Andreas Miaoulis

Andreas Vokos (or Bokos) Miaoulis (May 20th 1768 - June 24th 1835), is a Admiral and a Greek politician who ordered the Greek naval forces during the war of independence. Miaoulis was born on the island from Eubée and settled on the island of Hydra in the east of the Morée. When the war of independence bursts, it is especially for its fellow-citizens a corn chandler having made fortune. He however was captain in the Merchant navy and was thus selected to carry out the naval forces of the islands when they were raised against the occupation ottomane.
The inhabitants of the islands were saved worse excesses of the Turkish authority, but suffered hard from the conscription carried out in order to train the crews of the ships Turkish, this is why it seemed particularly open to the idea to tackle the forces of the Sultan by the sea and took an active share with the combat at the beginning of the insurrection. At the beginning of 1822, Miaoulis was named Navarque insurgent fleet. The same year, it ordered forwarding sent to be avenged for the massacre of Tap-holes. It also took part in the fight against the first seat of Missolonghi in December 1822 and January 1823. In 1824, after the conquest of Psara by the Turks, it ordered the Greek forces which prevented the progression of the fleet of the Sultan ahead, however at the price of many ships and men. But the same year it could not prevent the Egyptian troops from occupying Navarin, in spite of a keen resistance. In 1825, it succeeds in transporting provisions and reinforcements in Missolonghi, besieged for the second time, without managing this time to avoid its fall. Its efforts to cut the maritime communications of the Egyptian forces failed, partly because of the enormous disproportion between the two squadrons and of the power of the ships.

Whereas the war continued, the naval force of the Greeks decreased, partly because of the lack of money but also of the increase in piracy with the general anarchy which reigned in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Miaoulis continued to direct the Greek fleet until the former officer of the Royal Navy Thomas Cochrane, 10th count de Dundonald entered to the service of the Greek army. The control of the fight had then passed in the hands of the great powers. Miaoulis thus took its retirement in order to leave any liberty of action to the English officer.

When independence was declared, Miaoulis took share with the civil war which followed, as an opponent of Kapodistrias and of the Russian party. The inhabitants of Poros and Hydra established a " then; Constitutionnel" committee;. It had to employ its naval knowledge against the government with Poros in 1831. Kapodistrias ordered in Miaoulis, which ordered floats it Greek whose home port was Poros, to prepare it to install. Rather than to obey, Miaoulis seized the arsenal and the ships, mainly of the flagship Hellas and the vapor Karteria . August 13rd, 1831, whereas it should have entrusted the command of the fleet to the Russian admiral Ricord, Miaoulis made jump the flagship Hellas and the corvette Hydra .

Miaoulis was also among those which one sent to invite the King Othon to accept the crown of Greece. This one did it thereafter vice-admiral. Miaoulis died in Athens on June 24th 1835.

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