Antonis Katsantonis

Antonis Katsantonis ( _el. Αντώνης Κατσαντώνης) (1770? – 1809) was a notable Greek klepht who lived in the era before the Greek War of Independence.

Legendary biography

According to the local historical tradition of the Evrytania Prefecture, he was a Sarakatsanos klepht leader, born in Marathos, Agrafa, whose real name was Antonis Makriyannis (son of Yannis Makriyannis born in Petrovouni, Epirus, not to be confused with Yannis Makriyannis born in Avoriti, Doris). In 1802 he abandoned his life as a shepherd and began participating to the raids of klephts; it was then that he acquired the nickname "kaçak" ("fugitive" in Turkish). During the years 1803-1808, he successfully battled several times against the army of Ali Pasha, the most notable of them being the "Battle in the Mount Prosiliako" (Μάχη στου Προσηλιάκου) in 1807. In the summer of 1809 he is said to have been struck down by a serious illness (identified then as "ευλογιά" "smallpox") and appointed his brother Κώστας Λεπενιώτης ("Kostas from Lepenou") as the leader of the Agrafa's klephts; according to the tradition, when Ali Pasha got informed of that, he sent an army leader, called Mühürdar, to capture him in the cave where he had been transfered and being treated by his doctor Θανάσης Ντουφεκιάς (Thanasis Doufekias); eventually, Katsantonis and his second brother Γιώργος Χασιώτης ("Yorgos from Chasia") were arrested and were led to the paşa, where they were tortured to death. The legend mentions that Markos Botsaris avenged Katsantonis' death by killing Mühürdar in the Battle of Kefalovryso (in Karpenisi) in 1823.

Acclaim

Literature

The distinguished poet Aristotelis Valaoritis (1824-1879), member of the literary Heptanese School, wrote a poem called "Ο Κατσαντώνης (άρρωστος)" inspired by the klepht's sickness and death (published in the third quarter of the 19th century).

hadow play

He has also been featured as a minor character in the popular Greek shadow play Karagiozis along with his legendary opponent in the Battle of 1807, the Turkish Gheg Albanian dervent-ağa ("mountain-gate chief", "δερβέναγας" in Greek) Veligekas (Βεληγκέκας).

Television

A TV series (docudrama style), in 12 parts, hosted by Elias Mamalakis and based on Katsantonis' biography is scheduled to be broadcasted in November 2008 on ERT3 TV.

References

# Παπακαρυάς, Δημήτριος. "Ιστορικά του Φουρνά των Αγράφων (The History of Fourna of Agrafa")", Αθήνα, 1992. ("in Greek")

External Links

[http://www.evrytan.gr/ENCYKLOPAIDIA0/prosopa2/Katsantonis_1.htm Article on Katsantonis] [http://www.evrytan.gr/ENCYKLOPAIDIA0/prosopa2/Lepeniotis.htm and Lepeniotis by the local history encyclopedia of Evrytania.] ("in Greek")