Name Dimitrios Papatsonis | ||
Dimitrios Papatsonis (Greek: Δημήτριος Παπατσώνης, c. 1798 – 24 June 1825) was a fighter of the Greek War of Independence from Peloponnese. He was killed at the age of 27 in June 1825 during the battle of Trikorfa against the Egyptian forces of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt.
Biography
He was born in Naziri of Messenia (today Eva village) from one of the most important families of the area even during the pre-revolutionary period. He was son of Anagnostis Papatsonis, notable of the province of Androusa, who died from poisoning in 1811, and brother of Ioannis Papatsonis. When the Greek Revolution broke out he participated in the capture of Kyparissia (26 March), which had been abandoned by the local Ottomans and then he went along with other notables and chieftains, to the camp of Karytaina that was in creation at the time. In May 1821 he participated in the battle of Valtetsi and in July of the same year he was appointed as one of the lieutenants of the Messenian forces that were participated in the blockade of Tripolitsa. During the fall of Tripolitsa, his men entered the city from the Mystras Gate, along with the men of Krevvatas, Giatrakos, Kefalas and bishop Theodoretos of Vresthena.
The following year, he participated in the destruction of the expeditionary body of Mahmud Dramali Pasha, commanding, along with Kefalas and Mitropetrovas, 600 armed men from Androusa and Leontari. After the fall of Tripolitsa, he was member of the Peloponnesian Senate and representative of the province Implakia. In July 1823 he was accused by residents of the province of abuses of power. Later, during the Greek civil wars of 1824–25, being on the side of Theodoros Kolokotronis, he was imprisoned for a while by the Kountouriotis government.
He also took part in the military operations against the Egyptian expeditionary force of Ibrahim in Peloponnese. Specifically, he participated in the battle of Trampala, having under his command 767 men. Following the negative, for the Greek forces, outcome of the battle, he fled along with Theodoros Kolokotronis, Plapoutas and Kanellos Deligiannis in Chrysovitsi of Arcadia.
On 24 June 1825 he participated in the battle of Trikorfa, being responsible for the distribution of the ammunitions for the soldiers. The battle ended with the defeat of the Greeks while Papatsonis was killed in action. His body was desecrated by the opponents, who took away his weapons, his gold-embroidered clothing and the sum of 350 pounds that he brought on him.