On July 28, 1822, the Souliotes surrendered for the second and final time, forced out of their mountain stronghold in Ep...

On July 28, 1822, the Souliotes surrendered for the second and final time, forced out of their mountain stronghold in Epirus after the Greek revolutionary forces were crushed at the Battle of Peta earlier that month. By September 2, they had abandoned Souli entirely, scattering across the Greek lands to fight on in the War of Independence. At the end of the revolution, only around 200 Souliotes remained alive. The Souliotes were among the most feared fighters of the Ottoman era, 47 warrior clans spread across 11 villages in the rugged mountains of Thesprotia, between the twin peaks of Kougki and Kiafa. They trained for war from childhood, sold protection to surrounding villages, and paid tribute to the Sultan just enough to preserve their autonomy. For decades, the Ottoman Empire and local Albanian-Turkish lords could not break them. Ali Pasha of Ioannina launched three separate campaigns against them before finally forcing a surrender in December 1803. The Souliotes left their ancestral land in three columns, armed and with their families. During that retreat, 60 Souliot women and their children chose to throw themselves off the cliffs at Zalongo rather than be taken captive, an act remembered today as the Dance of Zalongo. The Souliotes returned to Souli in December 1820, allied with their old enemy Ali Pasha against the Sultan, and fought on under Markos Botsaris after Ali was killed in January 1822. The defeat at Peta ended that stand. They went on to serve the Greek revolution in other theaters, but Souli itself was lost forever. Of the 11 original Souliot villages, only Samoniva is inhabited today, and its current residents have no connection to the Souliotes. The ruins of Kougki and the fortress of Kiafa still stand. #Souliotes #GreekRevolution #OnThisDay