On December of 1803 the people of Souli, a village in southern Epirus (a mountainous northeastern province of Greece, today) were nearly exhausted by the hardships after years of continuous revolt against Ottoman rule. For a long time, they resisted vigorously against Ali Pasha (Albanian-origined Ottoman pasha of Epirus, grown up as a state sponsored brigadier, later integrated into bureucracy) who besieged them. Tiredness and hunger, however, had overwhelmed them and forced them to capitulate with him.
They agreed to leave the villages of Souli and he promised not to hurt them. Keeping the deal, the Souliots were divided into two groups and began to leave their historic homeland.
But, according to Christoforos Perraivos, a Greek historian in contact with firsthand witnesses of the event, Ali Pasha did not keep his word and sent about 3,000 units of force to eliminate them. The first team of Souliots, led by Kitsos Botsaris and Koutsonikas, headed to the top of Zalongo Mountain while the other group moved to the seaside city of Parga. A body of Albanians troops, led by Bejir Tzogadouro, Ago Mouhourdari and Mezzo Bono, set up an ambush, but they met unexpected resistance. The Souliots were passionately defending their families, but the battle was immensely uneven and they did not manage to endure much.
Among them were about 60 women, many of whom in pregnancy. The Souliots were well aware that among Ali Pasha’s tactics was the humiliation of women, whom when he seized he used to sell them to the slave-bearers of Empire, becoming servants, prostitutes, concubines. To avoid slavery and inevitable rape, they decided to put an end to their lives, but also to the lives of their children.
One by one, they stood on the edge of the cliff, threw their children first, and then they fell dancing and laughing at the face of death.
Their dance was factual and is even now carried through generations in Greece, as “the song and the dance of Zalongo” as Botsaris and Souliots honoured as national heros by official status quo in modern Greece.
Souli, or actually all of Epirus, has always been a die-hard resistance memory in Ottoman records. Even a short time after Venetian triumph and Treaty of Passarowitz, which recreated the hope of independence in all Ionian and Adriatic shores. Souli came up to be a mountainous region full with troubles for Ottoman rule, becoming probably first notable uprising after centuries forecasting more in coming.
(Below: Modern share of Epirus between Greece (orange) and Albania (green). Greek state doctrine identifies Epirus as a historical and folkloric Hellenic region and, therefore, it should be under Greek rule. Albanian doctrine rejects the history-based view and emphasizes the long-timed Albanian majority in total population of the region. Both states still resume their claims on each others’ share of Epirus.)
What is ironic here is that I see Greeks and Albanians fight on this event. Many of Souliots were Albanian Orthodox, belonged to Church of Constantiople similar with rest of Hellenic community and, also, Ali Pasha of Tepelena was Albanian Muslim, too. I’m aware that Albanian Orthodox were a vague group of people to all whom try to identify them, therefore they’re called both Albanian by Greeks by language and Greek by Albanian Muslims by religion. Yet, most of current international records call them as Albanians later to be Hellenized. However, I have to add that before Greek Independence Wars, uprisings in Balkans were mostly based on religious unrest. (I had told it once and been blamed to belittling Greek identity, oh, how could I do it in an era just decades earlier before 1821?) That’s why historical records majorly misses to indicate the ethnic identity of the uprisers. If anything, Orthodoxy unified Epirus against Ottoman rule. To stay in that context, I prefer to keep identity debate out of Souli Rebellion although it’s clearly a precursor of Greek independence.
(Below: Ali Pasha depicted with his wife, Kira Vassiliki, a Greek Orthodox. Much unusual for upper class Ottomans’ wifes, Vassiliki was allowed to maintain her own religion, which, by many historians, is related to tolerance and, even, sympathy of Pasha for Greek community and culture. Vassiliki is also mentioned as a character in worldwide famous novel of Alexander Dumas, “The Count of Monte Cristo”.)
In addition, Ali Pasha of Tepelena is whole another story I wish to mention. He was borned in a minor Muslim Albanian tribe suffering severe poverty, in the age of nine when his father was assasinated in a local dispute Ali took the lead of a brigand group in Albanian mountains. After a while he emerged as a legal Robin Hood supported by the state as the imperial authority in the area begin to wane and, so, before long became enlisted in Ottoman army. His good profile seen in Austro-Ottoman Wars granted him the title of pasha and, soon, he was appointed to govern Epirus, with his former bandit company under his banners. According to modern Albanian sources, Ali Pasha, already having a reputation in the region, could easily call 50,000 men to arms in need.
During the political chaos of Napoleonic Europe, this extraordinary man succeeded to establish his own dominion on this rather small and problematic pashalik. He was a strict Machiavellist in many aspects and refused total loyalty to Istanbul from the beginning, insisting on a semi-independent behaviour most notable of even having direct diplomatic communications abroad such as with France, Britain and Venice. In contrary to many of Ottoman bureucracy, Greek language has been generally used in both texts and conversations in the court of Ali Pasha, an inscription was present in his court claiming his descent from historical King Pyrrhus of Epirus, nevertheless he fiercely opposed all rebellious attempts. In a brief period, his sadistic manners of punishment for the issues either relating the state or personally himself, gained a fame in all Balkans.
Lord Byron, famous Romanticist poet of English language and a devout philhelene, visited him in the court in 1809, unable to hide his reverence and amaze of seeing a “Turk” speaking Greek language in official works, accounted that Epirus seems to be most eminent place to see Greek cultural revival which was encouraged by Ali Pasha, who was an admirer of arts and classical literature and very successful governor, skilled military general and a strong figure. Yet, Byron didn’t fail to mention his obvious leans of cruelty and harsh barbarianism, either.
As to fate of Ali Pasha, coming of Sultan Mahmud II, known as “Reformist”, to throne has been the turning point of events. These two never actually had any sympathy over each other and Sultan Mahmud held many opinions on changing the rotten gears of Imperial machine under his reign. Following the official order of deposition, Ali Pasha utterly rejected to resign and declared rebellion with his local forces consisting many of Souliots and others all once his enemy. It took two years until Ottoman forces managed to subdue the region and sieged Pasha in a monastery. Even in the last minute, Ali Pasha refused to surrender and get killed in conflict. His head was cut to be sent to Istanbul, Sublime Porte and his body was graved next to Fethiye Mosque in Epirus and according to Alexander Dumas, villagers and Ottoman authorities paid him respect for his bravery and strength: “Never was seen greater mourning than that of the warlike Epirotes.”
PER AMORIS AD ASTRA 