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Laskarina BubulinaHeroine of the Greek revolution of 1821, admiral of the Russian fleet.
Date of Birth: 11.05.1771
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Content:
Biography of Laskarina Bouboulina
Laskarina Bouboulina, a heroine of the Greek Revolution of 1821 and an admiral of the Russian fleet, was born in a Turkish prison in Constantinople. She was the daughter of Captain Stanis Pinotsis, a participant in the Greek revolution against Ottoman rule in 1769-1770. After her father's death, Laskarina and her mother were released from prison and settled on the island of Hydra. Four years later, her mother remarried, and they moved to the island of Spetses.
Life and Achievements
Laskarina Bouboulina was married twice. When her husband Dimitrios Bouboulis was killed in battle against Algerian pirates, she inherited his business and ships. With her own funds, she built the eighteen-gun corvette "Agamemnon." In 1816, Ottoman authorities attempted to confiscate Bouboulina's property due to her second husband's participation in the Russo-Turkish War on the side of Russia. As a result, she was forced to travel to Constantinople to meet with the Russian ambassador, Count Stroganov, who then sent her to Crimea for her safety. After three months in Crimea, Bouboulina returned to Spetses.
Bouboulina was a wealthy woman and used her own money to maintain a small fleet with crews and an army of rebels. She also financed the underground Greek organization called "Filiki Eteria," purchasing weapons and provisions for them. In 1821, during the siege of the fortress of Nafplion, she displayed immense courage by leading the rebels in a decisive assault on the fortress. Greek historian Filimon wrote, "The indecisive became resolute beside her, while the courageous retreated in front of her..." On her ship, the "Agamemnon," she first raised the national flag of Greece.
Recognition and Tragic End
Bouboulina's courage was highly appreciated in Russia. Emperor Alexander I bestowed upon her the title of Admiral of the Russian Fleet and gifted her a Mongolian sword as a recognition of her merits. This made her the first and only woman in history to hold the rank of Admiral in the Russian Fleet.
In 1825, Bouboulina met a tragic end during a dispute with the Koutsis family, whose daughter was raped by her son from her first marriage. During the altercation, she was shot by an unknown assailant. The killer was never found. Bouboulina's heirs handed over the corvette "Agamemnon" to the Greek government, which was renamed "Spetses" and became the flagship of the Greek fleet. It was burned down at the Poros naval base during the Greek Civil War in 1831.
To commemorate Bouboulina, a museum dedicated to her is located in Spetses, and a statue of her stands in the port. Many streets in Greece and Cyprus are named after her. In Nikolai Gogol's novel "Dead Souls," when describing the interior of Sobakevich's house, he highlights a portrait of "the Greek heroine Bobelina, whose one leg seemed larger than the entire body of those dandies who fill the salons of today."