| Sons of Chaos | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Penguin Random House and IDW Publishing |
| Publication date | July 2019 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Chris Jaymes |
| Artist(s) | Ale Aragon |
| Colorist(s) | Hi-Fi Design |
| Collected editions | |
| Hardcover | ISBN 1684054796 |
Sons of Chaos is a historically inspired 2019 graphic novel written by Chris Jaymes surrounding the 1821 Greek War for Independence which returned freedom to Greece and initiated the fall of the Ottoman Empire, published by Penguin Random House.
Sons of Chaos is a fictionalized retelling of the 1821 Greek War of Independence and the events leading up to it from the perspective of Markos Botsaris, the son of the Greek Leader Kitsos Botsaris, and the relationship between Ali Pasha of Ioannina and the Souliotes. [1] [2] The book was developed over 10 years by Chris Jaymes with the support of Nick Lambrou. [3]
The Penguin Random House/IDW Publishing release consists of 192 double-page cinematic spreads equivalent to two typical-sized comic book pages and premiered in July 2019 at San Diego Comicon. The Greek version was released in November 2020 by Kaktos Publishing after the English version was presented at AthensCon 2019. [4] [5]
The Ottoman Empire held power over Greece for more than 400 years. Ali Pasha of Ioannina, the Sultan's leader in charge of Northern Greece, had been engaged in a forty year conflict with the Souliotes, a small group of Greeks that fled to the hills of Souli to retain their freedom. [6]
The Souliotes would sooner die than bow down to oppression of the Ottoman Empire. Markos Botsaris, the 12 year old son of the Souliote Leader Kitsos Botsaris, was raised within this world of chaos, as his home has been under attack since birth, however he was not a naturally skilled warrior.
His father Kitsos receives a letter from Ali Pasha, requesting peace with the Suliotes. Kitsos and his men arrive at Ali’s Palace to find that the peace declaration was a ruse and Ali has mounted an attack on the women of children of Souli upon their arrival. The village is rampaged and Marcos watches his mother beheaded at the hands of Ali Pasha’s son, Muhktar, and is taken prisoner in Ali’s Palace, where he spends the next ten years of his life.
The Ottoman Empire has weakened and Greece is heading towards revolution as Ali’s daughter-in law Eleni, helps Marcos escape and instructs him to go to her father Ibrahim Pasha of Berat. In Berat, Eleni’s father Ibrahim takes him in and regardless that he is the enemy, works to build Marcos into a leader. While living in Berat, Marcos falls further in love with Eleni who communicates with him through secret letters.
The turmoil of Greece increases and upon Marcos completing his training with Eleni’s brother, Ismael, Ibrahim asks for Marcos to go out and muster up support to rise against Ali. In doing so, Marcos heads to Gardiki and reunites with the remaining Greeks and learns that his sister has married his best friend, Photo and is about to have a baby.
Ibrahim learns that Ali is set to attack Gardiki and offers Marcos weapons and munitions to support the attack, however they fail to return soon enough and the Greeks of Gardiki are slaughtered, including his sister. Marcos’ anger explodes and he is determined to bring freedom to his people. The Greeks rise and revolt and Marcos leads the way. [7]
Marcos receives a letter from Eleni explaining that she needs him to come to her, that Ali’s Palace is under attack and that he must save her. Marcos quickly leaves the battle that he is leading to face Ali Pasha and save the woman he loves. [8]
"The layout allows you to take in every gory detail; it almost feels like you’re reading the storyboards for an epic film the likes of Ben-Hur (1959 film) or Gladiator. Much thought was clearly put into the presentation of this story, and it shows. The story itself has already drawn comparisons to Game of Thrones, 300 (film), and Les Miserables, and those are all apt comparisons, but Sons of Chaos also feels completely like its own thing unto itself. Jaymes has written a captivating story, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading, and enough tragedy to make Shakespeare gasp. These characters are put through hell.
Sons of Chaos is first and foremost a war comic, and a brutal one at that. Jaymes and Aragon do not shy away from showing how savage this conflict was. "—Monkeys Fighting Robots [9]
“Sons of Chaos is ultimately a story of fathers and sons, in many ways lost boys robbed of empathy and compassion by torturous deprivations inflicted by other broken men. It tells of the ruinous burden of vengeance on the hearts and minds of those imprisoned by it, and it’s poignancy cannot be understated in the world we find ourselves in.”—Comic Attack [10]
"Beneath all the blood and carnage, Sons of Chaos is actually a very personal story. It’s a coming-of-age tale. Readers watch Marcos grow up over the course of the war. Through the various tragedies he goes through, he learns to not only be a fighter, but a leader. It’s an inspiring transformation. Marcos is our window into this world, and Jaymes writes him as a very sympathetic character. We build a strong connection to him as readers, which makes his arc all the more fulfilling by the time we turn the final page.
Marcos has a tangled relationship with his father, something mirrored in the story of his rival, Muhktar, son of Ali Pasha. Then there’s Marcos’ own relationship with Ali, his captor. These complicated relationships makes Chaos more than just a story about Greece fighting for its independence; it becomes a story about people fighting for their own personal independence. War stories aren’t popular because of the blood and guts and mayhem. That’s part of it, sure, but the most successful war stories have this human element to them.Chris Jaymes, Ale Aragon, and their whole team have crafted something special with Sons of Chaos. It’s an epic story in the purest sense of the word, and you’ll even learn a little about a lesser known conflict that had major ramifications on the world.”—Monkeys Fighting Robots [11]
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.
Markos Botsaris was a Souliot chieftain, general of the Greek revolutionary army and hero of the Greek War of Independence. He played a key role in relieving the First Siege of Missolonghi in 1822–1823 and was awarded the title of General of Western Greece by the revolutionary Greek government. He was killed during the Battle of Karpenisi and was buried in Missolonghi with full honors. Today Botsaris is among the most revered national heroes in Greece.
The Third Siege of Missolonghi was fought in the Greek War of Independence, between the Ottoman Empire and the Greek rebels, from 15 April 1825 to 10 April 1826. The Ottomans had already tried and failed to capture the city in 1822 and 1823, but returned in 1825 with a stronger force of infantry and a stronger navy supporting the infantry. The Greeks held out for almost a year before they ran out of food and attempted a mass breakout, which however resulted in a disaster, with the larger part of the Greeks slain. This defeat was a key factor leading to intervention by the Great Powers who, hearing about the atrocities, felt sympathetic to the Greek cause. Their support would prove decisive in helping the Greeks win the war and gain independence.
The Battle of Karpenisi took place near the town of Karpenisi on the night of 21 August 1823, between units of the Greek revolutionary army and Ottoman troops.
Mustafa Pasha Bushatli, called Ishkodrali, was a semi-independent Albanian Ottoman statesman, the last hereditary governor of the Pashalik of Scutari. In 1810 he succeeded Ibrahim Bushati and ruled Shkodër until 1831.
Kitsos Tzavelas was a Souliot fighter and Hellenic Army General in the Greek War of Independence. After the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece he entered Greek politics and served as minister of Military Affairs (1847-1848) and as Prime Minister (1847).
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.
Kitsos Botsaris ; 1741 in Missolonghi – 1813, in Arta), was a leader of the Souliotes, an autonomous community in Ottoman-ruled Epirus. He played a leading role in the aftermath of the last war between the Souliotes and the Ottoman ruler of Ioannina, Ali Pasha. He was the father of Kostas Botsaris and Markos Botsaris, who fought in the Greek War of Independence.
Chris Jaymes is an American television and film actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and musician.
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 war between the warlike communities of Souliotes in Epirus and the local Ottoman ruler, Ali Pasha, in 1803, was the last of a series of conflicts, known as the Souliote Wars, that led, finally, to the capitulation and expulsion of the Souliotes.
Kostas (Kitsos) Botsaris, also known as Constantine Botzaris, was a Greek general and senator. He was also a captain and a hero of the War of Greek Independence. He fought at the Battle of Karpenisi and completed the victory of his brother, the renowned Markos Botsaris.
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.
The Souliotes were an Orthodox Christian Albanian tribal community in the area of Souli in Epirus from the 16th century to the beginning of the 19th century, who via their participation in the Greek War of Independence came to identify with the Greek nation.
A cycle of folk songs pertaining to the Souliotes and mainly to their wars against the Turks and the Albanians of Ali Pasha in 18th and early 19th century.
Lambros Tzavelas was a leader of the Souliotes. Lambros Tzavelas was famous for his role in the Souliot struggles against Ali Pasha, the Pasha of Yanina. Tzavelas was born in Souli.
Veli Pasha was an Ottoman Albanian ruler and the second born of Ali Pasha of Ioannina of the increasingly independent Pashalik of Yanina. As an Ottoman commander, he is known for his participation in military actions against the Souliotes, the Septinsular Republic, and the Serbian rebels. He was appointed governor of the Sanjak of Tirhala in 1787, and became Pasha of the Morea Eyalet in 1807.
The Greek Legion, officially the Light Jäger Foot Legion, was a Jäger infantry unit in the service of the Russian-controlled Septinsular Republic. It consisted of soldiers of Greek and Albanian origin and was led by Major-General Emmanouil Papadopoulos. It was active between 1805 and 1807, taking part in the War of the Third Coalition and the Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812).
The Souliote War was an armed conflict between Ali Pasha of Ioannina and a coalition of Souliotes and their Muslim allies. The war lasted between February 1789 and April 1793 and was fought in the context of the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792) and local power struggles. The Souliotes achieved a defensive victory but their actions did not foment a Christian insurrection as the Russians had hoped.
Notis Botsaris was a Souliote fighter and general in the Greek Revolution of 1821. He was the son of the late Giorgis Botsaris and was the leader of the Souliote fara of the Botsari.