Photine Kalogiorgis Pappageorge (Ya Ya)

Photine Kalogiorgis, my Yia Yia, was also known as Francis.
Her husband was Nick Pappageorge
She was born in 1889 and died June 10, 1959.
She was twenty years old in 1909 when she came to the U.S.

The town that where she was born was Balsoui, Ioannina Nomos (Near Dodónis) Greece. (The shrine of Dodoni was the oldest Hellenic oracle, according to the fifth-century historian Herodotus and in fact dates to pre-Hellenic times)

Photine’s family came from the area of Souli.

The core of Souli was the “Tetrachori” (Four Villages: Souli, Kiafa, Avariko and Samoniva), which are believed to have been founded some time around 1600 AD. The formation of the Four Villages occurred after settlers from the plains of Thesprotia migrated up into the mountains of Mourgas.

The Souliotes established an autonomous confederacy dominating a large number of neighbouring villages in the remote mountainous areas of Epirus, where they could successfully resist Ottoman rule. At the height of its power, in the second half of the 18th century, the Souliot state is estimated to have comprised up to 12,000 inhabitants in about 60 villages.

The Ottoman Turks attempted numerous times to conquer the territories of the Souliot Confederacy. The first conflicts between the Souliotes and the Ottomans (including Muslim Albanians) date back to 1635, if not earlier.

After 168 years of bitter conflict the Souliotes were eventually worn down.
The Souliotes obtained all of their supplies from Parga, and also acquired support from Europe. Russia and France provided weapons and ammunition to them. For the European powers, the Souliotes were seen as an instrument to weaken the Ottoman Empire. When the British politicians turned to the Ottoman Empire in order to strengthen their forces against Napoleon, the weapons and ammunition supplies were interrupted. Without support from outside and wearied by years of siege, the unity of the Souliot clans started to split.
The Souliotes won all of the decisive battles, so Ali Pasha was forced to build castles in neighboring villages and prepared himself for a long siege. The Souliots stayed without food and ammunition, but they could have held longer if not for a traitor named Pelios Gouses who helped the Ottomans to enter into the village of Souli. The Souliots withdrew to the fortresses of Kiafa and Kughi, where they fought their last battle on December 7, 1803. They eventually capitulated and Ali Pasha promised to release them with all of their property and even weapons to the Ionian Islands.
On December 12, 1803, the Souliotes left Souli towards the coast of Epirus. A monk named Samuel remained in Kughi and set fire to the powder magazines with a massive explosion that cost him his life. In the meantime, the Turkish army attacked the other Souliots, neglecting the promises Ali Pasha had made to them.

It was December 16, 1803, and 22 Souliot women were trapped on the cliffs of Zalongo. They turned towards the steep cliff while their dance began. As the enemy charged against them, the women one-by-one threw their children from the cliff of Zalongo before jumping after them. The women ultimately chose death over enslavement. Today, a monument stands on the cliffs of Zalongo as a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the Souliot women, and the popular Dance of Zalongo is danced throughout Greece. A number of Souliotes also reached the harbor of Parga, which was under Russian control at the time. The Souliots either settled down in Parga or set off for the Ionian Islands.

 

The_Souliot_Women

The Souliot Women A painting by Ary Scheffer(1795-1858)

 

Reference: Wikipedia

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