Konstantinos Mavromichalis
Konstantinos Mavromichalis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Μαυρομιχάλης; Mani, 1797–Nafplio, 1831), brother of the Bey of Mani Petros Mavromichalis, was a commander of Maniot forces during the Greek War of Independence, and the assassin of the first head of state of Greece, Ioannis Kapodistrias. Along with Dimitrios Ypsilanti, he commanded the forces that saved Nafplio from Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt during the Egyptian invasion of Mani.
When two of his brothers, Tzanis Mavromichalis and Petros were captured by government forces under Kapodistrias, Konstantinos and his nephew, Petros' son, Georgios Mavromichalis decided to take revenge. On 9 October [O.S. 27 September] 1831, the two Maniots were waiting by the doors of the church of St. Spyridon. The Governor of Greece recognized the two men and was worried. But before he could do anything the two men attacked him. Konstantinos shot Kapodistrias through the head and his nephew stabbed him through the heart. As the Maniots were escaping, Konstantinos was shot by one of Kapodistrias' bodyguards as well as by General Fotomaras who had watched the murder scene from his home window. Running injured through the streets of Nafplio, Konstantinos was shot several times before he died. Angry citizens of the city dragged his body and threw it off a cliff called the Arvanitis. His nephew was captured alive and executed by a firing squad.
References
- Paroulakis, Peter H. The Greeks: Their Struggle For Independence. Hellenic International Press (1984). ISBN 0-9590894-1-1.
- Assassination Of Kapodistrias