German Philhellenism: Disappointments in the Greek Revolution of 1821

German Philhellenes who arrived in Greece around 1821, enthusiastic about ancient Greece, faced a harsh reality during the Greek Revolution. Their expectations of gods and heroes were dashed, as recorded in diaries and travelogues.

F.A. Lessen described Arcadia not as an idyllic landscape, but as a place with "dirty and ragged" figures. C.T. Striebeck commented on the "passive, sluggish, and indifferent" mentality of the Greeks, while M.L.J. Kösterus expressed his surprise at the emphasis on fasting over theft.

Food was a challenge, with Gottfried Müller complaining about the stinginess of the Greeks. Johann Daniel Elster, however, later acknowledged the "spirit of humanity" when he was offered food without payment in Messolonghi. The Germans were puzzled by eating on the ground and the absence of cutlery, while avoiding lamb entrails.

The Germans, accustomed to frontal assaults, struggled with guerrilla warfare. The Battle of Peta in 1822 was devastating for the Philhellenic Legion. Later, Bavarian soldiers suffered atrocities at the hands of the Maniates.

Source: DW/ Spyros Moskovou