Panagiotis Benakis (1700-1771)

 Born in Kalamata in the Peloponnese, he was a noble, a leading figure of 18th century Greece and patron of the Greek Revolution in 1770.

He was a merchant and trader who acquired much wealth, acquiring thousands of acres of land in the Peloponnese, particularly around Kalamata. With this wealth, he would pay off Ottoman leaders with money and gifts, to keep them off his and the rest of the Greeks backs in the area around Kalamata.

In 1767, Panagiotis Benakis was alerted to the planned Greek Revolution, known later as the Orlov Revolt. He used his house as a secret meeting place for various Greek leaders, the various Bishops and nobles from around the Peloponnese – Tripoli, Corinth, Sparta, Patra.

All agreed to sign the agreement, to join forces and gave their blessing for a Greek Revolution, but with the express promise of significant military and financial support from Russia, who had initiated proceedings for a Greek uprising and which would ultimately never materialise.

In 1770, when the Revolution broke out, Panagiotis Benakis personally supplied and equipped, several military field divisions of Maniot fighters to take part.

Fairly soon, all realised that the promised support from Russia were lies and they would not arrive, with the revolt being brutally put down. Benakis seeing the writing on the wall, fled to Naxos and his family to Kythira, with his possessions and properties seized by the Ottomans.

Many speculate of Russian involvement in his death in 1771, with claims the Russians had poisoned him before he could correspond with Empress Catherine of Russia, fearful that he would expose the betrayal, mistakes & failures of the Russian military.

Panagiotis Benakis house in Kalamata, has since become the Archaeological Museum of Kalamata.

Hellenic Patriotism