Issue H001 of 1 January 2000

A Greek "Warning" to the European States dated 23 March 1821

The first official document of the Greek War of Independence was sent by the Messenian Senate to the European powers in March 1821. It was a declaration signed by the head of the Greek army in Kalamata, Petrobeys Mavromichalis. The Greeks made known to Europe that they would fight for their freedom until death. The document was entitled "Warning Towards the European [Royal] Courts..."

It has been believed that the document was drafted in the area of modern Romania, where many wealthy and educated Greeks lived, by friend of Alexander Ypsilanti. Then it was sent to Kalamata where it was read and adopted by the Messenian Senate, which eventually sent it to the royal houses of Europe.

However, Historian I. Kokkonas found a draft of the declaration in the Greek General Archives (GAK, Mikres Sylloges, folder K.126a). This is actually a copy of the original draft declaration, which Kokkonas believes that it was written in Kalamata by Anastasios Kornelios, a doctor of medicine. A. Kornelios, attached the copy to a letter he sent to a friend, a month after the official declaration was sent, which was eventually discovered in the GAK archives. The fact that there are minor differences between the original, now in the archives of the Foreign Office, England, and the copy of Kornelios makes Kokkonas believe that the original author was the doctor himself. A. Kornelios had studied medicine in Italy, he was a member of the Philiki Etaireia (the greek secret society for independence), and a member of the Messenian Senate.

A point that Mr. Kokkonas can not yet answer is that although the official document sent to Britain was dated March 23, 1821, the draft copy was dated March 28, 1821. An explanation might be that not all copies sent to European Powers were dated the same date or that the British copy was on purpose dated earlier.




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