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| Greece map of Ottoman era |
The demography of Epirus of the nineteenth century surprises Greek and Albanian scholars, revealing each one his version. But what was the true extension of the Greek element to Epirus?
The Konica.al portal brings an unknown story hidden in the endless British bookstore. Seen with the eyes of Anthony Trollope, one of the most prominent publicists of the Victorian era, Epirus was distinguished for his Albanian element and the vividness of the anti-Ottoman uprisings.
The part we bring to our readers is disconnected from the fifth volume of 'Saint Pauls Magazine', published in 1870. |
Portrait of Anthony Trollope |
"The Greeks in Epirus and Thessaly, though not as rich as those in Rumeli, are politically in the same condition. In Epirus, most of them can be found in a community of 50 villages that lie at the foot of Pind Mount, at a tribe called Zagori. Each of these villages chooses a magistrate, and the magistrates then choose the first one, through which they communicate with the Pasha of Ioannina, in the capital. In these cities, the Greeks, who are among the wisest and richest part of the population, have the same kind of self-government as in the villages. "
Albanians, the most numerous race in Epirus
"The main authority is in the hands of the Turks, who stand in the castle together with the Jews - the latter, all over Turkey, are the greatest proponents of Ottoman rule, but the most powerful and largest race in the province are Albanians, who quite often are wrongly taken as Greeks. Albanians supply the Turkish army with the best soldiers, and are constantly used in Crete and other Greek regions to calm the riots. "
Albanians, these great nonreligious
"Unlike the Greeks, they have a very pale religious feeling, and among them are as Muslim as Christian. An Albanian often becomes Muslim in order to grasp a lucrative post in government, but his wife remains a Christian; Often happens that during a party a kind of cake is made, and a part of which is made with flour and water for the Christian wife, and the other half with meat, butter and vegetables for the Muslim man.
Albanians, different from Greeks
"The Albanian language is said to be derived from Illyrians, which is completely incomprehensible to a Greek. There is no doubt that if the Albanians were to join the Greeks during the revolution, the Sultan would also lose Epirus and Thessaly. But Ali Pasha's uprising was essentially Albanian, and was quite different from the Hellenic movement in More. According to M. Poujade, an Albanian leader entered Akarnania in order to join the rebels; But when he heard people call out 'Let's survive our race!', He turned back, knowing that the race he owned had nothing in common with the Greeks."/Oculus News