The 19th century is the period in which thieves and former charioteers acquire a special place in the "pantheon" of Greek history. It is the period during which their pre-revolutionary activity "gigantizes", often taking mythical dimensions. Reading the descriptions given by a multitude of memoirists, authors and scholars, it is difficult to distinguish the reality from the fictional elements with which they surround their lives.
However, we understand from these texts that their relations with the Ottomans and the administration were not always strained, as their biographers want to exaggerate. Often, of course, they came into confrontation and conflict, but there were moments and periods when there were harmonious relations of cooperation.
The undoubtedly essential role of the gunmen of the period, during the ten-year Revolution (Revolution of 1821) due to the war of experience and the knowledge in the use of weapons and especially their action in the formation of the revolutionary army formed the basis of this look, in from which their past was treated as a whole and their heroic physiognomy was masterfully crafted. Many modern scholars have traced in the action and attitude of this body the later revolutionary flame, which engulfed the entire nation and brought it into conflict with the far more powerful Ottoman army.
The grandson of Theodoros Kolokotronis and son of Ioannis Kolokotronis (Gennaiou), with the literary pseudonym Falez, writes in four installments in the Akropolis newspaper from March 31 to April 5, 1884, about Kolias Plapoutas, the father of emblematic figures and fighters of 1821 and close collaborators of Th. Kolokotronis, Dimitrios and Georgios Plaputos, weaving his eulogy.
He describes him as the child of Eros and Andreas, giving him almost mythical dimensions. At the beginning of his article he writes:"if you admire the charioteers Panagiotaron, Lambros Katsonin, Zacharian, Constantis Kolokotronis, and his son Theodore, the great Androutsos, Boukouvalan, Karatason and others, who fell heroically fighting against despotism, were executed or killed , and finally those who spread after the destruction of 1806 took refuge in Italy and the former Iptanes and so then chariotry died out in the Peloponnese and Sterea...-if you admire them I say, our giant ancestors of that time...".
The admiration that flows from the text is revealing of the integration of different data, times and circumstances, elements, information in order to fit them all into a single, heroic-type narrative. Thus, for example, Kolias Plapoutas is included in this category, although, when the Revolution broke out, being very old he was unable to take part in the heroic war of independence, as well as because of the illness from which he had contracted - an illness which was not faced at that time - he was unable to take part in the revolution.
Plapoutas, it should be noted, was very emotionally attached to Theodoros Kolokotronis, his Theodorakis, as he said after "he alone in the world buried him". It is characteristic that, although he was at a very advanced age - for the time - and his body was particularly weakened by his illness, he rushed in a... stretcher to the besieged Tripolitsa to give relevant war advice to his beloved chieftain.
Takis X. Kandiloros also, a few years later, dedicates a special chapter to the activity of Kolias Plapoutas in his book "I Gortynia", published in 1898 and referring in detail to his life. "Kolias is perhaps the most curious Gortynian physiognomy during the Turkish occupation due to his mysterious form..." he points out.
Secluded life, great weakness in women and cruelty
Kolias Plapoutas was born, exactly when, in Sulima, an arvanite village of Triphyllia, not knowing how to speak Greek, while he was the ancestor of the Plapoutas or Koliopoulos family. He was soon removed from the area, due to an armed conflict he had with a Turkish official. This pattern was particularly common for thieves and gunmen of the period, that is, their removal from the birthplace, due to some conflict that occurred with a Turk, which forces them to flee the area. Kolias Plaputas, after wandering through several Arvanite villages, settled permanently in the settlement of Paloupa, where he later built his stone-built house.
Due to his action and abilities, he assumed the status of kapobasis, i.e. leader of the capes in the area of Liodora and joined the service of the Deligiannis or Anagnostopoulos family, i.e. the family of pre-eminents from Lagadia Gortynia. However, the descriptions that follow him highlight a free, particularly violent man who made his entire behavior very similar to the life of a powerful Ottoman. The following incident is particularly typical:After a fierce battle with Turkish forces in Kaminitsa, Hatzios was sent in pursuit of Plaputas and his men, who even promised that as soon as he captured Plaputas he would skewer him alive, after first shaving him. Plaputas, however, moved faster. On August 15 he surprised Hajiu's forces and neutralized his opponent by throwing him from his horse. Afterwards, he led him to Zatuna in Arcadia where he reserved for him the fortune that Hadzios had promised for him. He shaved him and skewered him alive, characteristically saying:"With the Turks who do not bother Christians, Kolyas is a brother. But those who tease Christian, let them see what happened to Hanzos."
Kolias had married Kyratso from the Tzortzaiou family, with whom he had two sons, Dimitrios and Giorgos, later chieftains who were active mainly in the Revolution. However, according to the information conveyed by his biographers, he had "housed" a Muslim woman, named Liosia, with whom he also had a child, causing the displeasure of his legal wife and the rest of his children.
In addition to his violent and free character, Kolias was a man who led an almost promiscuous life. Falez further enriches the report in relation to Kolia and mentions three ties that he maintained at the same time, a legal relationship with Curatso and two Muslim healers, Liosia and another Muslim woman whom he does not name. "After his wives he had other children and today there are so many of his descendants that one can say that Palumba and Plaputas are one and the same", notes Falez. T. Kandiloros refers to two women, Kyratso (whom he characterizes as a lady), "but philandering by nature and upbringing, often married and through the left hand". Paraskevas and Thanasis were born from his relationship with the Muslim healer named Liosia.
The attitude of the rest of the "legitimate" family in relation to the Muslim Liosia was not tolerant, or at least it was not always tolerant. At this point T. Kandiloros is much more detailed in his description:thus, he mentions that because of his relationship with the Muslim slaves he had "housed", there were many reactions from his legitimate children. These objections were so strong that they reached the point of murder. Giorgakis Plaputas furiously killed the mother of Paraskeia and Thanasis "for the sake of her own mother in the house, he killed the mother of Paraskeia named Liosian. therefore, for years the paternal house was persecuted under Kollias, who otherwise did not mourn".
Such was the attraction that Kolyas felt towards the opposite sex, that it seems that nothing could stand in his way. They all describe another incident with him as the protagonist showing the passion of his amorous desires. Falaise writes:he was even aggressive, because he became beside himself at the sight of beauty and did not take anything into account. Thus, as soon as a bride arrived in Palumba, Kollias noticed her beauty and planned everything so that the young woman would fall into his arms. "Kolias rushed from the middle of the hall towards the house, grabbed the bride by the shoulders, walked away and after admiring her, brought her back and left her at the door...". "If you run away," he shouted, "a black thergio came and hugged me so hard that I couldn't cry out because his chest was hairy and his breasts hung like a woman's."
Be that as it may, Kollias Plaputas was so well-known in the parts that his name is mentioned in folk poetry in which his exploits are praised, as in the following stanza.
"I don't see Kehayabei and Vei-Zulaga
On Sunday go to Lala don't stand
Why did the thief and Kolias Plaputas arrive
And still the word stood and still the word speaks
And Old Kolias is coming to the castle to take them"
He was also praised by his fellow citizens, the Palumbai
Lukissa with the cold waters, with the seven kandals
And you burnt Bastira, with the many cherries
And Lala, you spoiled me with your heavy ladies
Which did not invade the earth to tread
Now how did they become... Drummers!
They bring barrels for the bread of Kolia of Plaputas.
Stathis Koutrouvidis is a historian.
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