Macedonian Struggle

Πρόκειται για εργασία μαθήματος στα πλαίσια του εξ αποστάσεως μεταπτυχιακού προγράμματος Νεότερης και Σύγχρονης Ιστορίας του Πανεπιστημίου Νεάπολις Πάφου. Ο λόγος που κατ' εξαίρεση δημοσιεύεται σ' αυτήν την πλατφόρμα έχει να κάνει με το γεγονός ότι αποτελεί την πρώτη προσπάθεια για ένωση διαφόρων κι αντιμαχόμενων πηγών και ως προς αυτό μπορεί να βοηθήσει το μελλοντικό ερευνητή.

The paper deals with the formation and the activities of the so-called Romanian armed bands in Ottoman Macedonia, during the later stages of the Macedonian Struggle. These bands were consisted of pro-Romanian Vlachs from Macedonia and their main assignment was to fight the Greek bands of andartes and to protect the pro-Romanian communities. The paper analyses the key factors behind the decision to send “Romanian” armed bands in Macedonia, as well as the role of the Romanian state and the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization in the creation, funding and disbandment of these bands.

1877-1878 Osmanlı Rus Savaşından itibaren Rumeli vilayetlerinde Osmanlı idaresinin günlerinin sayılı olduğu algısı yaygınlaşınca, bölgede Osmanlı sonrasının paylaşımı için Bulgar, Yunan ve Sırplar arasında amansız bir mücadele başladı. Bu mücadele diplomatik misyonlar, kiliseler, okullar ve nihayet silahlı çeteler arasındaydı. 1902 yılına gelindiğinde Büyük Güçlerin müdahale tehdidi sonucu Makedonya’da reform paketlerini kabule başlayan Babıali, 2. Meşrutiyetin ilanına kadar 6 yıllık sürede ağırlıklı olarak Yunan ve Bulgar çetelerinin faaliyetlerini önlemeye çalıştı. Bulgar komitacılarının faaliyetleri Türk akademik çevrelerinde çalışılmışsa da Yunan konsoloslukları ve subaylarının sevk ve idaresindeki Rum çetelerinin faaliyetleri üzerinde yeterince çalışma yapılmadığı anlaşılmaktadır. Bu çalışmada 1902-1908 arasında Yunan çetelerinin çalışma yöntemleri ve sonuçları ile Osmanlı Devletinin bunlara karşı takip ettiği politika incelenmiştir. Ayrıca dönemin çete faaliyetlerinin Yunan belleğindeki yerine de işaret edilmiştir.

The idea for an organised armed action - coordinated and supported by the Greek Kingdom and aimed against the Macedonian revolutionary organisation emerged few years before the Ilinden Uprising. During this period the Greek nationalistic circles in Greece and Ottoman Macedonia, primarily the official representatives of the Greek state and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, becoming aware about the threat against Hellenism repeatedly demanded changes in the policy concerning the Macedonian question, including for the Kingdom to send some armed groups. On the other hand, after the defeat by the Ottoman Empire in 1897 and until the Ilinden Uprising, the officials in Athens led utterly cautious policy with a constant tendency of building good-neighbourly relations with the Ottoman Porte. The Greek governments during this period acted with no clear national policy and without defined foreign and domestic programme, while the whole activity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was primarily oriented towards the problem of Crete. The Greek official policy strived for and hoped that the Ottoman civil and military authorities were going to protect their interests in Macedonia, a practice which was giving results to a certain extent.

του Ιωάννη Β. Αθανασόπουλου ιστορικού Ο Σπυρίδων Σπυρομήλιος γεννήθηκε το 1864 στην Θήβα ή σύμφωνα με άλλες πηγές στη Χειμάρα. Τα μαθητικά του χρόνια ωστόσο, τα πέρασε στην Αθήνα όπου τελείωσε το Γυμνάσιο. Κατόπιν εισήχθη στη Ναυτική Σχολή Κεφαλονιάς, όπου ταξίδεψε σε πολλά λιμάνια της Ευρώπης. Ονειρευόταν να γίνει ναυτικός καριέρας και να σπουδάσει στη Σχολή Ναυτικών Δοκίμων. Για τον λόγο αυτό, επέστρεψε στην Αθήνα και επιδίωξε να εγγραφεί στη Σχολή αλλά δεν το κατάφερε καθότι είχε ξεπεράσει το 19 ο έτος της ηλικίας του. Τα παιχνίδια της μοίρας και τα εμπόδια πολλές φορές γίνονται για καλό. Στην περίπτωση του Σπυρομήλιου του άνοιξαν το δρόμο για

This article presents the activities of Dimitrios Margaropoulos from Thessaloniki, Argyris Zachos from Monastiri and Dimitrios Rizos from Edessa, all members of the Charitable Brotherhood of Thessaloniki and dedicated to the Greek cause in Macedonia.