Greece: Struggle for independence (1821-1832)

Last modified: 2001-06-01 by ivan sache
Keywords: ypsilantis | cross (blue) | cross (white) | saint | phoenix | miaoulis | saltire (white) | cross (red) |
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by Herman De Wael

There were many flags used by Greek forces during the 1821 revolution.
The above flag was one of them. It is known to have been used by forces connected with the Kolokotronis family, as well as the Cypriot forces of Hadjigeorgios. It was also used by the forces of Mellissinos Makarios after (perhaps during) the 1769 revolution. This probably does not exhaust its usage. As such, it was perhaps the most widely used Greek revolutionary flag.
Nevertheless, it was not adopted by the provisional government, so that in the narrow sense, I think the right answer as to when the flag was adopted is "never".

Source: Hellenic flags. Insignia-Emblems. [kok97]

Norman Martin, 26 March 1998

• Standard of Alexander Ypsilanti's(1820-21))
• Standard of Andreas Miaoulis' standard (1821)
• Flag of Greek guerillas (1821-1829)

See also :

• Greece
• Greece under Ottoman rule
• Greece: The first national flag
• Greece: Historical flags from the Cretan Naval Museum (XIXth century)

Standard of Alexander Ypsilantis (1820-21)

by Jaume Ollé

Alexander Ypsilantis (1792-1828) was a Greek who served as a general in the Russian Army before becoming the leader of Philiki Etairia (1820-1821) and leading an invasion into Moldavia in an abortive attempt to liberate the Balkans from Ottoman rule.

The saints on one side of the flag are Saint Constantine and Saint Helena, between the words:

EN TOUTO NIKA ("In this sign thou shall conquest").

The Ypsilanti flag had a different reverse, which shows also the three stripes red-white-black with the phoenix emerging from the ashes between the words in black:

EK THSKONEOSMOY and ANAGENNOMAI. ( "I am reborn from my own ashes").

It was the flag of Alexander and Demetrius Ypsilantis. The members of the Sacred Battalion and Georgios Olympos, heroes of the Greek independence struggle, fought and died under this flag.

The colours have following meaning:

• Red: imperial purple robe and the self-government of the Greek people;
• White: innocence of the just cause of the Greek struggle against tyranny;
• Black: the death of the Greeks for country and freedom.

Source: Hellenic flags. Insignia-Emblems. [kok97]

Pascal Vagnat, 11 January 1999

Standard of Andreas Miaoulis (1821)

by Ivan Sache

Replica, Historical and Folklore Society of Acharnae.

Source: Hellenic flags. Insignia-Emblems. [kok97]

Flag of Greek guerillas (1821-1829)

by Ivan Sarajcic

This flag was used by the Greek guerillas against the Ottoman occupation. It is a flag of independence war (1821-1829). The written message on the white stripe reads : ELEFTHERIA I THANATOS (freedom or death), the main motto of this war.

Selefkos, 31 May 2000