topleft topright
About Greece
Article Index
About Greece
Aegean civilization: prehistoric Greece
Mycenaean Greece (Bronze Age)
Greek Dark Ages
Ancient Greece
Hellenistic Greece
Roman Period
Byzantine Empire
Economic prosperity
Artistic revival
The Fourth Crusade
Ottoman Rule and the Rise of Modern Greece
The modern Greek state
The page title
World War II
Postwar recovery
Restoration of democracy
Greek language
List of museums in Greece
Human rights in Greece
Greek cuisine
Transport in Greece
Hydrothermal vent
Exploration
Physical properties
Biological communities


The Battle of Navarino, in October 1827, marked the effective end of Ottoman Rule in Greece.

When the Ottomans arrived, two Greek migrations occurred. The first migration entailed the Greek intelligentsia migrating to Western Europe and influencing the advent of the Renaissance. The second migration entailed Greeks leaving the plains of the Greek peninsula and resettling in the mountains. Greece being mostly mountainous, the Ottomans could not conquer the entire Greek peninsula since they created neither a military nor an administrative presence in the mountains. There existed many Greek mountain clans all across the peninsula and islands. The Sphakiots of Crete, the Souliots (or Souli) of Epirus, and the Mani (or Maniots) of Peloponnesus were the most resilient mountain clans throughout the Ottoman Empire. By the end of the 16th century up until the 17th century, many Greeks began to migrate from the mountains to the plains. The millet system contributed to the ethnic cohesion of Orthodox Greeks by segregating the various peoples within the Ottoman Empire based on religion. The Greek Orthodox Church, an ethno-religious institution, helped the Greeks from all geographical areas of the peninsula (i.e., mountains, plains, and islands) to preserve their ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage during the harsh years of Ottoman rule. The Greeks living in the plains during Ottoman occupation were either Christians who dealt with the burdens of foreign rule or Crypto-Christians (Greek Muslims who were secret practitioners of the Greek Orthodox faith). Many Greeks became Crypto-Christians in order to avoid heavy taxes and at the same time express their identity by maintaining their secret ties to the Greek Orthodox Church. However, Greeks who converted to Islam and were not Crypto-Christians were deemed Turks in the eyes of Orthodox Greeks, even if they didn't adopt Turkish language. On the other hand, this population has played an immense role for the creation of modern Greek culture, as Turkish traditions and customs were learned during the entire occupation period. The most obvious traces of Ottoman influence on Greek culture today are reflected in Greek music and in the Greek kitchen.



Search for Villas

Select Language

Language:

Who's Online

We have 4 guests online
Created & Hosting by Creative Options - Solutions for Bussiness