Dr Anna Vlachopoulou, will present an online lecture entitled Who fought whom in 1821 and where to find the Sultan? The socioeconomic situation of Morea (Peloponnese) on the eve of the Greek Revolution, on Thursday 8 July, 7.00pm, as part of the Greek History and Culture Seminars, offered by the Greek Community of Melbourne.

National historiography depicts the insurrections of spring 1821, when Greek-speaking subjects of the Ottoman sultan rose in revolution, as one coherent event. Termed the “Greek Revolution” it is traditionally seen as a common endeavor of the Greeks to rid themselves of foreign oppression under the Ottoman yolk.

In fact, what happened in 1821 were different insurrections, with very diverse leaders and participants, taking place in very different regions with distinct features. While the planned insurrection in the Danubian Principalities ended in catastrophe, the ‘spontaneous’ uprising in the Peloponnese led to a protracted war of independence and ultimately the establishment of an independent nation state.

This seminar will take a look at pre-revolutionary Peloponnese’s society and socioeconomic structure, in order to gain a better understanding of the leaders and participants of the revolution: Who were the people who were fighting the Ottomans? What grievances drove them to risk life and limb? Which objectives did they pursue? What features of the Peloponnese made it more ‘insurrectionary’ than other regions?

Anna Vlachopoulou majored in History of Southeast Europe and minored in Ottoman and Byzantine Studies at the University of Munich, Germany. After obtaining her degree she spent several years in Istanbul, Turkey, researching for her dissertation and teaching. She returned to Munich University to finish her PhD on the local causes of the Greek Revolution, which she published in 2013. She went on to hold teaching positions at Munich University in Ottoman Studies and History of Southeast Europe. Presently she is a participant in the research priority program “Transottomanica” working on a project on Greek merchant networks.

When: Thursday 8 July 2021, 7pm
Where: ONLINE ONLY through Facebook, Youtube.