Samothrace Celebrates 112 Years of Liberation!

On this day, 112 years ago, the beautiful island of Samothrace was liberated from Ottoman rule. It was October 19th, 1912, when three majestic battleships of the Greek fleet anchored off the bay of Kamariotissa. A squadron of marines disembarked, greeted by the jubilant cries and joyous resurrection hymns of the Samothracian people. After 458 long years of harsh Ottoman rule, their beloved island was free.

Samothraki, however, was no stranger to the fight for freedom. The island paid a heavy price during the Greek Revolution of 1821. The revolutionary spirit, ignited in Agia Lavra on March 25th, 1821, resonated deeply within the hearts of the islanders.

Inspired by the revolution, several Samothrace prefects, members of the Filiki Eteria, encouraged their fellow islanders to declare their own freedom in April 1821. They bravely refused to pay taxes to the Ottomans. A Samian patriot, present on the island, even began training the Samothracians in the art of warfare.

However, their efforts did not go unnoticed. News of the uprising reached Sultan Mahmud II, who dispatched Kapudan Pasha Kara Ali, a formidable Ottoman admiral, to crush the rebellion.

Kara Ali arrived on Samothrace with a force of 1,000-2,000 soldiers. In a brutal act of reprisal, they unleashed a massacre upon the island’s population on September 1st, 1821 – a day forever etched in the memory of the Samothracians as “the day of destruction.”

Only 33 families survived the carnage by seeking refuge in the island’s mountainous terrain. It was from these resilient survivors that the later population of Samothrace emerged.

Despite the tragedy, the spirit of the Samothracian people remained unbroken. They endured hardship, suffering, and oppression, clinging to the hope of freedom.

The dawn of the 20th century saw the rise of a new Greece, determined to liberate its brethren still under Ottoman control. The people of Samothrace dared to hope again.

And so, in that fateful autumn of 1912, the Greek fleet sailed across the Aegean, striking fear into the Ottoman forces and carrying the promise of liberation. For Samothrace, that promise became a reality.

Today, we celebrate the courage and resilience of the people of Samothrace. Happy Liberation Day!

Source: Athens bureau