Description

During the battle, a handful of Souliotes (men from Souli) defeated 10,000 Turkalvans. Moscho, led 400 Souliotisses (women from Souli), drove away numerous enemies who tried to capture them.

Lambros Tzavelas (Souli, 1745– 1795) was the leader of the Tzavelai faction, a Greek family from Souli in the prefecture of Thesprotia.

His action is attested from 1789. In a document that exists from that time, it seems that Tzavelas promises to attack the Turks and Turkalvans of Central Greece. A similar promise is made by Nikolaos Zervas and Georgios Botsaris.

After the end of the Russo-Turkish War in 1792, Ali Pasha, with a plan to consolidate his rule in mainland Greece and the Balkans, turned against the thieves and the armatolos.

He made long-term efforts until he subdued the Souliotes. He tried to achieve it with deceit. After January 1792, he asked for their help under the pretext of clearing Delvino and Argyrokastro of the naughty, when Lambros Tzavelas, his son Fotos and 70 other Souliotes were sent.

As soon as they arrived, Ali Pasha arrested them and threatened to execute Fotos, unless they returned to Souli and persuaded the residents to leave. Lambros, returning to his homeland, decided together with the rest of the Greeks not to surrender. He even sent the following letter to Ali:

“Ali Pasha, I am glad that I deceived a fraud. I am here to defend my country against a thief. My son wants to die, but I desperately want to take revenge on him before I die”.

The Muslim ruler attacked Souli with 10,000 Turks and Albanians in July 1792. At the Battle of Kiafa, the Turkalbans were forced to retreat, leaving thousands dead and wounded. Unfortunately, however, in this battle, Lambros was also injured. He finally died three years later.