Theodoros Kolokotronis

The guerilla strategist who liberated Greece from Ottoman rule using revolutionary mountain warfare tactics

Dubbed 'The Old Man of the Morea', Theodoros Kolokotronis (1770-1843) engineered Greece's independence through unconventional warfare. After 21 years as an Ottoman hostage, he mastered irregular combat tactics that crushed numerically superior forces. His 1822 victory at Dervenakia - where 2,500 Greek rebels annihilated 30,000 Ottoman troops - became a textbook example of asymmetric warfare.

Kolokotronis transformed the klephtic mountain bandits into disciplined units using:

• Hit-and-run ambushes inspired by ancient Spartan maneuvers
• Intelligence networks using coded messages (braille-like symbols)
• Psychological warfare through targeted raids on supply lines

Post-independence, he controversially opposed Western-imposed monarchy, leading to imprisonment. His Memoirs (written in prison) provide rare firsthand accounts of guerrilla leadership. Modern Special Forces study his strategies, while the Tripoli Museum displays his iconic helmet and sword. This uneducated shepherd-turned-general proved that tactical innovation could overcome imperial might.