"The most popular foreigner who visited Greece": New evidence on Edward Blaquière's first trip to Greece under revolt, spring 1823
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"The most popular foreigner who visited Greece": New evidence on Edward Blaquière's first trip to Greece under revolt, spring 1823
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Date
16 June 2022
Abstract
Edward Blaquière arrived in the Peloponnese on 18 April 1823, on the day that the Second National Assembly concluded in Astros. He was accompanied by Andreas Louriotis, who led him to Tripolitsa. They arrived in the city almost at the same time as the leaders of the revolution, who were returning from Astros. He first met Alexandros Mavrokordatos and then all the important personalities who were in the city. He stayed in Greece until the end of June. Upon his return to London he presented his official report to the London Committee on 13 September 1823. During his voyage Blaquière kept a diary which he handed over to the Committee and in which he included information and remarks that do not exist in his official report or in the three books he published about Greece under revolt. At the same time Blaquière corresponded with various members of the Committee and liberal intellectuals, while informing the Foreign Office, George Canning himself, as well as Undersecretary of State Francis Conyngham, about the situation in Greece. This paper presents the most important findings from four bodies of texts: Blaquière's unpublished diary, his unpublished letters in the Oxford University Library, the Bentham Archive at UCL and the National Library of Scotland, and the reports to the Foreign Office, which are located in the Archive of the British Foreign Office. In addition to the useful information we obtain (e.g. about the mode of operation of the Parliament, Manto Mavrogenous, the prelude to the civil conflict), his systematic effort to downplay the problems he observes to help the Greeks is confirmed. This is perceived and makes him “by far the most popular foreigner to visit Greece”, as Henry Lytton Bulwer observes.
(Edited and translated abstract from organiser’s website)
(Edited and translated abstract from organiser’s website)
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00:20:00
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BY-NC-SA Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
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