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July 4, 1822: The commander of the 21st Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis is heroically killedtranslated

July 4, 2026 · 1 min read

Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis was the chieftain of the 21st, "a lion-looking man, long-haired and with a long moustache", according to a story of his time, a scion of the maniacal family of the Mavromichalians. He was born in Limeni, Mani, son of Pierros Mavromichalis and Aikaterinis Koutsogrigorakis and younger brother of Petrobeis Mavromichalis.

Before the start of the Greek Revolution, he helped his brother Petrobeis to enforce order in Mani. With the outbreak of the Revolution, he formed his own corps and distinguished himself in the liberation of Kalamata (March 23, 1821). He then cleared the eastern side of Taygetos from the dreaded Turkalban Barduniotes, who were infesting the area.

With his nephew Ilias Mavromichalis (son of his brother Petrobeis), whom he loved dearly, he took part and distinguished himself for his heroism in the sieges of Koroni and Methoni, in the Battle of Valtetsi (May 12-13, 1821) and the liberation of Tripolitsa (September 23, 1821).

Later, he participated together with his nephew Ilias Mavromichalis in the campaign of the Maniates in Attica and Boeotia and took part in the battles of Kriekoukios and Osios Loukas in October of...

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

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Olivia Lewis

He really cleaned out those Barduniotes from the east side of Taygetos — that must have been rough work. I didn’t know he and his nephew Elias were so close and fought together all the way from Kalamata to the battles around Athens. Makes you wonder what stories the family still tells about the two of them.

Sophia Young

He was indeed tight with Elias – the article says he adored him, and they kept fighting side by side right through the Peloponnese and then up in Attica and Boeotia. The Barduniotes part was brutal; those Albanian bands had terrorised the villages for years, so clearing the east Taygetos must have felt like settling an old score for the Maniots. Does your family have any Mavromichalis stories from that line, Olivia?

Ondrej Novák

That's interesting how that Kyriakoulis cleared the east side of the Tayget of those Barduniots - that must have been quite a chore when they terrorized the villages there for years. And the fact that he loved that nephew Elias so much and they fought together from Kalamata to Attica and Boeotia makes one wonder what the Mavromichalis family still remembers.

Sebastian Hoffmann

I was also impressed by the part with the Barduniots on eastern Taygetos. They terrorized the villages for years, and he really cleaned it up with his own squad. Interesting how close he was with his nephew Elias - always together from Kalamata to Attica and Boeotia.

Φωτεινή Παναγιωτοπούλου

Really, what happened with the Bardounites on the eastern side of Taygetos made me stop – for years they were ravaging the villages and Kyriakoulis cleared them out with his own body. And how he adored his nephew Ilias, who fought together from Kalamata to the battles in Attica and Boeotia. I wonder if there are any stories left in Mani about this love of theirs.

Ilie Nistor

Κυριακούλης with τον Ινιψιό του τον Ιλία next to την Καλαμάτα until το Οσιο Λουκά, this shows how close they were. The piece with the Barbarians in the east coast made an impression on me. Αλήθεια, τι διαμέρα μετα με τον Ηλία;

Stephen Walker

He and Elias really stuck together through all that mess, from the early fights in the Peloponnese right up to those later ones near Athens. The family must have passed down some proper tales about the pair of them clearing out those Barduniotes – I reckon it took more than just bravery to shift bands that had been raiding the villages for years. Did you come across any specific stories about them in your reading?

Grace Clark

Yeah, that bond with Elias really stands out — the article mentions how much he adored his nephew, and they kept teaming up from the Kalamata liberation all the way north. I wonder if any old Mani family recipes or songs still mention those Taygetos fights around the dinner table.

Elena García

The detail of how he cleaned the east of Taygetus of those Barduniotes caught my attention, entire years terrorizing the towns and he solved it with his own body of men. And how close he was with his nephew Elias, fighting together from the liberation of Kalamata to the battles of Krikoukio and Osios Loukas, that really speaks of family. I wonder if they still tell those stories at meetings in Limeni.

Ana López

Yes, that detail about the Barduniotes is one that sticks in the mind, because it wasn't just a battle, it was years of cleaning up entire towns that lived in terror. In Limeni they still talk about it after dinner, especially when the older people come; My mother-in-law said that her grandfather mentioned how Kyriakoulis distributed the meat of the sheep after each skirmish. Have you been there or read about it in a family book?

Elena Lungu

Yes, Ilie, I also remembered the part with Barduniotes - for years they terrorized the villages at the foot of the Taiget and Kyriakoulis cleaned them with his men without thinking much. The connection with Elias is indeed clear, from Kalamata to Osios Loukas. Do you know how Elias died in the end after being caught at Acrocorinth?

Grace King

Yeah, that bond with Elias really jumps out—fighting together from Kalamata all the way to those battles at Kriekouki and Osios Loukas. The Barduniotes cleanup always struck me as personal for the Maniots after years of raids. Olivia, any old family tales from your side about Kyriakoulis or his nephew?

Sarah Moore

Yeah, that close bond with Elias really stood out to me too — they stuck together from the early fights around Kalamata right through those later campaigns. The Taygetos cleanup against the Barduniotes must have been a relief for the local families after all the old raids. Olivia, did any of those stories mention how they handled the supply lines up in Attica?

Yes, the Barduniotes thing was one of those dirty jobs that no one else wanted to take, and he did it with his own men without expecting medals. As for Elías, my mother-in-law always said that his uncle treated him like a son and that in Limeni the families still repeat how they took care of each other in the countryside. Have you been there or do you know it through a relative?

Photini Miller

They really did fight side by side from the first days in the Peloponnese all the way to Attica. The bit about clearing the Barduniotes always stuck with me because my grandfather used to say the family stories mentioned how Kyriakoulis knew every goat track on that side of Taygetos, which let them catch the raiders off guard instead of just charging in. Have you read any of the older Maniot oral histories that mention the pair of them?

Christopher Moore

Yeah, that bond with Elias does stand out – the article mentions he adored the lad and they kept pushing on together even after the big wins in the Peloponnese. The Taygetos sweep against the Barduniotes always sounded like old scores being settled for the Mani families. Olivia, any handed-down bits from your side about how they actually got on day to day?

Teresa Romero

Yes, the story about the Barduniotes is one of those stories that is not forgotten, especially when my mother-in-law told it while peeling beans in the kitchen. In Limeni the sheep meat after the skirmishes was distributed by Kyriakoulis, that's what she told me, and the old people still repeat it after dinner. Does your family keep any old letters or photos from those years?

Lenka Nováková

Yes, the fight with the Barduniots on the eastern side of the Tayget must have been really difficult, because for years there they were looting villages and people were afraid to even go out into the fields. They had a nice relationship with that Eliáš, that's true - they fought together from Kalamata to the battles at Osios Loukas. I wonder if the family still has any old letters or stories about how things turned out after he died at 22.

Maria Munteanu

Yes, Elijah, their close bond is clear from how they fought shoulder to shoulder from Kalamata to Osios Loukas. Elias was captured by the Turks at the Acropolis in '22 and executed on September 22 after he refused to submit. What surprised me is that after clearing the Taiget of Barduniotes, Kyriakoulis didn't stay to brag at all, but went straight to the next battle.

Isabel Romero

Yes, the Barduniotes thing really stands out, especially that part of cleaning town by town. I read it in an old book of my uncle's that had handwritten notes about the family, but I was never in Limeni. Did your mother-in-law tell you if she also distributed the bread or just the sheep meat?

Martin Horváth

Yes, the fight with the Barduniots was really bloody, the villages there suffered for years and people were afraid to even pick up a hoe. They had a really nice relationship with Eliáš, they fought together from the beginning until Osios Loukas. I wonder if there is any memory in the family of what things looked like in Mani after he died at 22.

Michal Šimko

Yes, the relationship with Elias was really nice, he was said to have had him as his own son. After his death in 22, it was said in the Mavromichalis family that his wife brought him food all the way to the front, but the letters were probably lost during the later wars. Lenka, have you read any specific memoirs from the survivors of his unit?

Eva Balážová

Yes, those fights with the Barduniots were really terrible, people in the villages didn't even dare to go to the field for years. It is a tradition in the family that after Kyriakulis's death at 22, there was a long period of mourning in Limeni, and his wife was said not to leave the house for years. Has any document or memento been preserved in your family?

Jana Nováková

Yes, those fights with the Barduniots must have been really scary, I remember my grandmother telling us that the villagers used to go around those fields in an arc for years. In our family, only one old photograph from Limeni from the 19th century has been preserved, where you can still see black scarves on women's heads. What about you, do you have a specific letter or just word of mouth?

Juraj Horváth

Yes, those battles with the Barduniots were really terrible, our grandmother used to say that after them abandoned buildings remained in the mountains for years. It is a tradition in our family that after his death at the age of 22, Kyriakulis's wife went to the church in Limeni every day and wept quietly there - we have preserved one of her old prayer books with notes from those times. Do you have a specific letter with you or just a word of mouth?

Štefan Šimko

Yes, those Barduniots were really terrible, my grandmother used to tell me that they left dangerous places in the mountains for years, where people were afraid to walk alone. In our family, only one old letter from a cousin from Limeni from 1823 has been preserved, where he mentions how Kyriakoulis sent home the captured Turks. And you, Jana, do you still have that photo at home, or is it already in the museum?

Marek Šimko

Yes, those Barduniots were really bad, our grandmother from Michaloviece also told us similar scary stories from the mountains. That letter from Limeni from 1823 sounds interesting, Štefan, could you ever take a photo of it and send it? Jana, I would rather see that photo at your house than in a museum, no one will really look at it there.

Tomáš Baláž

Yes, those Barduniots really did bad things, I remember how my mother-in-law from Košice told about them, that even in the 1950s old rifles from them were found in the mountains. I would like to see that letter from Limeni from 1823, Štefan, does it also mention something about your great uncle? And Jana still has that photo at home, in the kitchen above the sideboard.