The House of Levidis (Greek : Λεβίδης) is a Greek aristocratic family with roots from the Byzantine Empire, hailing from Constantinople and with a distinguished role in the history of the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire, Wallachia, Egypt and Greece.
From as early as the 17th century, members of the family, which had acquired great wealth and political influence, occupied high posts in the Ottoman Empire, as dignitaries in the Imperial Court (the Sublime Porte). They also held important secular offices of the Patriarchate until the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence. During the latter, various members of the family took active part as members of the Filiki Eteria . On the onset of the revolution members of the family played a crucial role in organising a revolt inside the city of Constantinople. Prominent members of the family were accused of planning the destruction of the Turkish fleet and decapitated on Sultan orders. [1] Their bodies were hanged before the doors of the Levidis' mansion in Tatavla in Constantinople. Those who escaped fled to Odessa and formed the Russian branch of the family.
Alexandros Ypsilantis(12 December 1792 – 31 January 1828) was a Greek nationalist politician who was member of a prominent Phanariot Greek family, a prince of the Danubian Principalities, a senior officer of the Imperial Russian cavalry during the Napoleonic Wars, and a leader of the Filiki Etaireia, a secret organization that coordinated the beginning of the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire.
Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends was a secret political and revolutionary organization founded in 1814 in Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman rule in Greece and establish an independent Greek State. Society members were mainly young Phanariot Greeks from Constantinople and the Russian Empire, local political and military leaders from the Greek mainland and islands, as well as several Orthodox Christian leaders from other nations that were under Hellenic influence, such as Karađorđe from Serbia, and Tudor Vladimirescu from Romania. One of its leaders was the prominent Phanariote Prince Alexander Ypsilantis. The Society initiated the Greek War of Independence in the spring of 1821.
Nikolaos Skoufas was a founding member of the Filiki Eteria, a Greek conspiratorial organization against the Ottoman Empire.
Michael Soutzos, was a member of the Soutzos family of Phanariotes, he was the grandson of Michael Drakos Soutzos; he was in turn a Prince of Moldavia, between 12 June 1819 and 29 March 1821. He was initiated into Filiki Eteria, he supported the Greek revolution in Moldavia and Wallachia and after the creation of the Greek state, he served as ambassador of the country abroad.
The Battle of Arachova, took place between 18 and 24 November 1826 (N.S.). It was fought between an Ottoman Empire force under the command of Mustafa Bey and Greek rebels under Georgios Karaiskakis. After receiving intelligence of the Ottoman army's maneuvers, Karaiskakis prepared a surprise attack in vicinity of the village of Arachova, in central Greece. On 18 November, Mustafa Bey's 2,000 Ottoman troops were blockaded in Arachova. An 800-man force that attempted to relieve the defenders three days later failed.
The Sacred Band was a military force founded by Alexander Ypsilantis at the beginning of the Greek War of Independence, in the middle of March 1821 in Wallachia, now part of Romania. It was formed by volunteers students of the Greek communities of Moldavia, Wallachia and Odessa. It was the first organized military unit of the Greek War of Independence (1821) and of the Greek army in general. Ypsilantis thought that these young people could become the soul of his army. That was the reason that he borrowed the name of the Sacred Band of Thebes.
Panagiotis Anagnostopoulos was a Greek revolutionary leader during the Greek War of Independence and a member of Filiki Eteria, the secret organization whose purpose was to overthrow the Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state.
Constantine N. Levidis was a Greek scholar, writer, editor, and journalist. Noted for his attempt to turn the Kingdom of Greece into a constitutional monarchy.
Athanasios Tsakalov was a member of the Filiki Eteria, or a Greek patriotic organization against Ottoman rule.
Emmanuil Xanthos was a Greek merchant. He was one of the founders of the Filiki Eteria, a Greek conspiratorial organization which opposed the Ottoman Empire.
Dimitrios Makris was a Greek klepht and armatolos who was one of the most powerful chieftains in West Central Greece. He joined the Filiki Eteria and became a revolutionary during the Greek War of Independence.
Georgios Gennadios was a Greek man of letters who was instrumental in the founding of some of the first educational establishments of modern Greece, considered among the most important personalities of the Modern Greek Enlightenment.
Christoforos Perraivos was a Greek officer of the Greek War of Independence, member of the Filiki Eteria and author. In non-Greek sources his name is usually found as Per(r)evo(s).
Athanasios Sekeris was a Greek merchant and a prominent member of Filiki Eteria. He was the brother of Panagiotis and Georgios Sekeris.
Georgios Sekeris was a member of Filiki Eteria and a fighter of the Greek War of Independence. He was the first to be initiated into Filiki Eteria in Moscow by Nikolaos Skoufas in 1814.
Panagiotis Sekeris was a merchant and a leading member of Filiki Eteria. His archive, an important and reliable source for the history of Filiki Eteria, consists of 14 documents and a very comprehensive manuscript, which contains accounts of Filiki Eteria, copies of 89 letters of Panagiotis Sekeris from Constantinople and Odessa, from August 1818 until August 1821, as well as a list of 520 members with the marks of recognition of each one.
Dimitrios Meletopoulos was a Greek revolutionary leader of the Greek War of Independence and later a politician.
Konstantinos Vlachopoulos was an armatolos, army leader of the Greek War of Independence and the first Greek commander of the Greek Royal Gendarmerie. He was also a member of the Filiki Eteria, a secret organization whose purpose was to overthrow the Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state.
Nikolaos Kasomoulis was a participant in the Greek Revolution of 1821, and one of the main historical sources about it.
Anastasios Manakis or Michaloglou was a Greek revolutionary of the Greek War of Independence.