User:Mirim1234/Νικήτας Φλέσσας

= Nikitas Flessas =

Nikitas Dikaios or Nikitas Flessas (1774-1846) was a member of the Filiki Eteria and chieftain of the Greek Revolution of 1821, during which he reached the rank of general. His brother was the distinguished clergyman and revolutionary fighter Papaflessas.

Biography
Nikitas Flessas was the son of Demetrios Dikaios or Flessas, by his second wife, Konstantina Androneou, and the brother of Papaflessas. He was born in 1774 in Poliani, Messenia, a village in the area of Kalamata. His father, Dimitrios Dikaios or Flessas, had a total of 28 children.

In Poliani there were two Nikitas’, Nikitas Dikaios and Nikitas Flessas.

The surname Dikaios is the real name of the family and is still found today in his village Poliani, in Messenia. "The name Flessas or Flessaios is said to be a corruption of the word “Ephesian” [In Greek, “Ephessios” or “Ephessaios”]. Because of this some believe that the Flessaios are from Ephesus.” His normal name was Nikitas Dikaios of Demetrius. Nikitas participated in the group of the Flessaios klephts of Poliani from a young age. He was one of the most important chieftains of the Peloponnese and, based on the Records of the Tsarist Police, was a member of the Filiki Eteria. According to Tryfonas Evangelidis: Nikitas Flessas " Born in Poliani around 1774, he was one of the bravest Freedom Fighters". He distinguished himself in various battles, such as in Tripoli, Corinth and mainly during the battles in Dervenakia (Battle of Dervenakia, July 26, 1822) and in Agionori (Agionori Castle, The Battle of Aginori July 28, 1822), during the destruction of Dramali. One of the spoils of that battle against Dramali was also the famous fur pelt, which was worn after that by Papaflessas, after it had been given to him by his brother, Nikitas. He later was promoted to general and showed unparalleled bravery during the raid of Ibrahim Pasha. The Committee of Services kept him in his rank and honored him with the Silver Distinction, and with the badge of honor of the Order of the Savior. He was the 16th prosecuting witness at the trial of the generals Theodoros Kolokotronis and Demetrios Plapoutas. Nikitas Flessas passed away in Athens, in early October 1846.

His action during the Revolution of 1821
In January 1821 he attended the conference in Vostitsa as Papaflessa’s companion where he was treated with contempt by the nobleman Sotiris Charalampis.

He received the ammunition from the ship governed by Mexis or Poriotis in Almyron before the liberation of Kalamata.

"Papaflessas, headed to Mani and often disguised on the way, arrives to Almyron, a coastal village of Mani near Kalamas, and meets Petrobey. He catechizes him properly, promises him much and feeds his ambition by urging him to declare the Revolution first.

''While they were discussing, the ship carrying the ammunition from Smyrna arrives in Almyron, during a very strange coincidence. This ship was governed by Mexis or Poriotis. Papaflessas’ brother Nikitas received the ammunition in Almyron".''

On March 23, he participated in the liberation of Kalamata, while a short time later he took part in the liberation of Arcadia (Kyparissia). On April 28, 1821 he participated in the emergency establishment of the Valtetsi camp, as described by Fotakos: "... Nikitas Flessas also happened to be at Valtetsi, as he was going to Corinth to his brother Archimandrite Flessas”  On the two days of May 12-13 , 1821, he participated in the crucial battle of Valtetsi, as one of the leaders of the Greek troops that were fortified in the four bastions that had been formed on the same number of hills near the settlement.

In July 1822 he took part in the battle of Dervenakia and Agionori. About the action of Nikitas D. Flessas there is the following description by Kanellos Deligiannis : ''"At Dervenaki. Ah, where the downfall of Dramalis took place, Greeks and Turks were fighting man-to-man. And they ate each other with their teeth. Then reinforcements arrived at the Greeks, and Ypsilandis with his own troops. Turks and Greeks fought so hard you could not tell one from the other. The latter totally destroyed the former, scattered them in the gorges, threw them on the cliffs, stuck them on the rocks. And they slaughtered many of them. So many that they ended up killing them with stones and sticks, as they were exhausted and could no longer load a rifle or draw a sword. That is where the fearless Captain Nikitas Flessas (Papaflessas's brother) fought, scimitar to scimitar, with a huge bibasis (head of a thousand soldiers) Haitalis. And after their scimitars broke they fought with their bare hands. Not only was captain Nikitas in danger then, but he struggled very hard to defeat his opponent. He ripped him apart with his teeth!”''

George Finlay in his book "History of the Greek Revolution" writes:

''Elias Mavromichalis, nicknamed Kozakos, invaded the area between the lower ridges of Taigetos and Pamisos.... But his progress always stopped because of Nikitas, who was a better soldier and who, in addition to his superior ability in guerrilla warfare, had the support of the entire population...''

Inside the first box was found a sword (scimitar-shaped) diamond-studded with a blade of precious black metal, the so-called kara khurasan.

In the battle of Agionori, as well as in Dervenakia, the Turks were defeated by force.

In his report, Panagiotis Giatrakos writes about the movements of the enemy and the indifference of the Roumeliots on March 6, 1825, among other things. "The most prominent minister Mourtzinos, the lieutenants I. Mavromichalis, Nikitas Dikaios, Christodoulos Poriotis and Ioannis Karapavlos met in Avramou. Αfter discussing about everything, it seemed necessary to help the animal feed economy and it was unanimously approved and the most prominent minister, the generals Antonis Mavromichalis and Nikitas Dikaios and I travelled to Nissi ".

Fotakos, the historian of the Greek War of Independence, in the third volume of his "Memoirs" describes the following moments shortly before the battle:

"And when the army was assembled [...] Flessas came in the midst of the soldiers and delivered a speech, encouraging them and reminding the soldiers of the earlier battles and victories of Valtetsi, Levidi, Grana, Vervena and Doliana, the fall of Tripoli, the destruction of Dramalis's large army, and he presented them with an inevitable victory because he told them that many troops would come to their aid in a short time which would exceed 15,000, that Plapoutas and all the Arcadians, his brother N, Katsakos and other Maniates are coming, that all of them will arrive in an hour and will be here all around Ibrahim beating him from behind, and finally said that:

Today the homeland expects from us its glory through this victory!".

On April 30, 1846, he signed a certificate for the military action of Alexios Anastassopoulou, a nobleman from Zevgolatio.

Distribution of material and moral rewards and distinctions
By decision of King Otto on May 7, 1836, Lieutenant Colonel Nikitas Dikaios Flessas from Leontari was awarded the Order and the title of Knight of the Silver Cross of the Royal Order of the Savior. In 1839, as lieutenant colonel of the Phalanx, he inherited national land. Finally, in 1858, the Public Treasury granted a lifelong monthly pension appropriate for the widow of a lieutenant general, for the widow and children of N. Flessa, and available and arable lands, a total of 250 stremma (approximately 62 acres), as a dowry for each of his unmarried daughters.