Markos Botsaris
The Souliote commander who fought in the siege of Arta and at the Battle of Peta and was killed at Karpenisi.
- Born
- 1790, Souli
- Arta
- Autumn siege of 1821
- Peta
- Mavrokordatos's expedition, 1822
- Died
- 9 August 1823 (O.S.), Karpenisi
Markos Botsaris was born in 1790 in Souli. He served in the Albanian Regiment of the French army and in 1815 returned to Epirus, where Ali Pasha granted him land. In 1820 he fought in the Siege of Ioannina and in October raised a flag in Souli.
Arta and Peta
In 1821 he took part in the autumn siege of Arta. In 1822 he joined the expedition of Alexandros Mavrokordatos, which ended in the Battle of Peta; after the defeat and the fall of Souli in September he fled to Missolonghi.
Missolonghi and death
On 12 October 1822 he was promoted to general of Western Central Greece. The first siege of Missolonghi began on 25 October 1822 and was lifted after a failed assault on Christmas Eve. On 9 August 1823 (21 August New Style), at the Battle of Karpenisi, he attacked with 350–450 men a vanguard of about 5,000 and was killed. He was buried in Missolonghi and his grave was desecrated in 1826.
