The name Soliotis is rarely left out of written accounts of the Greek War of Independence. Many writers, both contemporary and in the generations after, recount the events at Portes, and they therefore cannot be doubted. Nevertheless, some minor confusion does exist concerning the date, as does a disagreement about whether Soliotis launched the attack alone (with just the assent of Papaflessas) or if he was acting following the command of the primate Sot. Charalambis (whom Soliotis served). In addition, writers such as Frantzis or Trikoupis dispute whether the attack at Portes was of a revolutionary nature rather than an opportunistic strike motivated more by brigandage. I. Filimon (in his preface to Germanos’s “Memoirs Concerning the Revolution”) refuses to include isolated pre-revolutionary actions (such as those of Soliotis) in the main body of revolutionary acts, although – as he admits – they were the forerunners of the Revolution; instead, he places the emphasis to the activities of the primates (prokritoi). The existence of the sparks which fanned the flames of Revolution is a fact, however, and it would therefore be unfair not to accord them their due importance.

   But if we accept that Soliotis wanted to drag the hesitating or anti-revolutionary primates into the Struggle, then the contribution of the primates is reduced and their role becomes still more obscure, while simultaneously the contributions of Papaflessas, the humble commanders, and the ordinary people are exalted. The primates would naturally have done all in their power after the fact to prevent the creation of such an impression, which would have sullied their posthumous reputations.

   Kanellos Deligiannis (1780-1862) in his memoirs, which have been characterized as the voice of the landed gentry, is the sole writer to call Soliotis “a servant of Charalambis” (Memoirs of Deligiannis, vol.1, p.113). On the latter point, that Soliotis was acting as an instrument of Charalambis, a rather small group of writers are in agreement; of these, among those who were contemporary with the events, is Filimon, although he admits that Soliotis was “a man of honest and unblemished character,” and among those of a later generation, Sotirios Charalambis’s descendant Anastasios Charalambis. Among modern historians we find in this group Dionysios Kokkinos and the current Professor of History Athanasios Fotopoulos (see The Kotsambasides of the Peloponnese). On the other hand, Spiliadis, Fotakis, Finlay, Gennaios Kolokotronis, Paparrigopoulos, Mendelssohn, Kyriakidis, Kordatos, Stamatopoulos, Fotiadis, Stasinopoulos, the Athens Publishing Houses’ History of the Greek Nation, and Apostolos Vakalopoulos, when they do not leave it as an unspoken assumption, state clearly that Soliotis acted of his own accord, without awaiting leave from the primates, interrupting a series of fruitless councils, with the aim of creating a fait accompli and thus brought about the beginning of the Revolution. As we have seen, this is also what Soliotis himself argues in his “Historical Essay.”

   It is clear in this case as elsewhere that the history of 1821 can be written from at least two perspectives: from that which excuses and emphasizes the position of the primates and church hierarchy; and from that which esteems the contribution of the common people and the ordinary clergy. The issue thus takes on ideological and political dimensions which become clearer in the 20^th century. Conservative historians (e.g. Kokkinos) belong to the first group, and socialist historians (Kordatos, Fotiadis, Stamatopoulos) to the second. The truth, however, lies beyond these ideological and political inflexibilities and biases. It would be a mistake for us to lump all the primates together or to deny the subsequent contributions of many of their number, but it would also be a mistake to reduce the contribution of the common people so as not to hurt the reputations of the primates who, rightly or wrongly, bided their time, despite the danger that the Turks might have gained the opportunity to quash the intended revolution at its inception. In fact, this was the reason why Papaflessas reached an agreement with Soliotis for him to do what he did. In any case, already in the 19^th century, Finlay was noting that, “But the truth is, that the people, at the instigation of the Hetairists [Members of the Friendly Society], took up arms boldly while their superiors were temporising.”

As for the precise date of the attack at Portes, as we said above, some confusion exists, perhaps because in the following days similar actions were carried out by Soliotis himself and his men, or by others. Let us however accept as correct the date which Soliotis himself gives, namely the 14^th March. His contemporary and compatriot Amvrosios Frantzis agrees with this date.

   Let us see, however, what the writers themselves say in their works. We have selected the most important historical sources which we present chronological according to their year of publication.

1) Amvrosios Frantzis (1778-1851)

   At that time (14^th March), Nikolaos Soliotos, together with 15 from his region, slaughtered in the village of Agridi, at the place called Portes, 3 Ottomans who had come from Tripoli; on the 16th March, the same Soliotis, accompanied by the Petmezas brothers, slaughtered at the village called Versova another 28 Ottomans who had come from Salona and had disembarked at Akrata and were making their way through the region of Chasia on the way to Tripoli. But these two skirmishes were carried out under the pretext of raids by brigands, and not as the result of some public rebellion. They also came about, however, as a result of foolishness which–to a great extent-then began to spread.

3) Spyridon Trikoupis (1788-1873)

   As for those two true apostles of the great will of the Almighty, Sotirios Charalambis, realizing that any delay would be damaging, and maintaining the opinion which he had expressed at Lavra, gave encouragement to Nikolaos Soliotis; and he, along with Anagnostis Kordis and others, set an ambush at Portes in Agridi, a village in the Kloukines, and slaughtered some so-called “tax collectors” and three of the “ispahi” [cavalry] Turks of Tripoli, who were passing through conveying a letter from the kaymakam Mehmet Sahil to Hurşit Pasha; he also slaughtered another seven Turks in the surrounding villages of Arfara, in the Chasia district. Soliotis was a man of honest and unblemished character, with a noble heart and patriotic spirit, and a most warm follower of the revolutionary overtures of [Grigorios] Dikaios [Papaflessas].

5) FOTAKOS (Fotios Chrysanthopoulos, 1798-1879)

   Soliotis himself was spurred on by Archimandrite Flesas to attack Turks first and to cut short the lengthy and fruitless councils of the leaders of Kalavryta and Patra.

   The events connected with Germanos and the primates of Achaia have often been cited as the first A.D. 1821 revolutionary movements. But the truth is, that the people, at the instigation of the Hetairists, took up arms boldly while their superiors were temporising.

   The foremost citizens of Achaia enlisted every excuse not to depart for Tripoli. Instead, they met at Agia Lavra and decided on the 19^th March to seek refuge in secure locations, guarded by armed men, until they should receive clear information about events from those sent to relate it, to communicate with the other provinces, and, according to the information they received, either to set the war in motion or to retreat outside of the Peloponnese, as the Bishop of Old  Patras recounts in his account. But that very day, N. Soliotis slaughtered the Turkish tax collectors without the knowledge of the overseers, in the town of Nonakris.

   In this way, the force of the movement carried along even those men of moderate and circumspect energies, who had just a short time before advocated  waiting as the best strategy; but now impatience and the appetite for war of the radical faction would brook no delay. Acts of brigandage and isolated murders announced the outbreak of the revolution at the end of March and acted as the sparks which fell on the pile of already flammable material which had been amassed. The incorrigible Papa Flessas, who was continually agitated by the concern that the moderate faction might draw out still further the initiation of hostilities and continue to debate, persuaded a noble and bold friend of his, N. Soliotis, to make a beginning himself through some act of violence. This brave kleft, setting an ambush with some of his bold companions by the gates of Agridi, fell upon 8 Turkish tax collectors as they were passing by and slaughtered them. This patriotic beginning was so greatly approved by the common people that the number of armed men under Soliotis’s command swelled to 300. Three days later, he attacked a detachment of 60 Albanians on their way to Tripoli near Versova and forced them to surrender after a brief but fierce resistance. Soliotis was consequently famed still more widely as the first Greek who shed Turkish blood during the revolution.

   [Christos Soliotis] is the son of Nikolaos Soliotis, the Peloponnesian initiator from Solos of the Greek revolution, who distinguished himself for the entirety of the struggle. While the leading citizens were still discussing whether the revolution ought to begin or not, that noble Nikolaos Soliotis put an end to sterile and degrading discussions by successfully beginning hostilities from the beginning of March 1821, when he attacked a group of Turks. From that day, the revolution now became a reality.

   Revolutionary events came about with the utmost speed. On the 12^th March Soliotis and Kordis, along with others and following the command of Charalambis, attacked at Agridi the kaykamam’s tax collectors and his couriers going to Hurşit, and on that same day, following the assent of Asimakis Zaïmis, Lambroulias, from the armed guard of Chondrogiannis, Dolkas, Dimopoulos, and others attacked the entourage of the cavalryman Seïdis from Lala, which was transporting tax revenue.

     16)  Valerios Mexas (1904-1937)

     18)  Apostolos Vakalopoulos (1909-2000)

   Everything was combustible. Only the spark that would ignite the great fire was missing. And that spark – that is, the first shot of the Revolution – was launched on the 14^th March by the old kapos (kleft) Nik. Christodoulou or Soliotis […] who was the overseer of the couriers of the time (meziltzis). Encouraged by the urging of Papaflessas to make a start to the rebellion, to implicate the province of Kalavryta and thus to put an end to the delaying tactics of the landowners (kotsambasides) of Achaïa, he set up an ambush at Portes, near the village of Agridi, with a few others, and killed three Turkish tax collectors (gyftocharatzides) who were coming from Tripoli. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Translated by Christopher Jotischky