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The Flame of Freedom: The Greek War of Independence 1821-1833 by David Brewer (Paperback, 2003)

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For the Greeks, the fight for independence from the Ottoman Empire was a cruel business, and its consequences far-reaching. Today's Greece is much more the child of that struggle than it is of the Classical period we know so much better. Because of Ottoman oppression and its brutal end, hostility to Turkey still smoulders, as does suspicion that foreign powers manipulate Greece for their own ends.;For much of the war the Greek cause looked hopeless. The rebels could call only on lightly armed merchant ships and a long tradition of brigandage, which seemed no match for a formidable empire. Foreign philhellenes joined the Greek cause but foreign governments cared less for the Greeks than for the stability of Europe, hard-won by Napoleon's defeat.;Nevertheless the Greeks won victories at sea, largely due to their use of terrifying fireships, and on land under the leadership of the charismatic Kolokotronis. Civil war then broke out among the Greeks, and for a time Kolokotronis swapped his tent for a prison cell.;But support for Greece was growing, as all Europe was moved by Turkish massacres, by the death of Byron, most famous philhellene of all, and by the bloody invasion of the Peloponnese by Ottoman troops brought in by sea from Egypt. The governments of Europe now demanded an end to the fighting, and an allied fleet under Admiral Codrington sailed to meet the Ottoman navy at Navarino Bay. Nervous fingers fired inevitable shots, sixty Turkish ships were sent to the sea bed, and Greek freedom was finally assured.;This is a powerful, fearsome and inspiring story, and David Brewer's book covers it fully for the first time in over a century, dealing evenhandedly with the courage, cunning and barbarism of Greeks and Turks alike.