The archive of Theodoros Kolokotronis at one click – Rare manuscripts

Nearly 1,150 documents, dated from October 1819 to September 1833, linked to the life and activity of Theodoros Kolokotronis as well as to the historical legacy of the Greek War of Independence, are now accessible to researchers and the general public through the website kolokotronis-archive.org.

The Theodoros Kolokotronis Archival Site, a unique digital repository of knowledge and history that includes manuscripts and objects from a rare archival collection, was officially presented on the evening of Monday, March 23, at a special event at the Athens Concert Hall, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas. The Theodoros Kolokotronis Archival Site is the creation of the newly established non-profit organisation (AMKE) ARCHIVE OF THEODOROS KOLOKOTRONIS, which was formed with the aim of the systematic preservation, study and promotion of the archival collection assembled by the Michael N. Stasinopoulos–VIOHALCO Public Benefit Foundation and the Public Benefit Foundation for Social and Cultural Work (KIKPE). The scientific documentation and development of the Archival Site’s activities are carried out in collaboration with the Institute of Historical Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (IHR/NHRF).

The core of the collection includes Kolokotronis’s correspondence with administrative and military authorities, fighters and members of his family environment, while the number of documents increases after 1825, when he assumed the role of General Commander of the Peloponnesian forces. Gennaios Kolokotronis, the second son of the “Old Man of the Morea”, played a decisive role in preserving valuable documents from public archives and private collections, part of which he used in his publications and Memoirs. After his death, the archive followed a fragmented course, which the digital Theodoros Kolokotronis Archival Site seeks to bridge by gathering and presenting manuscripts and material evidence in thematic collections.

“Theodoros Kolokotronis was not just another war leader. He was the foremost among them. From the liberation of Kalamata, on this day 205 years ago, to the battle of Valtetsi, the capture of Tripolitsa and the crushing of Dramali’s army at the Dervenakia passes, he demonstrated his strategic genius and unyielding determination, defying the numerical superiority of the enemy. He combined courage with knowledge, realism with bravery and composure with intelligence. Guerrilla warfare with conventional warfare. He alternated his tactics, at times engaging in guerrilla warfare, at times in frontal combat,” the President of the Republic said in his speech.

“Kolokotronis was not only a general,” but “a man who deeply understood the importance of education and the progress of the country … He fought with selflessness and dedication, without considering personal cost. And when the struggle was completed, his interest turned with the same intensity to the advancement of the homeland and the education of the young,” noted K. Tasoulas, who also referred to the particular importance of the digital archival site.

“Through vivid, primary sources and documents, a valuable space of knowledge, research and education is highlighted. It is impressive that a large part of these archives had until now been absent from historiography. Therefore, the historiography of that period now has a new element, from which to draw information, knowledge and experiences from a significant portion of this Archive,” he added.

In his address, Michail Stasinopoulos, chairman of the board of the Michael N. Stasinopoulos–VIOHALCO Public Benefit Foundation and visionary of the initiative, expressed his “honour and joy” for the inauguration of the new digital site, the archival content of which “had largely remained inaccessible and underutilised”, as “approximately one-third of the documents are unpublished”. He also spoke about the next phase of the project: The Theodoros Kolokotronis Archive will be housed in a listed building currently under renovation at the corner of 3rd September and Marnis streets, which will open its doors in approximately 2.5 years. The building will welcome the public to a modern museum and archival space for historical research and knowledge, combining education with the cultural utilisation of documents and the history of the Greek War of Independence.

The Archive also has another distinctive feature that reflects its ongoing enrichment: it issues an open invitation to institutions and individuals who possess documents or objects related to Kolokotronis to make them available for digitisation, study and inclusion in the Archive, after which they will be returned. “This is a reference hub for Theodoros Kolokotronis that will remain in the public sphere, openly accessible to all — students, scholars, researchers and anyone interested,” Mr Stasinopoulos stressed.

Nikolaos Papazarkadas, director of the Institute of Historical Research (IHR) of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF), spoke, among other things, about the participation of the NHRF research team in the scientific documentation and development of the Archival Site’s activities, “following a particularly honourable invitation from the two institutional pillars of the project. It was our obvious duty, fully aligned with the call of the leading Hellenist and co-founder of the NHRF, K. Th. Dimaras, for a national inventory,” he noted.

The event was accompanied by contributions focusing both on the characteristics, content and contribution of the Archive, and primarily on the figure and action of Theodoros Kolokotronis, without whom, as was emphasised, the Greek War of Independence would not have been achieved. In the discussion, moderated by journalist Kostas Papachlimintzos, participants included Vasilis Panagiotopoulos, emeritus research director of the NHRF, Olga Katsiaridi-Hering, emeritus professor of Modern Greek History at the Department of History and Archaeology, University of Athens, Angelos Syrigos, MP and professor of International Law and Foreign Policy at the Department of International, European and Area Studies of Panteion University, Agamemnon Tselikas, philologist and palaeographer, Meletis Meletopoulos, PhD in Economic and Social Sciences from the University of Geneva, and Georgios Nikolaou, former associate professor at the Department of History and Archaeology, University of Ioannina, and president of the Peloponnesian Studies Society.