Ioannis Deligiannis (1738 - February 12, 1816)

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The Sultan’s decree, which condemned the additional tax collection from Greek notables as illegal and called on the local population to “disobey” (Source: arcadians.gr).

Ioannis Papagiannopoulos (Ioannis Moragiannis - Deligiannis - Deligiannis) (1738 - February 12, 1816) was one of the most powerful notables (kotsampases) of the Peloponnese.

Family

Ioannis Papagiannopoulos-Deligiannis was born in Langadia, Arcadia. He was the son of Kanellos Papagiannopoulos and Golfo Syntichou. His grandfather, priest Ioannis Lytinos, was one of the first settlers of the Upper Mahala of Langadia.

He married the Smyrna native Maria Petropoulou, and they had the following 11 children: Anagnostis Deligiannis, Georgios Deligiannis (1773 - 1820), Theodorakis Deligiannis, Anastos Deligiannis, Kanellos Deligiannis, Thanassos Deligiannis, Dimitrakis Deligiannis, Konstantakis Deligiannis, Panagos Deligiannis, Eleni Deligianni, Nikolaakis Deligiannis.

The surname "Nteligiannis" (later "Deligiannis") was given to him because of his character (Ntelis = lively).

Power

After the beheading of the powerful notable Androutsakis Zaimis in 1787, Ioannis Deligiannis became the first notable of the Peloponnese and took the title of Moragiannis, a position he held until his death. This position, combined with his strong personality and vast fortune, troubled not only the Turkish agas but also the other notables of the Peloponnese.

A few years later, in 1790, the Turkish notable Haseki Aliagas Laliotis paid a Turkish man from Langadia to assassinate Ioannis Deligiannis. The Turkish assassin ambushed him in a Christian house and shot Deligiannis, who was accompanied by only one servant. The bullet struck the notable in the right shoulder blade. The servant managed to kill the Turkish assassin, but Deligiannis was severely wounded, resulting in the permanent paralysis of his right arm.

At the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th, Ioannis Deligiannis, along with other Turkish and Christian notables, tried to suppress the numerous bands of bandits that plagued the Peloponnese. To achieve this, he was forced to help some of them (such as Theodoros Kolokotronis), but later pursued them.

At the end of 1806, fearing a potential war with Russia and to avoid revolutionary movements like the Orlov Revolts, the Turks sought help from Ali Pasha of Ioannina. He sent his son, Veli Pasha, with 8,000 Albanians, who arrived in Tripoli on March 7, 1807. Veli Pasha followed his father's less pro-Turkish line, granting many privileges to the notables by appointing Sotirakis Londos as Moragiannis, along with Deligiannis. The two notables then sent Theodorakis Deligiannis and Londos' son-in-law Konstantakis to Ioannina to seek the protection of Ali Pasha.

However, over time, they became disappointed. In a meeting of Turkish and Greek notables, Ioannis Deligiannis suggested they ask for help from Napoleon Bonaparte, rather than the Russians, in the event of a Turkey-Russia war. At the end of the meeting, they all swore to remain united.

In 1812, Incelis Pasha replaced Veli Pasha, and Sotirakis Londos fell out of favor. Encouraged, the other notables, mainly the Turks, began to slander him. Thus, in October 1813, in front of all the notables, Sotirakis Londos was beheaded on the steps of the Seraglio in Tripoli by a Turkish cavalryman, leaving the Deligiannis family in charge of the notables. Many accused Ioannis Deligiannis of complicity in this act.

Death

In January 1815, Ioannis Deligiannis fell seriously ill and remained bedridden at his home in Langadia. He transferred his power to his son, Theodorakis Deligiannis. This situation was exploited by the other notables, particularly the son of Sotirakis Londos, Andreas Londos, who began to slander him to the Turks. Thus, on February 12, 1816, by Sultan's decree, Ioannis Deligiannis was beheaded at his home by the Turks. His body was thrown into the garden of the house, and his head was taken as a trophy to Siakir Pasha. The bloodstains on the walls of the room where he was murdered were visible until quite recently.

Works

Ioannis Deligiannis carried out several projects during his rule. He built two churches in Langadia (the Church of the Archangels and the Church of Saint John—both completed in 1808 within 40 days) and a school in 1795. He also built a church in the village of Anaziri.

His stance was generally characterized by friendly feelings towards the Turks, who often favored the notables. After the revolution, the Deligianni family lost their privileges, and Ioannis' son, Kanellos Deligiannis, in his memoirs, angrily tries to present his father's pro-Turkish stance as beneficial for the Greeks, but falls into many inevitable contradictions.

The assassination of Ioannis Deligiannis is described in the following Arcadian folk song:

"In Lala, they slaughter sheep, in Divri, cows, and in Langadia, the village, they slaughter Nteligiannis, a sixty-year-old old man, forty Morogiannis. Kanellos goes to the pasha, goes to prostrate himself.

Kanellos, why are you so late, all this time you've been away? Kanellos, where are the elders, old Morogiannis?

The old man is sick, gravely ill, to die."