Η Ελληνική Επανάσταση του 1878 στη Μακεδονία – Τhe 1878 Greek Revolution in Macedonia

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The 1878 Greek Revolution in Macedonia

More myths created by Skopje are shattered by the following passages:

1) Again, the claim that there was not a Greek movement for liberation from Turkey is a complete lie.

2) The claim that there were no Greeks in Monastiri (Bitolia) is also a complete lie.

From the book: ‘Macedonia, The Macedonian Struggle, Greece-Macedonia 4000 Years’, Copyright 1992 by Aegean Publications, page 94:

The [Greek] revolution [against the Ottoman Empire] in Macedonia had started in 1878 from [Litohoro] Olympus and spread all over West and North Macedonia. On Mt. Olympus it was sunk in blood [by the Turks] wheras in all other regions it developed, got settled, and prevailed. The Macedonian countryside had been liberated, and in the urban centers, the Turkish army panicked and would not get out of their barracks…The war-chiefs had reached all the way up to Krousovo and Perlepe. Centers could be found in Bourino, Grammos, Mouriki, Siniatsiko, Vitsi, Prespes, Peristeri, Morihovo, Tikfes, and Demir Kapon. They threatened to disperse every authority and Ottoman domination even in Monastiri. In 1878 they almost entered Kastoria. In 1881 they stepped in Florina. In the territory of Morihovo…the capital city was Gradenitsa, which was later burned by the [Bulgarian] komitatzis. In Monastiri in 1878, the first organized revolutionary group appeared which decided to go up into the mountains…All these war chiefs had lain their weapons before the feet of the Greek consulate in Monastiri [and the Greek Consul Petros Logothetis] to be registered by, taken care of, and disposed of by Hellenism.

Below is an original letter written by Greek Consul General in Monastiri to the Greek Government in Athens. Page 102:

The Greek Consul in Monastiri, Petros Logothetis, writes to the Greek government that the local chiefs of arms had placed their arms at his disposal. This proves that the action was purely Greek.

This whole movement was started by Evangelos Korovangos and was secretly aided by Konstantinos Vatikiotis who was the General Consul of Greece in Thessaloniki from 1866 – 1881.

New Rare Document – Protest of Greeks Against Exarchy in Bitolia 1878

Around the same time as the Greek uprising against the Ottoman Turks in Macedonia, the Turks were signing a peace treaty (Treaty of San Stefano; March 3, 1878) with Russia after the Ottoman Empire lost the Russo-Turkish War. The Treaty of San Stefano forced Turkey to give all of Macedonia to Bulgaria and create ‘Great Bulgaria’. This allowed Russia to have a ’slav’ satellite in the Balkans where her influence could extend down to the Aegean Sea. This Russian attempt was later cancelled by the European Powers (The British Empire and France) and the treaty was never allowed to take effect. Instead the Treaty of Berlin was signed and no Great Bulgaria was created.
Ethnicity in the Balkans was defined by church affiliation. Russia and Bulgaria had created the Bulgarian Exarchate Church for political reasons on February 28, 1870. It split from the Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. Anyone pledging allegiance to the Exarchy was Bulgarian and anyone pledging allegiance to the Patriarchate was Greek. Thousands of people living in Macedonia never wanted anything with the Exarchate and said they were Greek EVEN IF THEY SPOKE BULGARIAN and its dialects. They were considered peculiar to the Bulgarians who did not understand this. They were called discriminatorily ‘Grecomans’ by the Bulgarians. Today’s Skopjeans call these Greeks ‘Grkomans’. WHY? Because the Skopjeans were really BULGARIANS once even if they don’t want to admit it now.
The Greeks in Macedonia were in an uproar when they heard that they would suddenly go from Turkish rule to Bulgarian rule. Therefore, many letters of complaint were written to Athens protesting the Exarchy and asking for help from ‘Free Greece’. Below is an example of an original letter written by the Greek Consulate in Bitolia (Monastiri) and contained 14 000 signatures. The letter also mentions that similar protests had already taken place in Skopje, Florina, and Kastoria! These people were Greek and they pledged their allegiance to the ‘Patriarcheion’ as is evident in the letter written in Greek!!!
One last note: The town of Monastiri was known by various names through time: MONASTIRI in Greek; BITOLIA (pronounced Vitolia) in Greek; from the Bulgarian name BITOLIA (БИТОЛЯ);MANASTIR in Turkish from the Greek Monastiri. Notice in the letter of 1878, it is written Bitolia in Greek because in the region of Macedonia lived Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbs, Albanians, and Turks: NEVER ‘ethnic-Macedonians’. The name BITOLA was changed after 1944 when the current Serbo-Bulgarian dialect of Skopje was created and many previous Greek and Bulgarian influences and grammar were removed from the Bulgarian dialectspoken in Monastiri!!! The Skopjeans now call this language: ‘Macedonian’!!!
The letter is found on page 80 of the book by Konstantinos Douflias: ‘Macedonia, The Macedonian Conflict, Greece-Macedonia 4000 Years; Copyright 1992 by Aegean Publications’.
The Document

Declarations of Union with Greece- Temporary government of Elimia

The following is from page 87 of the book by Konstantinos Douflias:

THE REVOLUTIONARY DECLARATION OF THE TEMPORARY GOVERNMENT OF ELIMIA (WESTERN MACEDONIA)
In the county of Elimia in Western Macedonia (present day Kozani; in Macedonia, Greece), another group of Greek Revolutionaries took up arms in 1878 in the town of Bourino around the same time as their compatriots on Mt. Olympus. They called themselves: ‘The Temporary Government of Elimia’. The president was I.K Kovandaros, and the leader of the Revolutionaries was I. Liatis. Below is the declaration of ‘The Temporary Government of Elimia’ which expresses the will to fight off the Ottoman Turks and unite with ‘mother Greece’.

1878 – Proclamation of the Temporary Government of Macedonia requesting Unification with Greece

THE PROCLAMATION OF THE TEMPORARY GOVERNMENT OF MACEDONIA REQUESTING UNIFICATION WITH GREECE;

REVOLUTION ON MT. OLYMPUS.

This proclamation shatters 3 Skopjan myths (lies) about Macedonia:

Myth (Lie) #1: The name ‘Macedonia’ was not used by Greeks until after 1988. Until 1988, the area was known as ‘Northern Greece’ or ‘Northern New Territories’.
As is evident in the Proclamation written in pure Greek by Macedonian Greeks this is simply not true. ‘The Ministry of Northern Greece’ changed its name to ‘The Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace’ in 1988…not the department/province!

Myth (Lie) #2: There were no Greeks in Macedonia until after Greece invaded and expelled the ‘Macedonians’ in 1912 and brought more Greeks from Turkey in 1923.
Again, shameless lies. This document is proof that Greeks in Macedonia, not wanting to be ruled by Turkey anymore, took up arms and started a revolution. They formed a government and appealed to Greece and the European Powers to unite them with their motherland Greece! All this as Turkey was getting ready to sign the Treaty of San Stefano which allowed Russia to give Macedonia to Bulgaria.

Myth (Lie) #3: There was no Greek revolution against Turkey in Macedonia as happened in Southern Greece because there were no Greeks living in Macedonia.
This lie can now be destroyed along with the rest of Skopjean Macedonism and irredentism. To continue to propagate these lies is not worthy of a civil society.

THE DOCUMENT

DECLARATION OF THE TEMPORARY GOVERNMENT OF MACEDONIA

To the Governments of the European powers

The long lasting sufferings which the respectable governments have heard about from their representatives, and which by now have reached a state of stressful despair, have obliged the inhabitants of Macedonia to take up arms in order to defend their lives, their honour and property. Calling a meeting today the representatives of the various communities in Macedonia, overthrew the Sultan’s tyrannical authority, declared the union of Macedonia with mother Greece, and chose us in order to form the Temporary Government of the revolution with the obligation to ask from the Christian super powers their mighty protection for the justification of our fight…(Macedonia) is ready to be freed and connected to mother Greece, even if it needs to be delivered to fire and disaster rather than continue living under the tyranny of various Turkish notables.They destroyed and violated the honour and sanctity of family life. All promises and obligations that the Turkish authorities gave to its subjects have proved by now to be nothing more than purposely sly and deceptive. The Turkish government has several times granted rights but tyranny has never been loosened. On the contrary, our misfortunes became endless and horrible because this government has neither power nor authority. Therefore, we were forced to seek our arms so that we may die as men as Greeks if we are not allowed to live like logical and free men.

[Signed] In Litohoro, Mt. Olympus [on] 19th February, 1878 [by the members of]

We ask the Consul General of Greece to read [and transmit] the present document.

CONSULATE’S LETTER

Pages 81, 84, 116, and 117
From the book:
Macedonia, Macedonian Struggle, Greece-Macedonia 4000 Years
By: Konstantinos Douflias, Historian-Folklorist-Journalist
1992
Aegean Publications

Book is available in Greek and English.
Self-identification of Slavomacedonians’ forefathers during their early immigration in USA

Quite many Slavomacedonians migrated to USA in the begining of 20th century. Lets see in the following revealing video how they identified themselves through their advertisements . The evidence is overwhelming and shatters modern FYROM’s ultra-nationalism and historical forgery. These people identified themselves as Bulgarians.

Thessaloniki and it’s Geography 1839

From 1839, the region around Thessaloniki was shown to be inhabited by Greeks, Turks, and Bulgarians. No sign of the Pseudo-Macedonians.

Yane Sandanski – The Bulgarian Revolutionary claimed by FYROM’s propaganda

Articles from contemporary newspapers breaking into pieces the claims of FYROM’s propaganda.
Sunday Aug 30 1908 – TheWashington Post

Waterloo Reporter – September 12 1909

Davenport Daily Republic October 27 1901

Galveston Daily News 1909

Middle Town Daily – 1909

The New York Times april 22 1902 Sandanski

Galveston News 1909

Document of 1865 – Sacrifices of Macedonians for their motherland Hellas

The following document is a sample of the immense sacrifices commited by Macedonians in favor of their motherland Hellas. Its an application written by Chrysafis Anastasiou, a Macedonian as himself signs, to the Greek government with date 19.6.1865 where inside he describes his soul-stirring life story. He was born in Naoussa, Macedonia. He particiapted like many other Macedonians in the Greek revolution where he had his father and many of his relatives, including his mother and sister, killed. Himself was captured by Turks and after 3 years in capture, his surviving relatives paid ransom and managed to be released. This Macedonian like his relatives “never stopped fighting for Greece” and “praising the names of Liberty and Greece“. In 1865, while being old and ill, he requested from the related commitee of the Greek government a frugal help through this application.

From magazine “Makedonika”
Time Magazine Archives smash Fyrom’s propaganda

What was going on? The Greek Governor General of Macedonia [USE OF TERM “MACEDONIA” BY THE GREEK STATE PRIOR TO 1989 – ONE MORE LIE FROM FYROM EXPOSED] said that no refugees were streaming into Yugoslavia, charged that Slav terrorists were raiding Greek villages. From Rome the Chicago Daily News’s Balkan-wise Leigh White cabled: Marshal Tito had apparently launched his long-planned drive to expand federal Yugoslavia at the expense of Greek Macedonia. From Athens the New York Times’s European Chief Cyrus Sulzberger reported: “There is a pattern behind these events linked to the politically homogeneous Governments of Greece’s three northern neighbors [Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Albania], who are all ideologically tied to the Soviet Union.” Was Russia, through her Balkan satellites, resuming a historic push toward a warm-water port on the Aegean Sea?”
Monday, Jul. 23, 1945
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,803589,00.html
“During the Greek civil war (1946-49). when Communists burned, looted and terrorized in northern Greece, the Reds kidnaped some 40,000 Greeks and carried them off to the satellite countries. The prisoners are now beginning to come back. The move began as a trickle from Yugoslavia (now Greece’s ally), then more came from Hungary, Rumania, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria. By last week the number of refugees repatriated by the Communists had reached 3,600.”
Time, Monday, Feb. 28, 1955
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar…861218,00.html
“In Salonika last week, the huge concert studio of Radio Macedonia had been turned into a makeshift courtroom.” [USE OF TERM “MACEDONIA” BY THE GREEK STATE PRIOR TO 1989 – ONE MORE LIE FROM FYROM EXPOSED]
Monday, Mar. 22, 1948
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar…804479,00.html
“The Russian-controlled Sofia radio, meanwhile, broadcast an appeal to ELAS to try its hostages as “war criminals,” enemies of the people of Athens. It also launched a drive for an autonomous Macedonia (which might include Greece’s No. 2 port of Salonika), with a capital at Skoplje—which is in Yugoslavia.” [ANY COMMENT FROM THE GREEK COMMUNIST PARTY KKE??]
Monday, Jan. 29, 1945
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar…933966,00.html
“Partitioning of Greece is foreshadowed by the deportation of thousands of Greeks from Thrace and Macedonia, by an influx of Bulgarians to occupy the abandoned homes and farms.”
Monday, Nov. 24, 1941
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar…801287,00.html
“In Geneva, Switzerland, the World Committee of the Y. M. C. A. met and figured up the value of its properties—$193,236,000. To the National Council in the U. S. it reported that of these holdings $154,542,000 were in this country. In 52 countries served by the Y. M. C. A., more than 7,000 officers are employed; in the U. S. alone more than 5,000. Coincident with this report was the arrival in the U. S. of Gennadios, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Thessalonica and Archbishop of Macedonia[USE OF TERM “MACEDONIA” BY THE GREEK STATE PRIOR TO 1989 – ONE MORE LIE FROM FYROM EXPOSED], for an inspection of Y. M. C. A. activities here.”
Monday, Apr. 05, 1926
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar…751418,00.html
“The Greek Government crisis was weathered.
Out walked Premier Papanastasiou (TIME, July 28) and in trotted Premier Sofoulis, ex-Governor of Macedonia, followed by five staunch supporters: ”
Monday, Aug. 04, 1924
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar…718771,00.html