Filiki Eteria - Citizendia

Passport of the Etaireia, bearing its insignia and written in its coded alphabet

The Filiki Eteria (spelled also Philikí Etaireía, Greek alphabet: Φιλική Εταιρεία or Εταιρεία των Φιλικών), meaning Society of Friends in Greek, was a secret organisation working in the early 19th century, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece and to establish an independent Greek state. The Greek alphabet (Ελληνικό αλφάβητο is a set of twenty-four letters that has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Etairia members were mainly young Phanariot Greeks from Russia and local chieftains from Greece. Phanariotes, Phanariots, or Phanariote Greeks ( Greek:Φαναριώτες Romanian: Fanarioţi, Bulgarian:Фанариоти The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya One of the leaders of the Etaireia was Alexander Ypsilantis.

1 The beginnings
2 Organizational structure
3 The course of the revolt
4 Further reading

The beginnings

In the context of ardent desire for independence from Turkish occupation and with the explicit influence of similar secret societies elsewhere in Europe, three Greeks met one another in 1814 in Odessa and decided the constitution of a secret organisation which would prepare the revolution of all Greeks. ODESSA which stands for the German phrase O rganisation d er e hemaligen SS - A ngehörigen which in turn translates

These men were 42-year-old Nikolaos Skoufas from Arta province, 42-year-old Emmanuil Xanthos from Patmos and 26-year-old Athanasios Tsakalov from Epirus. Nikolaos Skoufas (Νικόλαος Σκουφάς ( 1779 - July 31 1818) - member of the Filiki Eteria ("Society of Friends" Arta (Άρτα is one of the Prefectures of Greece. It is part of the Epirus periphery Patmos ( Greek, Πάτμος; Italian: Patmo) is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Epirus (from Ionic Greek Ήπειρος - Ēpeiros, Doric Greek: Ἅπειρος - Apeiros, in Albanian Skoufas had already particular contacts with Konstantinos Rados who was initiated into Carbonarism. The Carbonari ("charcoal burners" were groups of secret revolutionary societies founded in early 19th-century Italy. Ksanthos was initiated in a Free-Masonic Lodge of Lefkada (Society of Free Builders of St. Mavra), while Tsakalov was a founding member of the "Greek-speaking Hotel", (Ελληνόγλωσσο Ξενοδοχείο) an older but not successful society for the liberation of Greece.

The growth of the Friendly Society was impressive. At the beginning, during the 1814–1816 period, there were roughly twenty members. During 1817, the Society spread mainly among the Greeks of Russia and of Moldowallachia (the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which had a strong Greek element), but once again its membership did not exceed thirty. Danubian Principalities (Principatele Dunărene was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the Moldavia (Moldova is a geographic and historical region and former Principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between Eastern Carpathians This article is about the region in what is now Southern Romania Massive initiations began only in 1818 and by 1820, the Society had expanded in almost all regions of Greece and most Greek communities abroad.

By the first months of 1821, the membership numbered around one thousand and the Society had exceeded her own limits. Among her members were tradesmen, clergy, executives of the Ottoman Empire from Phanar, chieftains like Theodoros Kolokotronis, Odysseas Androutsos, Dimitris Plapoutas, the metropolitan Germanos of Patras and more. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Phanariotes, Phanariots, or Phanariote Greeks ( Greek:Φαναριώτες Romanian: Fanarioţi, Bulgarian:Фанариоти Theodoros Kolokotronis ( Greek: Θεόδωρος Κολοκοτρώνης, 3 April 1770 - 15 February 1843) was a Odysseas Androutsos (also Odysseus Androutsos Οδυσσέας Ανδρούτσος was a hero of the Greek War of Independence. Dimitris Koliopoulos Plapoutas ( Δημήτρης Κολιόπουλος Πλαπούτας) ( May 15, 1786 &ndash July 1865 was a Greek general Germanos (George Gotzias known as Palaion Patron Germanos 1771-1826 was an Orthodox Metropolitan of Patras.

Organizational structure

The Oath of Initiation into the Society, painting by D. Tsokos, 1849.

The whole structure of the Philiki Etaireia was imitating the organisational models of Carbonarism and Freemasonry. The Carbonari ("charcoal burners" were groups of secret revolutionary societies founded in early 19th-century Italy. The leading team was called the "Invisible Authority" (Αόρατος Αρχή) and was surrounded from the first moment with such secret glamour that everybody believed that a lot of important personalities participated, not only eminent Greeks but also foreigners like the Russian Tsar Alexander I. Alexander I of Russia ( Russian: Александр I Павлович / Aleksandr I Pavlovich (23 December 1777 – November 19 1825 served as Emperor of The reality was that initially, the Invisible Authority was composed only of the three founders. Then, from 1815 until 1818, five more were added and after Skoufas' death three more. In 1818 the Invisible Authority was renamed to "Authority of Twelve Apostles" and each Apostle shouldered the responsibility of a separate region.

The whole structure was pyramid-like in form and in the top dominated the "Invisible Authority". No one knew it or had the right to ask who created it. Her commands were executed unquestioned, and members did not have the right to make decisions. The society was called «Temple» and it had four levels of initiation: a) Brothers (αδελφοποιητοί) or Vlamides (βλάμηδες), b) the Recommended (συστημένοι), γ) the Priests (ιερείς) and d) the Shepherds (ποιμένες). Initiation is a Rite of passage Ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society The Priests were charged with the duty of initiation in the first two levels. When the Priest approached somebody, it was first to make sure of his patriotism and catechize him in the aims of society; the last stage was to put him under oath.

“	I swear in the name of truth and justice, before the Supreme Being, to guard, by sacrificing my own life, and suffering the hardest toils, the mystery, which shall be explained to me and that I shall respond with the truth whatever I am asked.	”
—The Oath of Initiation into the Society

Afterwards the initiated were considered neophyte members of the society, with all the rights and obligations of his rank. The Priest immediately had the obligation to reveal all the marks of recognition between the Vlamides or Brothers. Vlamides and Recommended were unaware of the revolutionary aims of the organisation. They only knew that there existed a society that tried hard for the general good of the nation, which included in its ranks important personalities. This myth was propagated deliberately, in order to stimulate the morale of members and also to make proselytism easier.

The course of the revolt

1821 Fighting in Bucharest

Main article: Greek War of Independence

In 1818, the seat of Philiki Etaireia had migrated from Odessa to Constantinople, and Skoufas' death had been a serious loss. Bucharest ( Romanian: Bucureşti) is the Capital city, industrial and commercial centre of Romania. The Greek War of Independence (1821–1829 also commonly known as the Greek Revolution (Ελληνική Επανάσταση Elliniki Epanastasi; Ottoman Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey The rest of the founders attempted to find a major personality to undertake the reins, one who would give prestige and fresh impetus to the Society. In the beginning of 1818, they had a meeting with John Capodistria, who not only refused, but later wrote that he considered Philiki Etaireia guilty for the havoc that was foreboded in Greece. Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (Κόμης Ιωάννης Καποδίστριας - Komis Ioannis Kapodistrias in Giovanni Capo d'Istria Conte Capo d'Istria Finally after many contacts, in April 1820 Alexander Ypsilantis assumed the leadership of Philiki Etaireia and began active preparations for a revolt, as well as for setting up a military unit towards that purpose named as the Sacred Band. The Greek War of Independence (1821–1829 also commonly known as the Greek Revolution (Ελληνική Επανάσταση Elliniki Epanastasi; Ottoman The Sacred Band ( Ιερός Λόχος) was a Battalion founded by Alexander Ypsilantis at the beginning of the Greek War of Independence, in The Filikoi especially wanted to take advantage of the involvement of significant Turkish forces, including the pasha of the Moreas, against Ali Pasha. Ali Pasha of Tepelen or of Yannina, the "Lion of Yannina" (1741 &ndash January 24, 1822) was the ruler ( Pasha) of the western

Contents

The beginnings

Organizational structure

The course of the revolt

Further reading