Throughout the 1821 revolution on Crete, the men of Agios Vasileios had a dynamic presence in the military operations that took place throughout the island. Many battles were won largely thanks to their contribution, while at the same time important personages of Agios Vasileios, especially Melchisedek and Georgios Tsouderos, offered significant support to the struggle, both in financial terms and with their physical presence.

In 1830, at the end of the Revolution, the London Protocol was signed whereby the first Greek state was recognised; its territories, however, did not include Crete. Despite its contribution to the struggle, the island passed once again into the hands of the Sultan, who in turn sold it to the satrap of Egypt, Muhammad.

It would take another 80 years of struggle and bloodshed to bring about the much-desired Union on 1 December 1913.
 

One of the most tragic events of the revolution on Crete took place at the Byzantine church of Panagia Lampini.
In early 1829 a group of Turks led by Albanis raided the church during Mass. At the time most of the villagers were inside, carrying a few weapons. 

Outside the church, the Turks called on the Christians to surrender. When they refused, soldiers threw flammable materials into the sacred site and set fire to the entrance, making the atmosphere inside suffocating.

Despite the assurances of the Turks that the faithful have nothing to fear if they surrendered, when the door of the temple flew open, the enemies stormed in and slaughtered the men. The women and children were taken captive and led to Rethymno, where they were sold into slavery. The tragic priest of the church was also taken to Rethymno, where he breathed his last, exhausted and abused, inside the mosque of “Sohora”, where he was dragged to by a Khawaja to save him from the furious Muslim crowd.
 

At the end of previous year, Hatzimichalis Dalianis travelled to Crete to assume leadership of the revolution. Tsouderos, standing by his side, financially supported the struggle and, together with the men of Agios Vasileios, participated in Dalianis’ military operations. 
In early May, the fighters of Lambi would accompany Dalianis for the last time in the glorious battle at Frangokastello in Sfakia. It was there that a small force of Cretans, fortified inside the fortress, would clash with the 8,000 men of Mustafa Daili, general commander of Crete. After a fierce struggle, the rebels exited from the Castle, within which the legendary chieftain remained with a few men. The operation would eventually be drowned in blood, ending with the death of all the defenders of Frangokastello, including Dalianis himself.
 

The fighters of the Province of Agios Vasilios continued to contribute to the struggle by participating in conflicts outside the Province. These include the famous battle that took place at the Monastery of Panagia Odigitria in Messara in March 1828. It is estimated that 3,000 Turks marched against Iosif Xopateras or Xepapas, who, together with other leaders in Messara, constantly harangued the Turks. Faced with overwhelming enemy forces, Xopateras fortified himself in the high tower of the monastery and, after a three-day siege, died tragically.

In the autumn of 1824, four fighters and crypto-Christians from Melampes, Agios Vasileios, suffered martyrs’ deaths . Until 1821, they officially appeared as Muslims under the surname Rezepis, while as Christians, Manuel, Angelis, George and Nikolaos known under the surname Vlatakis. 

When the revolution broke out, the four Melampians openly took the side of the revolutionary Greeks and bravely participated in the battles, offering valuable assistance in the struggle. 

Their attitude provoked the Turks’ anger over the “mockery of Allah by the Retzepides”. As a result, they were arrested and taken to Rethymno, where, first with exhortations and admonitions, the Turks tried in vain to change their mind. Subsequently, the commander of Rethymno, Ahmet Pasha, subjected them to brutal torture, but without result.

On October 28th, they were executed to set an example in the square of the same name in Rethymno, which was named the Square of the Four Martyrs in their honour. Today, the venerable relics of the Holy Martyrs are buried in the holy church of Saint George in Perivolia.

The church honours them every year on October 28th and their hymn was written by the Bishop of Rethymno and Avlopotamos, Kallinikos Nikoletakis, another important figure from Asomatos, Agios Vasileios.

 

In August 1823, the men of Agios Vasileios, under the leadership of Georgios Tsouderos, fought a battle in Amourgelles, Heraklion. The numerical superiority of the enemy and their arms, combined with the absence of chieftains such as Roussos Vourdoubas and others, proved disastrous for the Cretan rebels, who suffered an overwhelming defeat.

Of the fighters from Agios Vasileios, all the monks of Preveil Monastery were killed and the miraculous cross of Ephraim that was placed at the front of every battle fell into the hands of the enemy. Completely unexpectedly, this sacred relic would return to the Monastery in November of the same year thanks to Genoese adventurers, an event called a miracle.

 

In early 1823, the Province of Kissamos desperately sought help from the Chancellery to face Turkish violence.
The Secretary-General of the Provisional Government of Crete, Neophytos Oikonomou, sent an expeditionary detachment, consisting, among others, of Melchisedek Tsouderos and his men. The Cretans clashed with the Turks at Polemarchi in Chania.  The battle was victorious for the Christians, but cost the life of a great hero and fighter of the region and Crete in general: Melchisedek Tsouderos.

The death of this great personage would be described in detail by his nephew, Michael Tsouderos, in an article in the ‘Radamanthys’ newspaper a few decades later, referring to the exhortations of the wounded Melchisedek before he died to his comrades to continue of the struggle and assigning leadership of Preveli Monastery to Neilos Moschovitis:

“After many victorious battles, Melchisedek Tsouderos was fatally wounded on April 1st, 1823, during the battle in Polemarchi, Province of Kissamos, (b) having survived for 7 hour after receiving the wound, he ordered the armed monks accompanying him to elect his beloved Neilos Moskovitis as the Hegumen of the Monastery and his replacement, and exhorted his fellow fighters around him and asked them to swear in the name of the Holy Trinity to continue the war against the unfaithful with brotherly concord and love until their homeland was free, before surrendering his spirit to the Lord.”
Athens, May 26th, 1873
Michael TSOUDEROS

(Published in the Rethymno newspaper ‘RADAMANTHYS’ on July 9th, 1873)
 

Georgios Tsouderos was appointed leader of the province of Agios Vasilios by Afentoulief and was sworn in as a Pentakosiarch on April 4th, 1822.

The men of Agios Vasileios took part in the French philhellene Valestra's failed operation in Rethymno. Valestras aimed to seize the Fortress of Rethymno, which he believed would serve as the seat of revolutionary Crete and its resupply centre, a better spot than the remote Loutro.  According to his plans, through coordinated attacks near the city of Rethymno, he intended to lure the strong garrison of Fortezza away from the Fortress and then, after encircling them with a strong group of rebels, to seize the easily-guarded fortress that would, in the meantime, have been left defended by a small number of men.

Meanwhile, Afentoulief, who feared Valestra's glory, following secret consultations with the chieftain Papadakis, manages to sabotage the plan. According to Mourellos, the latter, following the orders of the leader of Crete, upon hearing the signal to attack, did not bring his men into battle, despite commanding the majority of the revolutionary forces, and left his other comrades exposed to danger: "unfortunately, when the time came, he did not move at all, a truly unworthy deed," as Protopapadakis comments.

At the Petalo site on Mount Vrysinas, Tsouderos, together with other Rethymniots who intended to surround the enemies from the side, unwisely revealed themselves to the enemies early, thus receiving the first strong attack from a powerful Turkish contingent far superior in number. Faced with the danger of being decimated, the Rethymniot chieftains retreated, suffering several losses. 

Valestras' plan not only failed but also claimed his life and those of many Cretan fighters.
 

The French philhellene officer Joseph Valest or Valestras or Balestras came to Greece from Trieste as early as the summer of 1821 together with Dimitris Ypsilantis, who appointed him colonel and tasked him with organising a standing army corps. This corps, which consists of volunteers, Greek and foreign philhellenes, the so-called black-wearers, achieved significant victories against the Turks in the Peloponnese.

In March 1822, Valestras arrives in Loutro, Crete in order to organise the forces and military operations of the rebels.  Just a month later, on April 8th, he led the Cretan fighters to success, who, led by Valestras and the chieftains Vourdoubas and Deligiannakis, won a glorious battle with the Turks outside Kastellos near Rethymno.

 

Melampian chieftains set an ambush for Chanialis, leader of the Turks of Tympaki and Messara. The Aga, with three hundred well equipped Turks, headed toward Melampes on Easter Day. His purpose was to take revenge on the Melampians for their revolutionary action and to mount a surprise attack on Easter night, expecting to find the village and all its inhabitants gathered together and unprepared.

However, the Melampians learned of his plans, rallied with the residents of the surrounding villages of Agios Vasilios and armed themselves, setting an ambush at the site of Rothiano stream near the village of Melampes. According to tradition, the guards placed on watch realised the enemies were approaching at night thanks to the sparks flying from the shoes of horses galloping on the stones of the coast.

The approaching, unsuspecting Turks received a surprising, powerful blow from the rebels. Several Christians were killed in the violent conflict that ensued —120 according to sources— but most of the casualties were Turks, including their leader, Chanialis. The enemies retreated when their leader perished, and the Cretan rebels celebrated their victory. In fact, according to local tradition, the Turks renamed this place Kako Ryaki (Bad Stream) due to this debacle. Other sources on the battle say that Ioannis Asoumakis (Asoumanis) from Krya Vrisi in Agios Vasilios, who killed Chanialis, was thought to be dead by his family. To everyone's surprise and delight, he appeared after his own funeral while preparing the kollyva (traditional boiled wheat) for the nine-day memorial service, riding on Chanialis’ mare with a large scarf around his neck.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the martyrs Manuel, Georgios, Angelis, and Nikolaos took part in this battle. 

 

The Turks ordered the three pashas of Crete, Osman of Rethymno, Latin of Chania, and Serif of Heraklion, to head to Sfakia in order to strike at the leaders of the revolution. 

They fought in the streets with the rebels, who set up an ambush near Monastiraki on February 9th. Skirmishes lasted all day, without the enemies being able to move Christians from their positions. In the evening, Georgios Tsouderos and R. Vourdoubas from Sfakia gave the signal for a general attack:

“Charge the louts!”. 

Surprised, the Turks suddenly retreated, and many were killed, falling into the hands of the Cretans. The gunfire temporarily ceased in the dark of night.
Fierce battles were fought for 4 days, during which the rebels lost many brave young men. One of the biggest losses was the death of the Rethymniot chieftain Melidonis, who was killed in a civil conflict at the fraternal hand of Roussos Vourdoubas.

His death would trigger feelings of discontent and frustration among the fighters, marking the end of the conflict. At this difficult time, Georgios Tsouderos attempted to salvage what he could. Maintaining his composure, he tried admonitions to prevent the revolutionaries from breaking down. However, despite his prestige and the respect that his personality commanded, he could not convince his comrades to continue the battle. After the burial of Melidonis, his men left for Arkadi. Thus, the rest abandoned the fight, the last being the chieftains and captains who had stayed with Tsouderos and, seeing the size of the enemy's forces, retreated to Agios Vasileios.

The Turks, finding Monastiraki defenceless, seized it without trouble and held Amari.

 

The Tsouderos brothers, together with Melidonis and the Delligianakis chieftains, joined forces in a raid just outside Rethymno. Upon encountering this surprise attack, the Turks occupied the site of Birici Kule or Deligiorgianna, as the small hill in Pervolia is called, where it seems that a small fortress stood at the time, and which is very close to the city. According to Mourellos, in the face of this peril, Osman Pasha himself took part and, in fact, was in danger when facing the rebels. 

The battle was intense and long: “Rabidly fierce, they struck each other with guns and knives, stubbornly fighting all day outside the fortress toward the beach”. In the end, the Cretans manage to repel the Turks, forcing them to fortify themselves in the city's Fortezza. Subsequently, unable to stay in this advanced location, they gathered as much loot as they could carry from what the enemies had left behind when retreating and left, heading southeast toward Amnatos.
 

Approximately 2,000 Turks led by the fearless Glymidalis clashed with the troops of Georgios Tsouderos, Petros Manouselis, Andreas Manouselis, Roussos Vourdoumpas, Melidonis and Deligiannakis in the region of Akonia on Mount Vrysinas.  The battle began on January 13th, with the Greek side consisting of just 700 rifles; nevertheless, they managed to hold and eventually prevail. The clash concluded with the beheading of the Janissary leader by Andreas Manouselis, brother of Sfakian chieftain Petros Manouselis. “Here's your leader, you louts! That's how you'll all end up!”, he threatened the enemies, reportedly.

The Turks, who had once again underestimated the fighting spirit of the Cretans, lost heart upon seeing their leader dead and retreated, leaving behind their arms, a precious treasure for the rebels. 
 

In late October, at the request of the Chancellery, Afentoulief Komninos arrived in Loutro, Sfakia on Crete, having been selected by Ypsilantis, as General Prefect with the authority to command the revolution in Crete.

After his death, Ishmael Kountouris was replaced the bloodthirsty Delis Mustafa. In retaliation for the crushing defeat suffered by the Turks at Ai Giannis Kammenos, the new leader, with the aid of 300 Ampadiots and reinforcements from Heraklion, ruthlessly burned villages in the province of Agios Vasilios, which he found defenceless as the rebels were located far away. According to Mourellos:

“He found the time to loot the villages of Krya Vrysi, Akoumia and Melambes, killing the Christians who did not have time to leave.” Moving towards Kissos, he completely destroyed the Monastery of the Holy Spirit. His vengeful fury did not even spare the Hegumen and his 4 monks, whom he slaughtered to set an example.

When the Cretan fighters learned what had happened, they were not daunted; instead, the forcefully and courageously mounted a counter-attack, bolstered by their recent victory and the exhortations of Melchisedek: “My brothers, the victory we won the day before yesterday was the resurrection of our hopes and the forerunner of our nation’s freedom. At this time another opportunity arises: to glorify our arms again and raise the hopes that began to inspire our enslaved brothers.” 

Thus, on June 15th, 1821, the revolutionaries routed the men of Deli Mustafa near Spili, at the site of Kapsale, while the head of the Turks himself was taken prisoner by Ioannis Tsouderos, Melchisedek's brother, and was later executed.
 

The Preveli Monastery Force, led by the Tsouderos brothers along with other Rethymniot and Sfakian fighters, carried out a surprise attack at dawn on the army of Ishmael Kountouris at the site of Ai Giannis Kammenos in Agios Vasilios. The Turkish Aga had gathered 600 Ampadiot Turks and was awaiting reinforcements from Heraklion and Rethymnon in order to raid Sfakia, capture the chieftains and bring them to Rethymno. However, his plan would fail.

In the fierce battle that followed, the Turkish side suffered many losses, while the death of their notorious leader Kountouris would lead the enemies to a disorderly retreat. Panic prevailed. The surviving soldiers abandoned the battlefield in a panic, tossing their arms away and leaving behind valuable loot for the Cretans, "sufficient to arm almost all unarmed club-bearers", as Mourellos comments.
This first victory after the official declaration of the Revolution caused enthusiasm among the rebels and at the same time encourages many non-participants of the island to take part in the Struggle.
 

Chieftains from the province of Sfakia gathered at the monastery of Panagia Thymiani in Komitades, Sfakia and officially declared the Revolution throughout the island. In fact, that is why the Monastery has been called the Agia Lavra of Crete. At this point, the Chancellery, a committee for the Struggle, was elected and tasked with directing the revolution, its centre set in Sfakia. A plan was organised and duties were assigned to the chieftains.

Upon arriving at Asomati Monastery, Melchisedek joined up with his brothers Georgios and Ioannis Tsouderos and formed the armed force of Preveli Monastery, consisting of 30 monks and several (approximately 160) laymen from the surrounding villages. All together, they headed toward Sfakia. In accordance with local tradition, upon reaching Rodakino, at Saint George Methystis, on Kourkoulos Hill, Hegumen Melchisedek performed mass, blessed the fighters’ weapons and raised the first revolutionary flag at this location. News of the events quickly spread to Sfakia and within a few hours the neighbouring provinces of Apokoronas, Kydonia, Selino, Kissamos, Rethymno, Amari and Avlopotamos were prepared.

In the meantime, on the morning of the same day, Ishmael found Preveli Monastery empty of monks. Upon realising that he failed in his mission, he violently took revenge. He destroyed the Monastery and all its holdings, looted everything he could and brutally killed the helpless brothers who had been left behind.

The Monastery Codex contains a relevant passage concerning Kountouris’ visit: “…Having brazenly entered this Holy Monastery of Preveli and spent a few days, when he realised their flight, he commanded that fire be set to the Monastery and the church of Timios Prodromos was set alight, followed by the two priories, eight bedrooms, two olive presses, four guest rooms, eight monk cells and sundry others. All the foregoing were completely burned.”
 

After the hanging of Patriarch Gregory V on April 21st, Melchisedek Tsouderos, Hegumen of Preveli Monastery, was targeted by the Turks, who had seized correspondence between the two men. Ishmael Aga Kountouris, at the order of the Sublime Porte, was tasked with arresting and hanging the Hegumen - member of the Philike Hetaireia, together with the monks.

So, on May 23rd, he entered the monastery with 300 Ampadiot Turks and, in order not to raise suspicions, he asked the Hegumen to hand over the monastery's arms. Melchisedek, who was prepared for the visit, disorients Kountouris by stating there are no weapons at the monastery, while offering lavish hospitality to him and his men. In the evening, while the Turks slept after a hearty feast, Melchisedek hid the monastery's holy relics with absolute secrecy and, together with 30 monks and 6 loads of arms which he had produced in time, swiftly headed for the nearby Asomati Monastery.