already know the mystery of death. In the name of the people of Northern Epirus, we salute the officers, the non-commissioned officers, and the soldiers, who from all over Hellas, ran to the Epirotic flag, and heroically struggled for us. Now that we lay down our power, we pray to God, who blessed our struggle, to keep under His holy protection our beloved Epirus, bosom of our Mother Hellas.
On December 16, 1915, the first Representative election was held in Northern Epirus and the Representatives-elect took place in the Hellenic Parliamentary session of 1916. Italy, however, in a sudden political coup, took possession of Northern Epirus and in 1917 ceded it to Albania. On May 17, 1920, The United States Senate voted for the reunion of Northern Epirus with Hellas.
After the catastrophe of Asia Minor, the military and political condition in Greece is very dreadful. While the adjustment of the Hellenic-Albanian border is pending, Italian propaganda reports the assassination of the Italian General, Telini, on August 27, 1923 on Hellenic soil. Furthermore, Mussolini, acting as a modern Ceasar, bombs the island of Kerkyra (Corfu) on August 31, 1923 and disembarks 18,000 soldiers, who remained there until September 27, 1923.
After the definite assignment of Northern Epirus to Albania (January 27, 1927), each consecutive Albanian government systematically combats the Hellenic language. In 1934, the government of King Ahmed Zogou arbitrarily closes all Hellenic schools in Northern Epirus, forcibly imposing the Albanian language. The Northernepirote students refuse to attend the Albanian language lessons and the Hellenic Northernepirotes resist Albanian authority. The Albanian government, therefore, proceeds with the collective arrests of the Northernepirotes. The Hellenic government takes recourse with the League of Nations and the International Court of the Hague, which on February 21, 1935, condemned Albania, and the Hellenic schools operated again in some districts. On April 7, 1939, Italy occupied Albania, pretending it wanted to aggrandize it beyond the Gulf of Ambracia and to West Macedonia, and so circulated maps of “Great Albania”. The Italian authorities immediately started arresting and deporting thousands of Hellenes from Northern Epirus, in preparation of their invasion of Hellas. On October 28, 1940, the unchallenged Italians, together with independent Albanian divisions helping them, attack Hellas. Thousands of Albanians led by Italian army officers and battalions of blackshirts participate in these battles.
The courageous Hellenes, worthy of their glorious ancestors, drove back the Italian impudence, and in no time, they marched forward to Northern Epirus. Once again the blue and white flag waved over the cities and towns of the Hellenic Northern Epirus. Indescribable was the heroism of the Hellenic military forces and the enthusiasm of the Northepirote Hellenes who welcomed, and in many ways invigorated them. Unfortunately, the political and military leadership of Hellas was not inspired by the same patriotic sentiments. The war communiques never mentioned Northern Epirus or the Northepirotic Mountains, yet , unacceptably referred to “Albania” and the “Albanian mountains”. Prime Minister, Ioannis Metaxas, a faithful executive of the British government’s orders, besides the Dodecanese islands did not mention Northern Epirus or Cyprus in a communique to the owners and editors of Athenian newspapers of October 30, 1940. On the evening of November 22, 1940, when the Hellenic armed forces liberated the Hellenic Northepirotic city of Korytsa, he addressed the enthusiastic people of Hellas in a broadcast on the national radio station in Athens, stating unacceptably: “We fight not only for our own existence but for the other Balkan peoples and for the liberation of Albania.” While the Albanian people fought in a brotherly way with the Italian troops against Hellas, Metaxas was not interested in the liberation of Northern Epirus, but for the liberation of hostile Albania.
The Hellenic Army did not pay attention to the impudence of the Prime Minister, and so continued the fight for the liberation of the rest of the Northernepirotic cities and the definite elimination of the Fascist forces. After the German attack on April 6, 1941, the position of Hellas became exceptionally critical, since a handful of Hellenes struggled to resist two empires with their satellites. Though the Hellenes were superhumanly fighting on all fronts, they could not restrain the advance of the iron-clad divisions of the Nazis, who were backed up by contemporary war planes and were safeguarded by faithful allies. Yugoslavia surrendered in three days and on May 20, 1941, Hellas submitted to the numerical and contemporary qualitative supremacy of the Germans and with them as victors, so were Italy, Bulgaria and Albania. The Bulgarians occupied East Macedonia, and the Albanians occupied Northern Epirus and Thesprotia. But the Northernepirotes did not surrender to the violence; instead they formed many and various guerrilla groups striking the barbarian conquerors from all fronts. M.A.B.H. (Northern Epirus Liberation Front), was one of the guerilla groups and under the leadership of a national martyr, Vasilios Sakhinis (1897-1943), who was executed by the Albanians on November 17, 1943 at Argyrokastron.
Northernepirotic Hellenism passed through a time of terror. The Albanian brigade groups, under the shelter of the Fascists and Nazis, perpetuated the darkest of crimes against the unpatronized Hellenes of Northern Epirus. The lootings, murders, arsons, etc., became everyday companions to the unfortunate Northernepirotic people. Their hatred against Hellenism, stirred by the heroic battles of the Northernepirotic armed forces during the national liberation struggle and the revolt of 1934 for the defense of the Hellenic language, caused animated Albanians to execute 24 brave men in cold blood on August 2, 1943. They were shouting “Long live Hellas” and “The eight million of our brother Hellenes will revenge our unjust loss” as they were being shot.
FROM WAR TO TERROR
THE COLD WAR YEARS
On November 2, 1944, with the help of Russia, Tito Yugoslavia, Hellenic E.A.M. and the blessing of England, the Communist party prevailed in Albania. Enver Hoxha’s government began a new systematic campaign against the Hellenes of Northern Epirus: collective arrests, tortures, executios, dislodgements, arsons, etc.. A Northernepirote did not exist who had not tasted the beatings and tortures of the executioners of the “Popular Republic of Albania”. A Northernepirote did not exist, who did not return deformed from the medieval dungeons of Avlona, Berati, Tirana, etc.. The executioners bathed their victims in kerosene and threatened them with arson if they would not answer to their torturer’s liking. Great Britain, Hellas’ ally and protector, was the first guarantor of Albania’s independence; this being done against the vivid protest of the exiled Hellenic government.
When the issue of Northern Epirus came on the agenda in the Politburo of the K.K.E (Hellenic Communist Party), a decision was made that “If an attack against Albania was made, we shall not agree, but we shall not oppose either”. Enver Hoxha immediately protested this decision to Stalin, in result the KKE decision was reconsidered by the Secretary General of the KKE, Nikos Zachariades. Yet here is the clever Hellenic nation, where in its’ critical historical moments was and is unhappily today, deprived of political leadership. This was due to the fact that the Hellenic leaders, either rightists or leftists, did or did not serve their national interests and became blind agents and instruments of one or another Major Powers. On July 29, 1946, the United States Senate voted for the second time that “Northern Epirus must be given back to Hellas”.
On May 18, 1946, the Hellenic Parliament (Vouli) voted that it should insist on the rendering of of Northern Epirus to Hellas. George Papandreou in his speech delivered in the Vouli, said: In order to make peace with Albania, the first term must be the restitution of Northern Epirus to Hellas". On August 30, 1946, the Premier Constantine Tsaldaris, leading the Hellenic delegation, presented the Northepirotic issue to the Paris Peace Conference. The Soviet delegation, together with those from its satellite countries, reacted vividly. On September 26, 1946, the Hellenic delegation, which was unprepared and unequipped for such an important national mission, withdrew the recourse from the agenda "...in order to facilitate the work of the conference!" and contented itself with the annexation of the Dodecanese, and according to the decision of the conference, the North Epirotic issue would be put into consideration by the foreign ministers of the four Great Powers (United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain and France). In other words, what the Hellenic people won on the battlefield was lost by the inexperienced diplomats, who returned to Athens as heroes. Since then, the Northepirotic issue has never been discussed in international organizations because Hellas, though entitled by the Peace Conference to bring back the issue, never again put it on the agenda.
In June 1959, the Secretary General of the Russian Communist Party and Premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, visited Albania, and was convinced of the Hellenicity of Northern Epirus. The next year (1960), he accepted the proposal of Sophocles Venizelos for the autonomy of Northern Epirus, and promised that he would bring the issue up at the Convention of the Rumanian Communist Party in Bucharest, to be held on June 20, 1960, where the leaders of East European communist countries were invited. The Khrushchev - Venizelos agreement angered Enver Hoxha, who did not attend the convention.
At that time, tragic events took place in Northern Epirus. The Albanian government, in a matter of three days, proceeded to arrest large numbers of Northern Epirotes (Hellenes and Muslims), including those who were officers in the Albanian military as well as members of privileged society. Many of those arrested were submitted to torture, and died before appearing at their trial in Tirana, which were held in May and June of 1961. Those who were arrested were accused of plotting a revolution to reclaim Northern Epirus as an autonomous state. Many of them were condemned to death, which shocked the hearts of the Northern Epirotic people.
On April 21, 1967, military officers subverted the parliamentary political system of Hellas, and imposed the Junta Government. Consequently, the opportunistic Albanian government, taking advantage of the chaotic political situation in Hellas, proceeded with anti-Hellenic aggression: suppression of the Christian religion by fire and iron, defrocked the clergy, set fire to holy icons, and altered the churches into museums, stables and storehouses. Many people who opposed these acts were either tortured or sent to forced labor camps; the Hellenic government not only avoided denouncing the barbaric anti-Hellenic actions of Albania, but went on to re-establish diplomatic relations with them. On May 7, 1971, Dimitrios Bitsios, representing the Junta government, signed a pact , and exchanged ambassadors with Albania, without communicating the terms of the agreement.
Note that after World War II, no Parliamentary Government of Hellas wanted to resume relations with Albania because the latter refused the arrangement of the North Epirotic issue. Rentis and the Ambassador to the United Nations, Dimitrios Bitsios, attempted to restore relations with Albania. Epirotan members of the Hellenic Parliament (of all arrays), gathered together and threatened the government that if it continued to negotiate with Albania without a solution for the North Epirotic issue, they would withdraw their vote of confidence. The government complied with the suggestions of the Epirotan members of Parliament, but George Papadopoulos with the phrase, "We decide and command", claimed the government did not need the vote of confidence to function.
After the invasion of Cyprus by the Turks and the reestablishment of democracy in Hellas, the Northepirotic issue was forgotten by all Hellenic parties and newspapers. Anyone who would dare mention the issue was implacably persecuted for the fear of annoying the Albanian government. On September 23, 1975, the No. 5339 decision of the Albanian government ordered the Registrar's offices in the country to refuse registration to newborn infants according to the wishes of the parents, if they did not correspond to the political and ideological lines of the Albanian Communist Party. Furthermore, in 1976, the government ordered the change of the names of those who did not correspond to the Pan-Albanian ideas of Enver Hoxha, who had earlier executed a defrocked priest for baptizing an infant; this act produced worldwide indignation, and a great protest-demonstration was organized of by the Panepirotic Confederation of the United States and Canada outside of the United Nations Building on March 6, 1976. The one and only exception was the Hellenic press and government, which not only did nothing to denounce the flatly arbitrary act of the Albanian government, but continuously praised their good relations with Albania.
In the beginning of 1979, Mr. Mezlwinsky, the head of the American delegation to the Committee of Human Right of the United Nations in Geneva, alluding to the Northepirotic issue said: "We wonder if there is not immediate need to save the Hellenic Epirotic Minority which resides in Albania from being persecuted, chased and systematically exterminated?" This action incited immediate reaction and, paradoxically, none from the part of Albania, because they knew very well, and better than anyone else, the verity of the charges and did not care to condraditct it.
BOPEIO HPEIROS EINAI ELLHNIKH NORTHERN EPIRUS IS GREEK 
TO PIRRO
Re: -------------Kingdom of Epirus--------------------------
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