The Greek Adventure -- by David Howarth

 

Author David Howarth sailed his own personal research boat right into the storm some called The Greek War For Independence.

It wasn't easy to try and make sense of that conflict, essentially between Greek rebels, and their Turkish Ottoman Empire overlords. What the world knew as Greece disappeared under the sultan's thumb for some 350 years. When these Greeks realized that they wanted their own country back in 1821, it was far from that land made famous by the likes of Aristotle, Archimedes, and those numerous robed philosophers and teachers. The Greeks even had two civil wars in the long course of independence. The English, French, and Russians eventually stepped in to help the Greeks reach their goal, but this was nothing like liberating Belgium in 1944-45 from the Nazis. Nothing close to that.
Howarth might have been understood if others had given up, using that overworked cliche, "It's complicated."
It really was. The books tend to end the war in 1832, but some earlier than that.
Questions and curiosity still abound about this war for the books.
The troublesome Ottoman royal guard -- The Janissaries -- was disbanded in 1826 by the sultan in office. He'd had too much of their disloyalty and ambition for their own power.
Here in the U.S. the city of Ypsilanti, Michigan was named for a Greek general after a miraculous victory, and escape with almost all of his men from Ottoman clutches. Just how those Michiganders chose that name isn't clear. A phone call to the local historical society won't necessarily clarify the issue. Immediately.
Some accounts place the naming in 1825, others in 1829.
I'm glad Howarth tried to climb this slipery-slope Mt. Olympus, and that other adventurous writers did, too. More coming.
Watch this space...