Εικονες απο την Ελληνικη Ιστορια

Τη υπερμάχω Στρατηγώ τα νικητήρια

Τη υπερμάχω στρατηγώ τα νικητήρια
Ως λυτρωθείσα των δεινών ευχαριστήρια
Αναγράφω σοι η πόλις σου Θεοτόκε.

Αλλ' ως έχουσα το κράτος απροσμάχητον
Εκ παντοίων με κινδύνων ελευθέρωσον
'Ινα κράζω σοι.

Χαίρε, Νύμφη ανύμφευτε.

The Byzantine Empire: A legacy of the Greek and Roman civilizations

by George Papasimakis

Byzantine Empire, the Empire that lived more than all the others in human history was undoubtedly a Greek Empire. The Great Byzantine Empire lived for 1100 years and it was the successor of the Roman Empire. Rome managed after long and difficult wars to occupy metropolitan Greece and the Greek states of the east, Egypt, Syria and Asia minor. After that incident came an unavoidable "response": Superior Greek civilization conquered Rome!

I must note here that Romans were a Greek tribe and it was very easy for them to understand and accept the metropolitan and the Hellenistic Greek cultures. So the Roman empire slowly transformed to a Greek Empire and that became clearer with the establishment of the Greek city of Byzantion as the capital of the Empire instead of Rome. Byzantium renamed Constantinople in honor of the Emperor Constantine that established it as the capital of the Empire.

Divine Greek language and specifically in its Attic form, took the place of the Latin that used to be considered as the official language, even though the Greek was always the common language in all the eastern part of the Empire and in Rome that all the Superior class people used Greek language instead of Latin and they were very proud of it!

So the Byzantine Empire's official language was Greek. Also the education was Greek, including, Epic poetry (Homer Iliad and Odyssey), Philosophy (all Great Greek philosophers) and geometry, astronomy and mechanics. When the German tribes destroyed and occupied the Western part of the Empire(todays French, Spain and Italy including Rome), the Empire had under its power Greece, Sisely and south Italy, Asia minor, Syria, Egypt and Cyrhnaika, all Greek territories, so the population was all Greek with some other minorities.

So the Byzantine Empire was fairly called by most of the western historians as "the Greek Empire" and it was a great glorious state that saved and protected the famous Greek culture and Nation for more than a thousand years till the sword of the Ottoman turks fell upon the Empire that was betrayed from the Pope of Rome during the 4th crusade that destroyed the Empire, the continues attacks by the Western forces and the fanaticism of certain monks that instead of joining the army and protect their country used to go into monasteries and become monks.

Byzantium fall in 1453 and its last Emperor Heroic St.Constantine IB'Palaiologos died in the gate of St.Romanos fight with excellent courage as a simple soldier without surending the Empire to the Turkish Sultan. That gave the ethical strength to the enslaved Greek Nation to live during the barbaric Turkish occupation from 1453 since 1821 that the children of Greece managed to throw away Turkish tyranny and be reborn ed as a state.

Learn more about this author, George Papasimakis.

The fall of Constantinople

I will write about the greatest legend of modern Hellenism which is the " legend of the King that turned into stone".It is the legend of the Emperor Constantine IA' Palaiologos, last emperor of the Greek-Byzantine empire, that finished the long line of the Byzantine emperors.

Constantine defended Constantinople in 1453 with 3.500 to 7.000 men against the barbaric Muslim Turkish hordes of 250.000 men, led by Sultan Mehmet II. After many days of war the leader of the horde Sultan Mehmet II' send offers to Constantine in order to propose him to surrender him Constantinople in order to save his life and fortune.

He offered him all Peloponnese peninsula as his kingdom, not to harm anybody of the Greek population of Constantinople, and they could all leave with their fortune and weapons.
Constantine, as a true descendant of King of Sparta Leonidas, answered like that: <<>>

After that answer, the Sultan ordered his final attack. Like demons, the Muslim hordes attacked the walls of the ancient capital of the Greek empire while the Christian warriors were fighting with great courage, trying to save the ancient city and its citizens from sure death, destruction and enslavement.
Moments were tragical, but King Constantine, seeing that the Turks started retreating, said <<>>! He didn't finish his phrase and the General and leader of the defense after the King, Justiniani was badly hurt.He transported at his ship and he was followed by his troops.The King, even with less men continued to fight, till the last part, the part of the treason took place...

In the Jewish neighborhood of Constantinople was a little castle door named Kerkoporta". That door was suddenly and mysteriously open! Some thousands Turks got into the city. Constantine with his exhausted remaining soldiers was surrounded.
But I will let the historian George Frantzis to tell us the story, as a person that participated in this battle: << When the time came for the city to be Turkish and the Turks got in, went in a hurry our King to stop them.
It was a countless crowd turkey, thousands they surrounded him but he was striking and cutting by his sword. At his right was fighting Don Francisco Tolentano and like an eagle was cutting the enemy with his mouth and nails. At his left Theofilos Palaiologos was fighting like a leopard and John Dalmatis that was there fought with outrageous courage. Three times they passed away the Turkish sea these fine men until they fall and our King left alone amongst the thousands of enemies.

From this point we have two different opinions. 1.The official history. Constantine died that day after these incidents he was killed in the Gate of St.Romanos where he fought as a simple soldier and his body identified by the red Imperial shoes with the double head eagle. 2.The story of the legend. << When he fall, a Mauritian came to cut our King but God send an angel that took the Kings sword, killed the Mauritian, turned away Turks for a while and took on his golden wings our King in a cave deep inside the earth and turned him into stone. And there awaits our King till the Angel returns and awake him and give him the same sword he had in battle. And he will hunt with his armies Turks till the "Red apple tree" (far east).

Learn more about this author, George Papasimakis.

Θυρεος

Θυρεος Αυτοκρατορικου ναυτικου, με τον Ελληνικο σταυρο, μια σημαια που με την εμφανιση της σκορπιζε τον τρομο στους βαρβαρους επιδρομεις.