Ioannis Kapodistrias is considered one of the most important personalities of the 19th century, whose dynamic presence influenced and illuminated not only Greece but also the whole of Europe.
As a politician and diplomat with European education and experience, he played an important role in all major political events in Europe. He was the first to envision the idea of a United Europe and the man to whom Switzerland owes its state structure.
When Kapodistrias arrived in Nafplio in January 1828, the image of Greece was tragic. The country essentially extended only to the Peloponnese, Central Greece, the islands of the Saronic Gulf and the Cyclades, but even in these few areas power was exercised not by the state but by local leaders.
Kapodistrias was one of the few personalities of the time who was able to turn this pile of ruins that was then Greece into a state. His assassination, on September 27, 1831, by Konstantinos and Georgios Mavromichalis brought the country to the brink of collapse.
The Murder Of Kapodistrias - The Official Version
On the morning of 27 October 1831, according to the testimony of Kozonis, the governor and his small guard (the single-handed Cretan Kozonis or Kokkonis and a soldier whose name was Leon or Leonidis) set out at 06.35 to go to the church of Agios Spyridon to attend the Sunday Theia Leiturgia. The two guards walked a few steps behind Kapodistrias, while the old man-Goutos led the way, announcing the governor's arrival.
Just before the church (about 100-150 m before the entrance), in a deserted part of the path, Konstantinos and Georgios Mavromichalis, dressed in their ceremonial clothes and coming from their house, approached Kapodistrias and his entourage from behind, greeted him respectfully and passed him to enter the church first. The governor, as Kozonis claimed (an element, however, not mentioned in the trial), returned the greeting.
When they arrived in front of Kapodistrias at Agios Spyridon, Constantine was standing outside the church and on the right (with respect to the entrance) side, looking outward, while George was looking inside the church roughly on the axis of the narrow door. They did not enter the church, as they were under surveillance and were not allowed to enter the churches, lest they seek asylum in the church. Outside the church were still the guards of Mavromichalis family, Karagiannis and Georgiou, Captain Koutsiafopoulos (who was on his way home), two foreign travelers, an unknown "young man", and a beggar. Opposite the church, at the window of her house, was a woman from Nafplio, Paraskevoula. Interior Minister Rodios was at the window of his own house at this time. Inside the church, in view of the entrance, were Commissioners Mitropoulos and Nikolaou, General Valtinos, I. Sarantou, P. Skouras, and the armed sergeant Voulgaris, who testified at the trial, and 5-6 more people, mostly women.
Kapodistrias, wearing his felt cloak (the rentikota, known from the popular representations of the time) and hat, and holding his gloves in his hand as he approached the entrance of the temple, stopped short and looked at the house of Rodios. A few steps from the church staircase he took off his hat with his left hand, not to salute the Mavromichalis family, as is erroneously handed down, but because he was preparing to enter the church empty-handed to make the cross sign. At the same moment Konstantinos Mavromichalis, who was facing Kapodistrias, seized him with his left hand and shot him with the pistol he held in his right hand at the base of the skull and specifically behind the right ear.
Almost at the same time Georgios Mavromichalis stabbed Kapodistrias in the right groin area with his knife. The governor's guard, the community (6-8 people) and the neighbors who arrived, laid the dead man on the road and alerted the Guard, with the result that the soldiers arrived very soon.
Kapodistrias' one-handed companion, laying the governor's body on the ground, fired at Konstantinos Mavromichalis, wounding him slightly in the back. Konstantinos, wounded by Kozonis' shot, ran into the street, with the result that the crowd lynched him. Some took him to Platanos Square. They did not care to arrest and treat him, while General Fotomaras gave him the final blow to save him from martyrdom.
George Mavromichalis went to the French Embassy, where he asked for asylum. He was handed over to the Greek Justice under pressure from the crowd, after the Portuguese guard of Nafplio Almeida guaranteed to hand over the knife with which Kapodistrias was hit.
Georgios Mavromichalis was tried by a military tribunal and was sentenced to death. His sentence was carried out incredibly quickly (11 October 1831) when Karagiannis, who had also been sentenced to death (initially he was considered to have also shot Kapodistrias and his guards), recanted his original statement and was released after six months for testifying against the Mavromichalis family.
Findings and questions
If we analyze all the above facts, we can come to some thoughts about how the murder of Kapodistrias took place.
The actual time of the governor's departure, according to the witnesses' testimonies, was before 06.00, which proves that the murder took place between 05.50-06.00 and not after 06.30.
It is also a fact that three shots were heard. One shot was fired at the governor, the second found no target but was fired at the church wall (where the sign still stands today), while the third shot was aimed at Konstantinos Mavromichalis. Kapodistrias was hit almost head-on, at the base of the skull and specifically behind the right ear. Konstantinos Mavromichalis , accused of shooting him, according to the testimony of all eyewitnesses, was face to face with the governor before he entered the church. If he grabbed him and turned him around, he would obviously be noticed by those present. Kapodistrias' guards seeing this move by Konstantinos would have time to react. So this move is probably out of the question because Mavromichalis, being between the governor and Kozonis, would logically be faced with the reaction of Kapodistrias' guards. If Konstantinos really intended to strike Kapodistrias, his position would probably require him to go face to face with him and shoot him. The English historian Finley was the first to claim that Konstantinos grabbed Kapodistrias by the shoulder, turned him around and shot him in the head. However, none of the witnesses testified to any such action by Konstantinos, nor did any of them hear the words Konstantinos allegedly said to Kapodistrias just before he grabbed him by the shoulder and dealt him the fatal blow. According to Kasomoulis, probably later George Mavromichalis, told what happened and confirmed his uncle's words.
From the testimony of the witnesses, and also from the prosecutor's summation, the conclusion is that the two Mavromichalis were right-handed. If we assume that Konstantinos Mavromichalis actually grabbed the governor with his left hand (he held the pistol in his right hand) from his right shoulder, then Konstantinos' right hand would have to go over his left to shoot the governor in the head. With this movement, the Governor's head would turn to the left, while his right ear would be in front of Konstantinos, who would shoot him. However, with this action, the governor would be facing Kozonis, so then the injury that Kapodistrias had (which was attributed to his fall) is not justified, as the fall would likely be forward.
If one examines the course of the bullets as well as their angles, one might come to certain conclusions. According to the doctors' report, the bullets had an upward angle (20-30 degrees) that reached to the left of the church, i.e. in a straight line from the right to the left ear and without deviation from the imaginary straight line extension of the barrel of the weapon. Considering Konstantinos' position (he was standing on a higher level than the governor, on the church staircase, while he was at street level), their difference in height (Konstantinos was taller), and the fact that Konstantinos' right hand should necessarily be higher than his left one with the acquired speed of the captain's body combined with the inclination of his head, the course of the bullets should end in the captain's skull at the bottom of his left side (i.e. at an angle of about 15 -20 degrees to the horizontal) and not higher and without deviation. If the shot was also fired from a distance of more than 10-15 cm, it is obvious that the bullets would "open", that is, they would create a much larger wound, and they would not penetrate so deeply, all concentrated in such a small space. So the killer must have been very close, behind the commander, either between his bodyguards or in their position.
Also, a bullet fired by Konstantinos Mavromichalis (or one of the guards) was nailed to the wall, deep next to the entrance of the church, where the mark it left behind can still be seen today. If this shot belonged to Konstantinos, as is attested by many witnesses, then its position could not have been the one originally assumed. In other words, it is not possible that he fired towards the direction of his back, for the mark is in the exact place on the wall where he had been leaning a short time before. Considering the fact that Konstantinos shot only once, it would not be possible for him to shoot the governor as well.
After the execution of Kapodistrias, Konstantinos Mavromichalis ran into the uphill alley to escape. Kapodistrias' guard (Kozonis) shot him in the back. However, the only person to describe Konstantinos' wounds, the chief sergeant Voulgaris, testified that he was wounded in the abdomen and not in the back. This information tends to confirm the view that Karagiannis shot Konstantinos almost from the opposite position in the abdomen before he went up the narrow alley. Some even claimed that the back wound pierced the body and that the bullet came from the right side of the chest. But bullets of the time were not capable of causing such damage. The blood on the knife found on Konstantinos, later attributed to George (he was accused of stabbing the governor with it), most likely came from the wound inflicted on Konstantinos' stomach.
After all, there was no crowd in the church at the time of the murder. So Konstantinos was lynched by the soldiers without bothering to arrest him.
As for the blow with the knife received by the governor in the groin ( Georgios Mavromichalis), it was probably impossible to cause it in that place, due to the turning of Kapodistrias' body, which would have probably directed the knife to the rear right part of the body of the governor, near the kidney and not in the right groin, i.e. on the front of the body. The knife found was 12.5 X 2.5 cm in size, while the governor's wound had an entry point of 8-9 cm and a depth of nearly 1 foot (33 cm), the forensic report said. So the knife that was actually used was much larger. It should also be remembered that Kapodistrias was wearing a coat, shirt and underwear that morning. A knife like the one found would not even have been able to pierce the lining of Kapodistrias' coat.
Georgios Mavromichalis never sought asylum in Rouen's house. The truth is that he sought shelter in the house of General Gerardos, who as Military Commander of Nafplio was obliged to protect him. After several unsuccessful attempts to enter a house, he found the house of Major Vallianos open. Following Vallianos, he passed through a small inner gate and sought refuge in the residence of the French ambassador Rouen, asking for protection as he wished to hand himself over to the legitimate government to be tried. After the events he at first believed that his uncle was also involved, but he could not believe that he had attacked Kapodistrias. He saw that Konstantinos had fired (in fact, he had shot someone, perhaps the governor's assassin) and ran away, realizing that something was wrong. In fact, Rouan and Gerardos, seeing no traces of blood on his hands, in the off-white skirt and in his other luxurious clothes, wondered if he was the one who stabbed Kapodistrias in the groin.
The fact that the court did not look for the young man and the beggar, who according to several witnesses were outside the church at the time of the murder, also raises questions.
Several questions arise from a study of the entire case. The wound to the back of the captain's head in the manner in which it was executed is not justified by the descriptions. How could a knife measuring 12.5 x 2.5 cm cause a wound with an opening of 8-9 cm and a depth of 33 cm? Why, if the Mavromichalis family really intended to assassinate the governor, did they not take advantage of the safety of the night darkness and the absence of witnesses when they met with Kapodistrias before he entered the church? Why is there no witness to corroborate both the move of Konstantinos Mavromichalis to stand behind the governor and the words he allegedly said to him? How was the knife from Konstantinos Mavromichalis, attributed to Georgios, found at the feet of the dead Kapodistrias? How was it that Georgios' clothes were not found dirty, since he was said to have stabbed Kapodistrias? Why did Georgios have his family in Nafplio, since he was planning such an action? Why is the note found in Kapodistrias' archive that he planned to reconcile with the Mavromichalis family hidden? Why was Konstantinos killed by the soldiers when they had the duty to protect him and bring him to justice? Why were the testimonies of important witnesses falsified or altered? Why are there so many inaccuracies and different versions in historians' accounts? Why did the British not allow the relevant archives to be opened 180 years after the governor's assassination?
The political developments in the time of Kapodistrias
It is a fact that Kapodistrias was accepted as interim governor of Greece for seven years after backward thinking by the great powers of the time. Gradually, however, they realized that there was an obstacle in the realization of their plans for Greece. The governor dreamed of an independent and free state that was not confined to the narrow borders desired by the Europeans. His opposition to the election of a European monarch and his efforts to expand the borders of the newly formed Greek state presented an obstacle to the aspirations of the Great Powers. But the governor also faced unprecedented hostility within the country. Dislike for him was voiced primarily by the Hydra shipowners, landowners, and politicians who realized that their influence was shrinking. Mavrokordatos, Kolettis and Kountouriotis, treated the governor with suspicion from the beginning, as they wanted their own share of power. Polyzoidis was the leader of the opposition with the newspaper "Apollon", which openly stated in its last issue that the purpose of the newspaper was "the expulsion of Kapodistrias" and after the murder that "the purpose has been achieved", with the consequence that it is no longer necessary to continue its issue.
The discontent of the Mavromichalis family with the governor began in June 1828, when Kapodistrias replaced Ioannis Mavromichalis from the post of guardian of Monemvasia, and intensified when he began to partially fulfill the financial demands of Petrobeis Mavromichalis. The governor's advisors appointed Genovelis as prefect in Kalamata and Cornelius as governor in Mani, who were fanatical and sworn enemies of the Mavromichalis family and did everything they could to insult and financially exhaust them, causing the people of Mani to rise up against the state officials. These events led to the arrest of Petrobeis Mavromichalis. But the riots did not stop. Kapodistrias then realized that he had to deal with the matter differently. Therefore, he had already decided several times to release Petrobeis, but failed at the last moment by legal tricks of his "advisers".
In July 1831, Kapodistrias informed Andreas Zaimis that he would accept a compromise with Petrobeis. However, threats were conveyed to the governor by the people of Mani, so this approach failed. Thus Kanaris was ordered to arrest Konstantinos Mavromichalis, although he had agreed with Kasomoulis to pacify the territory of Mani in exchange for the expulsion of Cornelius. This was mediated by Russian Admiral Rickord, who received assurances from Petrobeis' mother that he would stop any unrest in the area if Petrobeis was released from Itz Kale, where he was being held in a windmill. On September 22, 1831, with the governor's approval, Rickord met Petrobeis on his ship and agreed to everything. That same day they sailed together to the government to tell the governor the good news. Kapodistrias, who wanted to follow the formal procedure, promised Petrobeis' release within 5-6 days (which he joyfully announced to Georgios and Konstantinos Mavromichalis ) and even ordered him to be taken that very night from the windmill where he was being held to his little house in Nafplio. As reported by K.M. Basili (Ricord's supporter), as of September 26, the riots in the greater Mani area had ceased, proving that the governor kept his word.
However, some historians refer to 26 September as the day of the meeting between Kapodistrias, Petrobeis and Rickord, while claiming that the publication of an English newspaper had angered the governor, whereupon he broke his word and acted carelessly towards Petrobeis. However, according to the records from the Nafplio port book, as well as Basili's accounts, the Russian admiral sailed for Poros on September 23, where it is proved that he stayed on September 26 and returned to Nafplio on the night of September 29. The meeting with a negative outcome cannot, therefore, have taken place on 26 September. The main question that arises, then, is why did the Mavromichalis family decide to assassinate the governor at a time when their differences were to be resolved?
