Plot
Stationed in Ioannina with his battalion, the French naval captain Bernier has fallen in love with Arianna, a beautiful girl from the nearby island of Corfu. However, he has not heard from her for days and is worried about what might have happened to her. Bernier's friend Robert tries in vain to comfort him.
Bernier's concerns prove justified – Arianna had been captured by a wild horde whilst out walking on the beach and taken to Ali Pasha's harem. Ali Pasha cannot bear her laments and complaints and orders her to forget Bernier since she now belongs to him alone. The other women in the harem are unwilling to raise Arianna's hopes and instead advise her that the only way to survive her suffering is to submit herself to fate and Ali Pasha's will.
In the meantime Bernier receives news of his beloved and gains entry to Ali Pasha's palace under a pretext. Ali Pasha is initially delighted to welcome a Frenchman and brings in Arianna to show her off to him, make Bernier envious and draw on Bernier's knowledge of women.
Bernier and Arianna find it hard to conceal their true feelings and pretend that they do not know each other, but only a few minutes after Ali Pasha leaves she admits to her love. Ali Pasha overhears this from a hiding place and rushes back in swearing vengeance. Bernier is chained up but Robert and the French battalion succeed in penetrating the harem. They free Bernier and Arianna and return with them to France.
Mahmud II was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms which culminated in the Decree of Tanzimat ("reorganization") that was carried out by his successors. His disbandment of the conservative Janissary corps removed a major obstacle to his and his successors' reforms in the Empire. Mahmud's reign was also marked by further Ottoman military defeat and loss of territory as a result of nationalist uprisings and European intervention.
Ali Pasha or Ali Pasha of Tepelena, commonly known as Ali Pasha of Ioannina, was an Albanian ruler who served as Ottoman pasha of the Pashalik of Yanina, a large part of western Rumelia, which under his rule acquired a high degree of autonomy and even managed to stay de facto independent. The capital of the Pashalik was Ioannina, which along with Tepelena were Ali's headquarters. Conceiving his territory in increasingly independent terms, Ali Pasha's correspondence and foreign Western correspondence frequently refer to the territories under Ali's control as "Albania", which by Ali's definition included central and southern Albania, and parts of mainland Greece; in particular, most of the district of Epirus and the western parts of Thessaly and Macedonia. He managed to stretch his control over the sanjaks of Yanina, Delvina, Vlora and Berat, Elbasan, Ohrid and Monastir, Görice, and Tirhala. Ali was granted the Sanjak of Tirhala in 1787, and he delegated in 1788 its government to his second born Veli Pasha, who also became Pasha of the Morea Eyalet in 1807. Ali's eldest son Muhtar Pasha was granted the Sanjak of Karli-Eli and the Sanjak of Eğriboz in 1792, stretching for the first time Ali's control down to Livadia and the Gulf of Corinth, except Attica. Muhtar Pasha also became governor of the Sanjak of Ohrid in 1796–7 and of the Sanjak of Vlora and Berat in 1810.
Gustav Albert Lortzing was a German composer, librettist, actor and singer. He is considered to be the main representative of the German Spieloper, a form similar to the French opéra comique, which grew out of the Singspiel.
Parga is a town and municipality located in the northwestern part of the regional unit of Preveza in Epirus, northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Kanallaki. Parga lies on the Ionian coast between the cities of Preveza and Igoumenitsa. It is a resort town known for its natural environment.
Le Corsaire is a ballet typically presented in three acts, with a libretto originally created by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges loosely based on the poem The Corsair by Lord Byron. Originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to the music of Adolphe Adam and other composers, it was first presented by the ballet of the Théâtre Impérial de l’Opéra in Paris on 23 January 1856. All modern productions of Le Corsaire are derived from the revivals staged by the Ballet Master Marius Petipa for the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg throughout the mid to late 19th century.
Vizier Omer Pasha Vrioni was an Ottoman Albanian military commander and ruler, and a prominent figure in the Greek War of Independence. He succeeded Ali as Pasha of Yanina.
The Spoonmaker's Diamond is an 86 carat (17.2g) pear-shaped diamond in the Imperial Treasury exhibitions at the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, and its most valuable single exhibit. It is considered the fourth largest diamond of its kind in the world.
La Caravane du Caire is an opera or opéra-ballet in three acts by André Grétry, set to a libretto by Étienne Morel de Chédeville. Tradition has it that either the libretto was partially written or the idea of it was allegedly suggested by the Count of Provence, who would go down in history as Louis XVIII of France.
Ioannis "Yianis" Vilaras was a Greek doctor, lyricist and writer who often discussed linguistic matters and maintained ties with many figures of the Modern Greek Enlightenment movement.
François Charles Hugues Laurent Pouqueville was a French diplomat, writer, explorer, physician and historian, and member of the Institut de France.
Manthos Economou was a Greek member of the Filiki Eteria, private secretary and advisor of Ali Pasha of Ioannina. He was executed by the Ottoman troops.
The Pashalik of Yanina, sometimes referred to as the Pashalik of Ioannina or Pashalik of Janina, was an autonomous pashalik within the Ottoman Empire between 1787 and 1822 covering large areas of Albania, Greece, and North Macedonia. Under the Ottoman Albanian ruler Ali Pasha, the pashalik acquired a high degree of autonomy and even managed to stay de facto independent, though this was never officially recognized by the Ottoman Empire. Conceiving his territory in increasingly independent terms, Ali Pasha's correspondence and foreign Western correspondence frequently refer to the territories under Ali's control as Albania.
The Albanian Pashaliks were three semi-independent pashaliks ruled by Albanian pashas from 1760 to 1831 and covering the territory of modern Albania, Kosovo, most of Montenegro, southern Serbia, western North Macedonia and most of mainland Greece. The degree of independence of these pashaliks varied over time, from semi-autonomous to de facto independent.
Athanasios Psalidas, was a Greek author, scholar and one of the most renowned figures of the modern Greek Enlightenment.
Lütfi Pasha was an Ottoman Albanian statesman, general, and Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman the Magnificent from 1539 to 1541. He wrote 21 works mainly on religious topics but also on history, 13 of them written in Arabic and eight in Turkish. Two of his works are the Asafname, a kind of mirror for ministers, and the Tevâriḫ-i Âl-i ‘Os̱mân, dealing with Ottoman history and including his own experiences in the reign of the sultans Bayezid II, Selim I and Suleyman I.
The Albanian Regiment was a military unit of the First French Empire formed in 1807 in Corfu. Consisting mainly of Albanians, but also Greeks, Italians and Dalmatians, it was commanded by Colonel Jean-Louis Toussaint Minot and served mainly as defense unit in the French-ruled Ionian Islands. It was disbanded in 1814.
Yankee Pasha is a 1954 American romantic adventure film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Jeff Chandler, Rhonda Fleming and Mamie Van Doren. Shot in technicolor, it was produced and distributed by Hollywood studio Universal Pictures. The film is based on the 1947 novel Yankee Pasha by Edison Marshall.
Comte François-Xavier Donzelot was a French general and a Governor of the Ionian Islands and Martinique. He was the son of François Donzelot and Jeanne–Baptiste Maire and had a brother named Joseph. He was also the grandson of Anathole de Montfaucon, a famous historical family in France. He became a general of the French army in March 1801. Months later, he signed the surrender of Egypt to British forces. He then returned to France where he served in various high-echelon positions in Napoleon's army. Subsequently, he was appointed to serve as the head of the French garrison in Corfu and the Ionian Islands from 1807 to 1814. As governor, he resided in Corfu, where his gentle demeanour and mild manners made him popular with the Corfiotes. In 1808, he was named Baron of the Empire. In 1815, he was a divisional commander of the 2nd infantry division of the 1st army corps of Napoleon's forces at the Battle of Waterloo, during the 100-day return of Napoleon from the island of Elba. After the irremediable defeat, he retreated in order, keeping his flags, to the Loire river and commands the Army of the Loire which cannot protect Paris from the invasion of the Russian and Prussian coalition. He is placed in non-activity at the return of the King but quickly returns to grace since Louis XVIII, by his Minister of War, Clarke Duke of Feltre nicknamed the Marshal of Ink given the time he spent in the offices, appointed him Inspector General of the Infantry on August 18, 1816. In 1817 when he was appointed governor of Martinique. He was made Count on 22 August 1819.
Tabasco is a "burlesque opera in two acts" with music by George W. Chadwick and a libretto by R. A. Barnet. The work is written in a blend of styles including operetta, musical theatre, Victorian burlesque, and vaudeville. The opera was created without the knowledge of McIlhenny Company, maker of Tabasco brand pepper sauce since 1868. The company, however, subsequently approved its performance. The opera went on to tour the U.S. to critical acclaim, but disagreements between Chadwick and the opera's producer eventually derailed its success.
The Parga Castle is a medieval hilltop citadel complex in the town of Parga, Epirus, Greece. Located on the top of a hill overlooking the town, it has been an important landmark since the 15th century due in part to the strong fortifications used to protect the town from invasions from land and sea.
