Laskarina Bouboulina


Laskarina Bouboulina
Oil painting of Bouboulina
National Historical Museum, Athens
Native name
Λασκαρίνα Μπουμπουλίνα
Laskarina Bouboulina[1]
Birth nameΛασκαρίνα Πινότση
Laskarina Pinotsi
Nickname(s)Καπετάνισσα
Kapetanissa
Κυρά
Kyra
Born1771 (1771)
Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (now Turkey)
Died22 May 1825(1825-05-22) (aged 53–54)
Spetses, Eyalet of the Archipelago, Ottoman Empire (now Greece)
AllegianceGreece First Hellenic Republic
Service / branch Hellenic Navy
RankCaptain (Revolutionary Navy)
Rear Admiral (Posthumous, Hellenic Navy)[2]
Admiral (Posthumous, Russian Navy)
CommandsAgamemnon
Battles / wars
Spouse(s)Dimitrios Yiannouzas
ChildrenYiannis Yiannouzas
Georgios Yiannouzas
Eleni Boubouli
RelationsPanos Kolokotronis (son-in-law), Lela Karagianni (Great Granddaughter)
Other workMember of the Filiki Etaireia
Signature

Laskarina Pinotsi, commonly known as Bouboulina (Greek: Λασκαρίνα (Μπουμπουλίνα) Πινότση;[note 1] 1771 – 22 May 1825), was a Greek naval commander, a woman of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, and considered perhaps the first woman to attain the rank of admiral.

Bouboulina was born in Constantinople in 1771. Her father was Stavrianos Pinotsis, an Arvanite from Hydra and her mother was Skevo Kokkini, descendant of the Byzantine Kokkinis family. During her youth, she developed an interest in sailing which was facilitated by her stepfather's liberal attitude to education. She was widowed twice, inheriting a considerable sum of money from her second husband. She later allegedly joined the Filiki Etaireia secret society which sought to achieve Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire, being among the few women to do so. Following the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence she commanded a fleet of Spetsiot ships which contributed to several campaigns most notably the siege of Nafplion.

Following the defeat of her faction in the Greek civil war in 1824, Bouboulina was briefly imprisoned and expelled to Spetses. She was killed on 22 May 1825, during the course of a family feud.

  1. ^ Zirin, Mary Fleming, ed. Women & Gender in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Eurasia: Southeastern and East Central Europe. Vol. 1. ME Sharpe, 2007. pg. 122
  2. ^ Η Μπουμπουλίνα υποναύαρχος επί τιμή με προεδρικό διάταγμα [Bouboulina the Rear admiral honored with presidential decree]. Η Καθημερινή (in Greek). 2018-04-27. Archived from the original on 2018-04-28. Retrieved 2020-05-02.


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