Liberation of Kalamata, March 23 1821
ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ From the beginning of March 1821, there was an uproar of war in Mani. The actions of Papaflessas, Anagnostaras and the arrival of Theodoros Kolokotronis in Kardamili contributed to this. Kolokotronis on horseback with an army escort. Under Nikolaos Varveris. Koutlidis Collection In mid-March, a ship loaded with munitions, sent by the Friends of Smyrna, arrives at the port of Almyros, outside Kalamata. Nikitaras and Anagnostaras undertook to carry the cargo, which was accompanied by armed men. "The "prankster" of souls Papaflessas stirs up the enslaved Greeks" Painting by Vangelis Drakos, 1971. The fact is reported to the Ottoman authorities of Kalamata, who are however informed that it is oil and that the cargo is being guarded because there are robbers in the area. Papaflessas and his associates were simultaneously spreading rumors about the existence of dangerous bandits in the area. The then governor of Kalamata, Suleiman Agas Arnautoglu, summoned the ci...