User:Jimam1913/sandbox/The Battle of Sekku Monastery

The Battle of Sekku Monastery was the last military conflict between the forces of the Friendly Society and the troops of the Ottoman Empire, in the wider context of the Greek revolution of 1821. It took place in September 1821 at the Sekku Monastery in Moldavia, in the area of present-day (Neamț).

Τhe end of the revolution in Wallachia
After the failure of the revolution in Wallachia, Georgakis Olympios accompanied Ypsilantis to the Austrian border, which Ypsilantis crossed on June 8. There is now a revolution and there was no revolution after the battles of Dragasani and Skouleni. Georgakis Olympios, having considerable strength with him, took the road to Kimbulug in mountainous Wallachia, where his pregnant Serbian wife Stana and his 2 minor children were, whom he said goodbye to for the last time.

From Kimboulug, Olympius and his men proceeded to the monastery of Courte de Argesi, where Ioannis Farmakis and his family had camped. The two chiefs joined forces and, judging that any resistance in Wallachia was in vain, decided to cross the Carpathians to enter Moldavia, from there to Russian Bessarabia and find a way to land in Greece.

They started with 800 fighters, but on the way Olympius fell ill and they carried him to a wooden bed. In Moldova, they met with Serbian General Vladen, who was on his way to Serbia, and learned the sad news of the battle of Skuleni. At the end of August, Olympios recovered and, not wanting to stay in the mountains for the winter, decided to go down to the lowlands. As a result, many of his comrades abandoned him, overwhelmed by fear and despair. Thus, Georgakis and Farmakis, with a total of 350 men, the last formed military corps since the revolution in Moldavia, arrived at the Namtsu Monastery and when the Turkish army approached from there on September 8 at the Sekou Monastery, 24 hours from Iasi. The monastery was in a strong position in a narrow valley surrounded by forested mountains.

The Battle of Sekkou Monastery
At first, Selich Pasha sent against the 300 cavalry who fell into an ambush of a section of Farmakis's men, resulting in the death of 200 Turks and the capture of three prisoners. From these prisoners the Greeks learned that a large enemy force was approaching the monastery, which made them think of leaving it. From the leaders, Olympius was in favor of crossing Moldavia towards Bessarabia. Farmakis and the Serb Vladen considered that plan impossible to implement due to the large number of Turkish soldiers in the area. Instead, they suggested fleeing to Austria, whose borders were close by. However, Olympius refused to follow them as he believed that the Austrians would arrest them. Eventually, out of solidarity, everyone stayed in the convent. According to Philemon, Olympius also considered returning to the mountains of Moldavia, but he seems to have been influenced by a letter from the bishop of Romano calling on him to defend the monastery and its treasures from the destructive fury of the Turks. It is possible that this letter was sent by order ("suggest it") of the Turks. The rebels planned to defend themselves at the entrance to the narrow valley where the monastery was located, unaware that there were paths in the surrounding mountains that led into the valley. Indeed, while initially, on September 6, the rebels repulsed a Turkish corps of 600 men at the entrance to the valley. According to the Austrian diplomat, Wolf, who was following the Turkish army, this gang, despite our superiority, had the courage to confront us and welcome the vanguard with so much fire that so quickly no casualties fell. . On September 8, the main enemy corps began to descend towards the monastery through the paths, having local guides. To confront them, Olympius put his men on the ramparts of the monastery, from where they shot the Turks, not allowing them to enter. Meanwhile, Farmakis and his men, who had been cut off while guarding the entrance to the valley, managed to enter the monastery on the night of September 8th. Thus, on the morning of September 9, the complete siege of the Monastery by the Turks began, who also had a cannon.

Thomas Gordon in "History of the Greek Revolution" states that Georgakis Olympios, in his desperate position, addressed his comrades with the following insult: "Brethren, in this critical circumstance only a glorious death should occur . "The day is probably coming when the fatherland wants to collect our bones and wants to transport them for burial in the classic land of our ancestors." According to Maxim Rebo, the Austrian consul of Iasi offered Olympus his help to escape to Russian territory, but he replied "I took the weapons to shed the blood of the enemies of the homeland and not to save myself. The opportunity is very favorable to lose her. "

Olympios was locked up with 7 or 11 of his loyal comrades in the bell tower of the monastery, while Farmakis and the other men defended the other positions. It was at this stage of the battle that the most glorious episode of the revolution in Moldavia took place: at some point, a fire broke out in the belfry and Olympius was in danger of being captured, under conditions that remain unclear. Refusing to compromise with the Turks, he asked his comrades to leave the belfry, who wanted to escape. But no one left. He then fired a barrel of gunpowder and blew up the bell tower, dragging Turks nearby.

The siege continued with fierce defense by Farmakis and his men, until September 22, inflicting heavy losses on the Turks who had brought other forces, as well as 4 cannons. But his soldiers had reached the point of exhaustion, without food, with little ammunition and being most wounded like Farmakis himself. Convinced of Wolf's assurances that the Turks would respect the amnesty and let them leave the empire, he surrendered along with the other fighters on September 23, except for 33 men who escaped overnight. The Turks did not respect the agreement and immediately executed the rebels, but first they, unarmed, fought with their hands and managed to strangle 40 Turks. The officers were taken to Silistria and beheaded after being tortured, as was Farmakis, whom the Turks had taken to Istanbul. According to Wolf, some monks, boyars, bourgeois and merchants were also killed near the guerrillas, and now, on the return of the Turks, the unbridled mob of Turks is pulling towards Braila ... even our unfortunate Hungarian Catholics have become remnants of Turkish crime.

The battle of Sekkos in folk poetry
Five pashas moved from Ibraila,

army bring more, pezou and kavala,

drag and landscapes twelve and volleys without measure.

Tsapanoglous is also coming from Bucharest

has a brave army, all of Janitsarei,

swords are drawn in the teeth, rifles in the hands.

Then Giorgakis shouted from the monastery:

- Where are you, my lads, lavender with courage

quickly draw the swords, take the rifles,

grab the place loudly, grab the crutches,

that Turkey flattered us and wants to eat us.

Without bread, without water, three days and three nights,

they were heavy on the enemy in Komboulaki.

Turkish heads were cut off by nearly three thousand.

And Farmakis shouted from the monastery:

Drop your rifles, draw your swords,

yurousi upstairs, go to Ai Lian.

The Turks enjoyed it, they run to the monastery.

Then Farmakis, alive, shouted from Sekou:

Where are you, George, brother and first captain?

Turkey has flattened us a lot and wants to eat us.

It throws the landscapes like rain, the bullets like hail.

George was lost then, and they did not see him anymore.