The foundation of Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends
Passport of the Filiki Eteria, bearing its insignia and written in its coded alphabet.
Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends was a secret 19th-century organization whose purpose was to overthrow the Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state. Society members were mainly young Phanariot Greeks from Russia and local chieftains from Greece like Alexander Ypsilantis, Theodoros Kolokotronis, Emmanouel Pappas, Anthimos Gazis, Alexander Mavrokordatos, Alexander Puskin, Lord Byron, Metropolitan Bishop Germanos III of Old Patras, co-founder Panayiotis Anagnostopoulos from Andritsena and the three founders who were Nikolaos Skoufas from the Arta province, Emmanuil Xanthos from Patmos and Athanasios Tsakalov from Ioannina.
Its purpose was to unite all Greeks in an armed organization to overthrow Turkish rule and start a war of Independence with the motto Freedom or Death.
The Greek National Anthem "Hymn To Liberty" from Dionysios Solomos translated by Rudyard Kipling
We knew thee of old, oh divinely restored By the light of thine eyes and the light of thy Sword From the graves of our slain shall thy valour prevail As we greet thee again -- Hail, Liberty! Hail! Long time didst thou dwell mid the peoples that mourn Awaiting some voice that should bid thee return. Ah, slow broke that day and no man dared call, For the shadow of tyranny Lay over all: And we saw thee sad-eyed, the tears on thy cheeks While thy raiment was dyed In the blood of the Greeks. Yet, behold now thy sons With impetuous breath Go forth to the fight seeking Freedom or Death. From the graves of our slain Shall thy valour prevail As we greet thee again -- Hail, Liberty! Hail!
Skoufas liaised with Konstantinos Rados who was initiated into Carbonarism. Xanthos was initiated into a Freemasonic Lodge at Lefkada ("Society of Free Builders of Saint Mavra"), while Tsakalov was a founding member of the Greek-speaking Hotel, an earlier but unsuccessful society for the liberation of Greece.
At the start, between 1814 and 1816, there were roughly twenty members. During 1817, the society initiated members from the diaspora Greeks of Russia and the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The lord (hospodar) of Moldavia Michael Soutzos himself, became a member. Massive initiations began only in 1818 and by early 1821, when the Society had expanded to almost all regions of Greece and throughout Greek communities abroad, the membership numbered in thousands. Among its members were tradesmen, clergy, Russian consuls, Ottoman officials from Phanar and Serbs one of them the revolutionary Karageorge.
Stamp of the secret Society of Friends.
Filiki Eteria was strongly influenced by Carbonarism and Freemasonry. The team of leaders was called the "Invisible Authority" (Αόρατος Αρχή) and from the start it was shrouded in mystery, secrecy and glamour. It was generally believed that a lot of important personalities were members, not only eminent Greeks, but also notable foreigners such as the Tsar of Russia Alexander I. The reality was that initially, the Invisible Authority comprised only the three founders. From 1815 until 1818, five more were added to the Invisible Authority, and after the death of Skoufas' another three more. In 1818, the Invisible Authority was renamed to the "Authority of Twelve Apostles" and each Apostle shouldered the responsibility of a separate region.
The House of Society of friends in IasiThe organisational structure was pyramid-like with the "Invisible Authority" coordinating from the top. No one knew or had the right to ask who created the organisation. Commands were unquestionably carried out and members did not have the right to make decisions. Members of the society came together in what was called a "Temple" with four levels of initiation: a) Brothers (αδελφοποιητοί) or Vlamides (βλάμηδες), b) the Recommended (συστημένοι), γ) the Priests (ιερείς) and d) the Shepherds (ποιμένες). The Priests were charged with the duty of initiation.
I swear in the name of truth and justice, before the Supreme Being, to guard, by sacrificing my own life, and suffering the hardest toils, the mystery, which shall be explained to me and that I shall respond with the truth whatever I am asked. (The oath of initiation)
When the Priest approached a new member, it was first to make sure of his patriotism and catechize him in the aims of society; the last stage was to put him under the lengthy principal oath, called the Great Oath (Μέγας Όρκος). Much of the essence of it was contained in its conclusion:
Last of all, I swear by Thee, my sacred and suffering Country,— I swear by thy long-endured tortures,— I swear by the bitter tears which for so many centuries have been shed by thy unhappy children, by my own tears which I am pouring forth at this very moment,— I swear by the future liberty of my countrymen, that I consecrate myself wholly to thee; that hence forward thou shall be the cause and object of my thoughts, thy name the guide of my actions, and thy happiness the recompense of my labours. (Conclusion of the Great Oath to the Society of Friends-Filiki Eteria)
When the above was administered the Priest then uttered the words of acceptance of the novice as a new member:
Before the face of the invisible and omnipresent true God, who in his essence is just, the avenger of transgression, the chastizer of evil, by the laws of the Eteria Filiki, and by the authority with which its powerful priests have intrusted me, I receive you, as I was myself received, into the bosom of the Society of Friends. (words of acceptance into the Filiki Eteria)
Afterwards the initiated were considered neophyte members of the society, with all the rights and obligations of his rank. The Priest immediately had the obligation to reveal all the marks of recognition between the Vlamides or Brothers. Vlamides and Recommended were unaware of the revolutionary aims of the organisation. They only knew that there existed a society that tried hard for the general good of the nation, which included in its ranks important personalities. This myth was propagated deliberately, in order to stimulate the morale of members and also to make proselytism easier.
In 1818, the seat of Filiki Eteria had migrated from Odessa to Constantinoupolis, and Skoufas' death had been a serious loss. The remaining founders attempted to find a major personality to take over the reins, one who would add prestige and fresh impetus to the society.
Alexandros Ypsilantis was contacted and asked to assume leadership of Filiki Eteria, which he did in April 1820. That time Alexander Puskin who was living in Moldova became a member of Society of Friends in Chichinau and all together began active preparations for a revolt to free Greece.
The Society initiated the Greek War of Independence in the spring of 1821.
The foundation of Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends
Passport of the Filiki Eteria, bearing its insignia and written in its coded alphabet.
Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends was a secret 19th-century organization whose purpose was to overthrow the Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state. Society members were mainly young Phanariot Greeks from Russia and local chieftains from Greece like Alexander Ypsilantis, Theodoros Kolokotronis, Emmanouel Pappas, Anthimos Gazis, Alexander Mavrokordatos, Alexander Puskin, Lord Byron, Metropolitan Bishop Germanos III of Old Patras, co-founder Panayiotis Anagnostopoulos from Andritsena and the three founders who were Nikolaos Skoufas from the Arta province, Emmanuil Xanthos from Patmos and Athanasios Tsakalov from Ioannina.
Its purpose was to unite all Greeks in an armed organization to overthrow Turkish rule and start a war of Independence with the motto Freedom or Death.
The Greek National Anthem "Hymn To Liberty" from Dionysios Solomos translated by Rudyard Kipling
We knew thee of old, oh divinely restored
By the light of thine eyes and the light of thy Sword
From the graves of our slain shall thy valour prevail
As we greet thee again -- Hail, Liberty! Hail!
Long time didst thou dwell mid the peoples that mourn
Awaiting some voice that should bid thee return.
Ah, slow broke that day and no man dared call,
For the shadow of tyranny Lay over all:
And we saw thee sad-eyed, the tears on thy cheeks
While thy raiment was dyed In the blood of the Greeks.
Yet, behold now thy sons With impetuous breath
Go forth to the fight seeking Freedom or Death.
From the graves of our slain Shall thy valour prevail
As we greet thee again -- Hail, Liberty! Hail!
Skoufas liaised with Konstantinos Rados who was initiated into Carbonarism. Xanthos was initiated into a Freemasonic Lodge at Lefkada ("Society of Free Builders of Saint Mavra"), while Tsakalov was a founding member of the Greek-speaking Hotel, an earlier but unsuccessful society for the liberation of Greece.
At the start, between 1814 and 1816, there were roughly twenty members. During 1817, the society initiated members from the diaspora Greeks of Russia and the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The lord (hospodar) of Moldavia Michael Soutzos himself, became a member. Massive initiations began only in 1818 and by early 1821, when the Society had expanded to almost all regions of Greece and throughout Greek communities abroad, the membership numbered in thousands. Among its members were tradesmen, clergy, Russian consuls, Ottoman officials from Phanar and Serbs one of them the revolutionary Karageorge.
Stamp of the secret Society of Friends.
Filiki Eteria was strongly influenced by Carbonarism and Freemasonry. The team of leaders was called the "Invisible Authority" (Αόρατος Αρχή) and from the start it was shrouded in mystery, secrecy and glamour. It was generally believed that a lot of important personalities were members, not only eminent Greeks, but also notable foreigners such as the Tsar of Russia Alexander I. The reality was that initially, the Invisible Authority comprised only the three founders. From 1815 until 1818, five more were added to the Invisible Authority, and after the death of Skoufas' another three more. In 1818, the Invisible Authority was renamed to the "Authority of Twelve Apostles" and each Apostle shouldered the responsibility of a separate region.
The House of Society of friends in IasiThe organisational structure was pyramid-like with the "Invisible Authority" coordinating from the top. No one knew or had the right to ask who created the organisation. Commands were unquestionably carried out and members did not have the right to make decisions. Members of the society came together in what was called a "Temple" with four levels of initiation: a) Brothers (αδελφοποιητοί) or Vlamides (βλάμηδες), b) the Recommended (συστημένοι), γ) the Priests (ιερείς) and d) the Shepherds (ποιμένες). The Priests were charged with the duty of initiation.
I swear in the name of truth and justice, before the Supreme Being, to guard, by sacrificing my own life, and suffering the hardest toils, the mystery, which shall be explained to me and that I shall respond with the truth whatever I am asked. (The oath of initiation)
When the Priest approached a new member, it was first to make sure of his patriotism and catechize him in the aims of society; the last stage was to put him under the lengthy principal oath, called the Great Oath (Μέγας Όρκος). Much of the essence of it was contained in its conclusion:
Last of all, I swear by Thee, my sacred and suffering Country,— I swear by thy long-endured tortures,— I swear by the bitter tears which for so many centuries have been shed by thy unhappy children, by my own tears which I am pouring forth at this very moment,— I swear by the future liberty of my countrymen, that I consecrate myself wholly to thee; that hence forward thou shall be the cause and object of my thoughts, thy name the guide of my actions, and thy happiness the recompense of my labours. (Conclusion of the Great Oath to the Society of Friends-Filiki Eteria)
When the above was administered the Priest then uttered the words of acceptance of the novice as a new member:
Before the face of the invisible and omnipresent true God, who in his essence is just, the avenger of transgression, the chastizer of evil, by the laws of the Eteria Filiki, and by the authority with which its powerful priests have intrusted me, I receive you, as I was myself received, into the bosom of the Society of Friends. (words of acceptance into the Filiki Eteria)
Afterwards the initiated were considered neophyte members of the society, with all the rights and obligations of his rank. The Priest immediately had the obligation to reveal all the marks of recognition between the Vlamides or Brothers. Vlamides and Recommended were unaware of the revolutionary aims of the organisation. They only knew that there existed a society that tried hard for the general good of the nation, which included in its ranks important personalities. This myth was propagated deliberately, in order to stimulate the morale of members and also to make proselytism easier.
In 1818, the seat of Filiki Eteria had migrated from Odessa to Constantinoupolis, and Skoufas' death had been a serious loss. The remaining founders attempted to find a major personality to take over the reins, one who would add prestige and fresh impetus to the society.
Alexandros Ypsilantis was contacted and asked to assume leadership of Filiki Eteria, which he did in April 1820. That time Alexander Puskin who was living in Moldova became a member of Society of Friends in Chichinau and all together began active preparations for a revolt to free Greece.
The Society initiated the Greek War of Independence in the spring of 1821.