The Greek revolt of 1821 (referred to by the Greeks as "Greek Revolution") and the War of Independence that followed and lasted for some eight years led to the formation of a Greek independent state in 1832. But what made the Christian Orthodox Ottoman subjects define themselves as Greeks?
The Organization of the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire was an assortment of diverse and largely self-ruled and self-sufficient groups. These groups were mostly illiterate agrarian peoples, heavily-taxed, ruled by their respective churches and local government. The subject populations were divided according to religious affiliation into millets: major millets were the Muslim, the Orthodox Christian, the Armenian and the Jewish millet. They defined themselves in religious as opposed to national terms.
Changes in the Ottoman Empire
The origins of the Greek War of Independence lay in the changes that took place in the Ottoman Empire by the end of the 18th century. As a result of the economic, political, social and intellectual changes that weakened the Ottoman Empire some of the Orthodox Christians started to see themselves as Greeks.
A change in the land holding system encouraged the rise of local Muslim notables who acquired more power and independence and challenged the central government, or Sublime Porte. This change also brought extreme hardship and adversity to the peasants and made them more receptive to nationalist propaganda.
With the Ottomans happy to leave trade in the hands of their subjects, there emerged a class of merchants, seamen and artisans, many of whom were Greek. Trade grew rapidly and with it the number of people who came into contact with Western Europe. Many Christian Orthodox intellectuals studied in Europe and were influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution.
Christian Orthodox to Greek
Those who were exposed to the Western European concepts of nationality and statehood imported them to the Ottoman-occupied lands. Merchants and intellectuals cultivated the notion of Greek national identity as opposed to Christian Orthodox. Educational and cultural societies were formed that promoted Greek education and archaeological excavations to rediscover the Greek past.
The secret society, Filiki Etairia or Society of Friends, which was formed in 1814, had an explicitly political purpose: to liberate the Motherland. This was a goal that could only be achieved by armed revolt. However, for most "motherland" meant one's village and regional loyalties and identities held strong.
The revolt, or “Greek revolution”, that broke out in the spring of 1821 developed into a fully-fledged War for Independence. Its origins are complex and throughout it the issue of Christian Orthodox vs. Greek remained open. But the result was the transformation (often painful) of some of the Orthodox Christian subjects of the Sultan into Greeks.
Sources:
Richard Clogg, A Short History of Modern Greece, Cambridge University Press 1984
Justin McCarthy, The Ottoman Peoples and the End of Empire, Arnold: London 2004
Thanasis Sfikas and Christopher Williams (eds.), Ethnicity and Nationalism in East Central Europe and the Balkans, Ashgate: England 1999.
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