Η «τραϊτουργιά» του καπετάν Κώττα: Ιστορία μιας φήμης

Abstract

The destruction of the Greek island of Psara by the Ottoman fleet in June 1824 constituted a momentous event that received extensive publicity. A substantial number of newspapers and periodicals across Europe and America reported that this small island, whose powerful naval fleet had been instrumental in establishing Greek dominance at sea during the Greek Revolution, failed to repel the attack, with its defenses collapsing unexpectedly within a remarkably brief timeframe. Through these newspapers and periodicals, alongside information regarding the Ottoman forces’ landing and subsequent battles, a persistent rumor originating from Psarian refugees was disseminated. According to this rumor, the Ottoman forces would not have succeeded in their victory had they not received assistance from a traitor, Captain Kottas. Kottas, who originated from Macedonia, served as commander of a military corps and had been recruited by the Psarians to reinforce their defenses; it is certain that he lost his life at Psara. In an attempt to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the realities of that period, we endeavor here to demonstrate precisely what was disseminated, through which channels, and how the perception formed by contemporaries regarding this specific event was shaped. Our objective is to illustrate not what precisely occurred, but rather what contemporaries and subsequent commentators who sought to address the causes of Psara’s destruction believed had transpired. Was Kottas indeed a traitor, as many asserted? Or was he an honorable fighter who fell in battle, merely defamed by those who characterized him as a traitor in order to more readily manage an exceptionally painful defeat? The evidence we have gathered and present here indicates that this constitutes a question to which no satisfactory answer can be provided. This is because both those who considered the betrayal rumor credible and those who argued that such rumors were unfounded were individuals whose reliability we have no reason to question.