LASKARINA BOUBOULINA: HEROINE OF THE GREEK WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

LASKARINA BOUBOULINA (1771-1825) – Often hailed as history’s first female admiral, Laskarina developed a passion for sailing in her youth and was permitted to pursue that passion thanks to her stepfather’s open-mindedness regarding women’s behavior and education. 

At some point after 1814 Bouboulina joined Filiki Etairea, a covert organization working toward liberating Greece from its long occupation by the Ottoman Turkish Empire. By the time the actual Greek War of Independence broke out in February of 1821, Laskarina had six children and lost two husbands, the second one a very wealthy man.

Our heroine poured her inheritance into the cause of Greek Independence and personally took command of her small fleet of four ships (some sources say eight ships) which had been constructed and outfitted in defiance of Ottoman regulations on Greek battleships. She even designed her own flag.

Laskarina became a legend in the ongoing war and participated in many naval campaigns. She also financed an army unit.

Aboard her flag ship the Agamemnon, Laskarina took part in the siege of Nafplion. The woman’s naval skills and emerging battle savvy made her a folk heroine to the Greeks and she was nicknamed Kapetanissa (lady captain). Ioannis Philemon, publisher of the newspaper Aion, described Laskarina as being “Dressed as a woman and armed as a man,” which description caught on.

After the Ottoman Turks broke the initial Greek siege of Nafplion, the Kapetanissa rode to Argos for a meeting of military leaders. She helped finance local Greek rebels and was among those who voted to resume besieging Nafplion.

Laskarina’s son Yiannis was killed and beheaded while fighting the Turks near Argos and as part of his funeral service she ceremonially executed three Ottoman prisoners condemned to death. Returning to the war the Kapetanissa took part in the naval blockades of Monemvasia & Pylos and the resupplying of Galaxidi.

By September of 1821 the heroine’s legend was spreading outside of Greece to several Western nations who cheered on the Greek efforts toward independence. Laskarina was said to have laughed at the greatly exaggerated lithographs depicting her and her exploits.  

The Kapetanissa’s recklessness sometimes caused her to temporarily depart from her flagship and venture ashore on horseback at assorted land battles.    

Participating in the defeat of the Ottoman Turk forces at Tripolitsa and in the looting of the Turks’ riches, she also saved the lives of many harem girls enslaved by the Turkish pashas. Sword in hand, she led her allies in staving off would-be predators and helped fight a fire that broke out.

Many battles later, the Turks surrendered the fortress of Palamidi, and the siege of Nafplion finally ended in a Greek victory. The Kapetanissa was among those in charge of redistributing the seized possessions of the departing Ottomans and roguishly helped herself and her crews to plenty of loot.

Laskarina used Nafplion as a base for her battleships over the next few years. In 1824, a Civil War of sorts broke out among the Greek rebels which was waged simultaneously with the larger War of Independence. 

Our lady was part of the rebel faction supporting General Theodoros Kolokotronis, to whose son Panos Laskarina’s daughter Eleni was married. Eventually that faction of the Civil War was defeated and driven from Nafplios.

The Kapetanissa returned to Spetses, where her political opponents had her imprisoned for a time. Released in early 1825, Laskarina had an affair with northern rebel leader Theodore Grivas.

Our heroine’s son in law Panos was killed during the war and she hoped to marry off her now widowed daughter Eleni in order to cement a new political alliance as the Greek War of Independence continued.

When Laskarina’s son Georgios eloped with Eugenia Koutsi to save her from a forced marriage to a man she hated, members of the spurned groom’s family attacked our heroine’s home and shot her to death on May 22nd, 1825.

Sadly, such in-fighting was typical of the Greek War of Independence, which raged until September of 1829 before ending in a victory for the Greeks and their (as of 1826) British, French and Russian allies.

At any rate, after Laskarina’s death, Tsar Alexander the 1st of Russia named her an honorary Admiral of the Russian Navy.   

This extraordinary woman’s life and exploits have become as embellished as those of countless other folk figures around the world. Her accomplishments in land and sea warfare are undeniable but her legend has also been saddled with anecdotes about her supposed willingness to take any man she desired at gunpoint if necessary.

And, typical of artwork from the time period, portraits of Laskarina make her look like anyone from Alan Arkin to Zooey Deschanel.