The Greek War of Independence: The Struggle for Freedom from Ottoman Oppression

The Greek struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire captured the imagination of the world. It was the revolution of the Romantic Age, inspiring painters, poets & patriots the world over, fired as much by Lord Byron's ringing words & Delacroix's brilliant paintings as by Greece's seemingly hopeless plight. For nearly four hundred years the Ottoman Turks governed Greece, subjecting it to crushing & arbitrary tax burdens & its peasants to serfdom; the glories of the ancient past were gone, & under Turkish rule Greece was poor & backward. But inspired by the examples of the American & French revolutions, Napoleon's victories, & the Latin American wars of liberation, the Greek people rose up against their Turkish masters in 1821. For twelve brutal years--years of terrible violence & bloody massacre--the Greeks & the foreign volunteers who flocked to their cause fought until independence was finally won in 1833. The Greek War of Independence is certain to be the standard history for many years to come. David Brewer has captured it brilliantly, from the ground up--the heroes & villains, the victories & tragic defeats. Greece was, as Byron said, a land with a special destiny--"Freedom's home, or Glory's grave."David Brewer is the author of 'The Greek War of Independence: The Struggle for Freedom from Ottoman Oppression' with ISBN 9781585671724 and ISBN 158567172X.