Grigorios Dimitrios Dikaios-Flessas (; 1788 – 20 May 1825), popularly known as Papaflessas (), was a Greek priest and government official who became one of the most influential figures during the Greek War of Independence. The prefix () in the name PapaflessasΔημήτρης Καμπουράκης, "Μια σταγόνα ιστορία", Εκδόσεις Πατάκη 2002 indicates his status as a cleric since the word means 'priest' in Greek. He was appointed Archimandrite in 1819. He served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Chief of Police in the government of Alexander Mavrokordatos. Papaflessas was killed during the Battle of Maniaki on 20 May 1825, fighting against the forces of Ibrahim Pasha at Maniaki, Messenia.
Name Georgios Dimitrios Dikaios-Flessas was his birth name. His monastic name was Grigorios Flessas (, Grigórios Flessas) or Papaflessas, while the pseudonym he used later in his life was Grigorios Papaflessas ().Μεγάλη Ελληνική Εγκυκλοπαίδεια του "ΠΥΡΣΟΥ" τομ. ΚΔ σελ. 62 : "γνωστόν όμως είναι ότι ο ως αρχηγός αυτής φερόμενος Γεώργιος Παναγιώτου Δικαίος έγεννήθη τω 1716 εν Πολιανή... Το επώνυμο Φλέσσας έλαβε ο κλάδος αυτός [sc. της οικογενείας] εκ τού Φλιασίου πεδίου, όπου κατοίκησε, προς διάκρισιν των άλλων συγγενών Δικαίων, των εχόντων το αυτό επώνυμο."Φώτιος Χρυσανθόπουλος. "Βίος του παπά Φλέσα" Συγγραφείς μεν υπό Φωτάκου εκδοθείς δε υπό Σ. Καλκάνδη. Εν Αθήναις: Τύποις Νομιμότητας, 1868, σελ. 1 και 2 : "Ό Δημήτριος Φλέσσας κατήγετο εκ μιας των έξοχωτέρων οικογενειών της επαρχίας Μεγαλουπόλεως και έγεννήθη εις το χωρίον Πολιανή του δήμου Άμφείας. Δίκαιοι δε ώνομάζοντο όλοι οι απόγονοι της οικογενείας ταύτης και μετωνομάσθησαν Φλεσσαίοι από της λέξεως Έφεσίους αναφερομένης εις τας πράξεις των Αποστόλων, και μη ορθώς προφερόμενης εν τη εκκλησία της πατρίδος των Έφλεσίους, είτα Φλεσίους, και μετά ταύτα Φλεσσαίους (chapter I)... Το έτος 1816, μετά την εξοδόν του από το σχολείον, εγένετο μοναχός (με το εκκλησιαστικό όνομα Γρηγόριος Φλέσσας Παππάς ή Παπαφλέσσας) και εμόναξεν εις το μοναστήριον της Βελανιδιάς... . Με αυτό το όνομα (Γρηγόριος Φλέσσας) γνώρισε τον Αναγνωστόπουλο και εμυήθει στην Φιλική Εταιρεία με το ψευδώνυμο "ΑΡΜΟΔΙΟΣ" και εχειτοτονήθει αργότερα Αρχιμανδρίτης από τον Γρηγόριον τον Ε' με το εκκλησιαστικό "ΟΦΦΙΚΙΟ" του Δικαίου που σημαίνει αντιπρόσωπος του Πατριάρχη. Με αυτή την ιδιότητα του Δικαίου δηλαδή ως αντιπρόσωπος του Πατριάρχη πήγε στην Μολδοβλαχία για να ξεκινήσει την επανάσταση."
Early life Grigorios Papaflessas was born Georgios Flessas or Flesias () in 1788Φωτάκου (Φωτίου Χρυσανθοπούλου), υπασπιστού Θεόδ. Κολοκοτρώνη, Κεφ. Α' Βίος του Παπαφλέσσα, στο έργο Άπαντα για τον Παπαφλέσσα, Εκδ. Μέρμηγκας, σελ. 27 in the village of Poliani in Messinia. His father was Demetrios G. Flessas (), son of the klepht Georgios Dimitriou Flessas (), and his mother, the second wife of Dimitrios, was Konstantina Andronaiou () from Dimitsana. He was the 28th child of the Dimitrios family.Βασίλειος Σφυρόερας, «Παπαφλέσ(σ)ας», Παγκόσμιο Βιογραφικό Λεξικό, τομ. 8ος, Εκδοτική Αθηνών, Αθήνα 1988, σελ. 162 In 1809, he attended the renowned school of Dimitsana, from whence many Greek national heroes graduated. While in school, he published a satire and pinned it on the door of Dimitsana Pasha (the Turkish local governor at the time) signing it "Grigorios Phos Kalamios" (). Realizing he was in danger from his action he was sent in 1815 to become a priest or monk, taking the ecclesiastical name of Gregorios Flessas or Papaflessas. For a short time, he served in this capacity in the , situated outside of the city of Kalamata, Messinia.
Clergy Grigorios was argumentative and defiant by nature and frequently at odds with his ecclesiastical superiors. He was an outlier known for radicalism and confrontation, perhaps "a touch of madness". Further, he was angry toward the Ottoman Turks because they had killed his family members. He also blessed a marriage of Mr. Zervas to his niece who was engaged to another man. He was asked to leave the monastery of Velanidia.
In April 1816, he moved to the monastery of Rekitsa (), located between Leontari and Mystras. He soon argued with his superiors and the monastery's administration. He also came into conflict with a local Turkish authority over the boundaries of the monastery property and even used armed men to protect his claims. This eventually was settled by court in Tripolitsa with the court finding in Papaflessas' and the monastery's favour. This angered the Turkish official who told the authorities that Papaflessas was a revolutionary and was arming the rayahs against the Turks. The Tripolitsa authorities sentenced Papaflessas to death and sent soldiers to the monastery to arrest and execute him. Armed Poliani fighters delayed the soldiers and Papaflessas was able to leave his homeland, saying as he did so that he would return either a bishop or a pasha and deal with them.
Papaflessas went to the Ionian island of Zakynthos, a haven for Greeks from the mainland who were under death sentence by the Turks; the Ionian islands were under the protection of other empires. There he met fellow Greek future revolutionist Theodoros Kolokotronis.Efi Allamani, "Άφιξη στην Πελοπόννησο του αρχιμανδρίτη Γρηγόριου Δικαίου (Παπαφλέσσα)", Ιστορία του Ελληνικού Έθνους, Εκδοτική Αθηνών, τομ. ΙΒ', (1975), pp. 75-76, Βασίλειος Σφυρόερας, «Παπαφλέσ(σ)ας», Παγκόσμιο Βιογραφικό Λεξικό, vol. 8th, Εκδοτική Αθηνών, Athens 1988, p. 162 He obtained a reference letter from the Archbishop of Christianoupolis (Arcadia Kyparissia). While traveling by sea to Constantinople, Papaflessas was shipwrecked on Mount Athos during which the seal on his letter of recommendation broke. Reading the letter he was surprised to find that it called him dishonest, immoral and untrustworthy, causing him to discard the letter.
He arrived in Constantinople with the goal of studying Ancient Greek and theology and to become an archbishop in the patriarchy of Agia Sofia. While studying Greek and the Periklis harangue, he also started meeting prominent "patriots". Because he was under death sentence by the Turks, and due to his reputation from Peloponnisos, he used the name Dikaios. He soon joinedΙωάννης Μελετόπουλος, «Η Φιλική Εταιρεία. Αρχείον Παναγιώτου Δημ. Σέκερη», Δελτίον της Ιστορικής και Εθνολογικής Εταιρείας της Ελλάδος, vol. 18 (1967), p. 286 the secret organization Filiki Eteria with the code name Armodios (A. M.), , and the number five (5). In an important meeting of Filiki Eteria's leadership in the town of Izmail in October 1820, he was the only Morean in attendance, and freely spoke on behalf of all Moreans, saying they were willing and ready to begin the uprising. When he arrived in the Morea later and told the Morean notables that they were expected to rebel, neither he nor his tidings were well received.
In 1819, Gregorios was ordained to the highest priesthood position, archimandrite, a rank next to bishop, by Patriarch Gregorios V of Constantinople and he was given the ecclesiastical "officio of Dikaios" (the Ecumenical Patriarch's representative), in order to be able to move freely in the Moldovlachia area and not to be bothered by the Turks. Papaflessas was sent to the northern part of the Ottoman Empire to inspire and spread hope among his countrymen for the nation's independence from the Turks.
Action in Resistance Returning to Constantinople from his successful mission, Papaflessas again came to the attention of the Turkish authorities and had to flee. At the end of 1820, he sailed to Aivali in Asia Minor and catechized all scholars of the Big School (as it was called there) while awaiting the arrival of war supplies from Smyrna. From Smyrna he received military supplies and the assurance of additional ammunition if needed.
Papaflessas traveled to several areas seeking support for a revolution against the Ottoman Empire. At the Saint George monastery he called a meeting of Greek authoritiesΑλέξανδρος Δεσποτόπουλος,«Η απόφαση του Ισμαηλίου της 7ης Οκτωβρίου 1820 και οι ενέργειες του Υψηλάντη ως τον Φεβρουάριο του 1821», Ιστορία του Ελληνικού Έθνους, Εκδοτική Αθηνών, τομ.ΙΒ, (1975), σελ.17 and high priests to discuss if the time was right to start the a revolution. After heated arguments the meeting was postponed for a later time in the monastery of Agia Lavra.
In January 1821 meetings took place with Papaflessas recounting his supplies and assurances of support coming from Russia. Concerns about the practicalities of war and the uncertainty of the promises of military support led the other participants to propose to secretly jail Flessas in the monastery of Agia Lavra in order to avoid problems for the nation. But Papaflessas had armed supporters and no one dared arrest him. The synod decided to get further information and the opinion of neighbouring countries before starting a revolution.
Flessas' problem was with the upper class (landowners) in the villages and municipalities, including the top echelon of the clergy, who did not trust Papaflessas, and his mission was received with a great deal of skepticism and fear. He felt safer to first approach farmers and peasants, and the poor class of people who were easily magnetized by his speeches looked upon him as the messiah of their freedom.
After the meeting he went to Kalavryta and met with Nikolaos Souliotis and Asimakis Skaltsas in order for them to write a letter in the first ten days of March 1821 to Oikonomos Eliopoulos. Then he retreated to Kalyvia, Messenia, waiting for news from Souliotis and Skaltsas and the arrival in Almyros, a small port near Kalamata, of the boat with the war supplies. From Kalyvia he went secretly to Gardikion (now Amfeia), near his hometown of Poliani, and learned that the small boat of Mexis Poriotis arrived in Almyros. Papaflessas immediately called his brothers, and Nikitas Flessas, the oldest brother, received the ammunition.
In March 1821, he received news the ship with military supplies had arrived. He gathered about 400 men with mules and donkeys from the Poliani area and went to Almyros Kalamata. In order to unload the boat they had to have the authorization of the area's harbourmaster, the famous Mavromichalis, who was in the pay of the Turks' security force. The harbourmaster demanded a large bribe to cover up what the Greeks were unloading.
Papaflessas sent 45,000 grosia to Mavromichalis who accepted it but still did not sign the proper papers. He wanted half of the supplies in the boat to have them as reserves to fight the Greeks when they started the revolution against the Turks. This was agreed to and the supplies were transported to the monastery of Velanidia, where Papaflessas served as a monk, summoning prominent klephts, chieftains from the area. By purpose or accident some of the gunpowder was dropped at a local well and the next day the stablemen of the local pasha found and reported it. The pasha summoned all the prominent Greeks and clergy from the Kalamata area and jailed them.
Papaflessas arranged his men to cover various strategic positions in the area. When a Turkish sympathizer tried to leave the city he was killed, starting the revolution prematurely on 21 March 1821. The Filiki Eteria had decided at their meeting in Izmail to start the revolution on 25 March 1821, but received news on the 22nd that the fighting had already begun. The Greek War of Independence is still considered to have officially started on 25 March 1821 (intentionally coinciding with the Feast of the Annunciation) and brought a great change to the church of the free kingdom. The clergy had taken a leading part in the revolution.
Papaflessas during the Revolution (1821–1825)