Konstantinos Kanaris

Konstantinos Kanaris Κωνσταντίνος Κανάρης
Konstantinos Kanaris, Prime Minister of Greece.
Prime Minister of Greece
In office 16 February 1844 – 30 March 1844
Monarch	Otto I
Preceded by	Andreas Metaxas
Succeeded by	Alexandros Mavrokordatos
In office 15 October 1848 – 12 December 1849
Monarch	Otto I
Preceded by	Georgios Kountouriotis
Succeeded by	Antonios Kriezis
Prime Minister of Greece
In office 6 March 1864 – 16 April 1864
Monarch	George I
Preceded by	Dimitrios Voulgaris
Succeeded by	Zinovios Valvis
In office 26 July 1864 – 26 February 1865
Monarch	George I
Preceded by	Zinovios Valvis
Succeeded by	Benizelos Roufos
In office 7 June 1877 – 2 September 1877
Monarch	George I
Preceded by	Alexandros Koumoundouros
Succeeded by	Alexandros Koumoundouros
Personal details
Born	c. 1790 Psara, Ottoman Greece
Died	2 September 1877 (aged 87) Athens, Kingdom of Greece
Nationality	Greek
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	First Hellenic Republic Kingdom of Greece
Branch/service	Hellenic Navy
Years of service	1821–1844
Rank	Admiral
Battles/wars	Greek War of Independence

Konstantinos Kanaris, also anglicised as Constantine Kanaris or Canaris (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Κανάρης; c. 1790^[1] – 2 September 1877^[2]), was a Greek admiral, Prime Minister, and a hero of the Greek War of Independence.^[3]

Biography[]

Konstantinos Kanaris during the Greek War of Independence. Lithography by Karl Krazeisen, 1831.

Early life[]

Konstantinos Kanaris was born and grew up on the island of Psara, close to the island of Chios, in the Aegean. The exact year of his birth is unknown. Official records of the Hellenic Navy indicate 1795, however, modern Greek historians consider 1790 or 1793 to be more probable.^[4]

He was left an orphan at a young age. Having to support himself, he chose to become a seaman like most members of his family since the beginning of the 18th century. He was subsequently hired as a boy on the brig of his uncle Dimitris Bourekas.

Military career[]

Kanaris gained his fame during the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829). Unlike most other prominent figures of the War, he had never been initiated into the Filiki Eteria (Society of Friends), which played a significant role in the uprising against the Ottoman Empire, primarily by secret recruitment of supporters against the Turkish rule.^[5]

By early 1821, the movement had gained enough support to launch a revolution. This seems to have inspired Kanaris, who was in Odessa at the time. He returned to the island of Psara in haste and was present when it joined the uprising on 10 April 1821.^[6]

The island formed its own fleet and the famed seamen of Psara, already known for their well-equipped ships and successful combats against sea pirates, proved to be highly effective in naval warfare. Kanaris soon distinguished himself as a fire ship captain.^[7]

The burning of the Turkish flagship by Kanaris. Painting by Nikiforos Lytras, 1870.

At Chios, on the moonless night of 6–7 June 1822, forces under his command destroyed the flagship of the Ottoman admiral Nasuhzade Ali Pasha in revenge for the Chios massacre. The admiral was holding a Bayram celebration, allowing Kanaris and his men to position their fire ship without being noticed. When the flagship's powder store caught fire, all men aboard were instantly killed. The Turkish casualties comprised 2,300 men, both naval officers and common sailors, as well as Nasuhzade Ali Pasha himself.^[8]

Kanaris led another successful attack against the Ottoman fleet at Tenedos in November 1822. He was famously said to have encouraged himself by murmuring "Konstantí, you are going to die" every time he was approaching a Turkish warship on the fire boat he was about to detonate.^[9][10]

After the destruction of Psara. Painting by Nikolaos Gyzis, 1898.

The Ottoman fleet captured Psara on 21 June 1824. A part of the population, including Kanaris, managed to flee the island, but those who didn't were either sold into slavery or slaughtered. After the destruction of his home island, he continued to lead attacks against Turkish forces. In August 1824, he engaged in naval combats in the Dodecanese.^[11]

The following year, Kanaris led the Greek raid on Alexandria, a daring attempt to destroy the Egyptian fleet with fire ships that might have been successful if the wind had not failed just after the Greek ships entered Alexandria harbour.^[12]

After the end of the War and the independence of Greece, Kanaris became an officer of the new Greek Navy, reaching the rank of admiral, and became a prominent politician.

Political career[]

Statue of Konstantinos Kanaris in Kypseli, Athens.

Konstantinos Kanaris was one of the few with the personal confidence of Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first Head of State of independent Greece. After the assassination of Kapodistrias on 9 October 1831, he retired to the island of Syros.^[13]

During the reign of King Otto I, Kanaris served as Minister in various governments and then as Prime Minister in the provisional government (16 February – 30 March 1844). He served a second term (15 October 1848 – 12 December 1849), and as Navy Minister in Alexandros Mavrokordatos' 1854 cabinet.

In 1862, he was among the rare War of Independence veterans who took part in the bloodless insurrection that deposed the increasingly unpopular King Otto I and led to the election of Prince William of Denmark as King George I of Greece. During his reign, Kanaris served as a Prime Minister for a third term (6 March – 16 April 1864), fourth term (26 July 1864 – 26 February 1865) and fifth and last term (7 June – 2 September 1877).^[14]

Kanaris died on 2 September 1877 whilst still serving in office as Prime Minister. Following his death his government remained in power until 14 September 1877 without agreeing on a replacement at its head. He was buried in the First Cemetery of Athens, where most Greek prime ministers and celebrated figures are also buried. After his death he was honoured as a national hero.

Family[]

Silver urn containing the heart of Konstantinos Kanaris at the National Historical Museum, Athens.

In 1817, Konstantinos Kanaris married Despoina Maniatis, from a historical family of Psara. They had seven children:

• Nikolaos Kanaris (1818–1848), killed during a military expedition in Beirut
• Themistoklis Kanaris (1819–1851), killed during a military expedition in Egypt
• Thrasyvoulos Kanaris (1820–1898), admiral
• Miltiadis Kanaris (1822–1901), admiral, member of the Greek Parliament for many years, Naval Minister three times in 1864, 1871, and 1878
• Lykourgos Kanaris (1826–1865), naval officer and lawyer
• Maria Kanaris (1828–1847), married A. Balabano
• Aristeidis Kanaris (1831–1863), officer killed in the uprising of 1863

Greek one drachma coin featuring the portrait of Konstantinos Kanaris.

Wilhelm Canaris, a German Admiral, speculated that he might be a descendant of Konstantinos Kanaris. An official genealogical family history that was researched in 1938 showed however, that he was of Italian descent and not related to the Kanaris family from Greece.^[15]

Honours[]

Greek honours[]

• Order of the Redeemer: Grand Cross (1864)

Foreign honours[]

• Royal Guelphic Order: Grand Cross (Kingdom of Hanover)
• Order of the Dannebrog: Grand Cross (Kingdom of Denmark)

Eponyms[]

To honour Kanaris, the following ships of the Hellenic Navy have been named after him:^[16]

• Kanaris, a patrol boat commissioned in 1835
• Kanaris, a destroyer commissioned in 1880
• Kanaris (L53), a Hunt-class destroyer commissioned in 1942
• Kanaris (D212), a Gearing-class destroyer commissioned in 1972
• Kanaris (F464), an Elli-class frigate commissioned in 2002

See also[]

• Greek War of Independence
• List of prime ministers of Greece
• Kanaris family
• History of Greece
• First Cemetery of Athens
• Greek ship Kanaris

References[]

Works cited[]

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Kanaris, Constantine". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• Woodhouse, "The Story of Modern Greece", Faber and Faber (1968).

External links[]

• A concise history of the Grand Lodge of Greece and the origins of the Philiki Etairia
• Biography of Konstantinos Kanaris on Rulers.org
• Statue of Konstantinos Kanaris on Chios island, Greece
• Major figures of the Greek War of Independence
• Modern Egypt under Mohammad Ali, Viceroy of Egypt

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