Maroula of Lemnos
Maroula of Lemnos (fl. 1478) was a fifteenth-century Venetian heroine and figure of legend of the Ottoman–Venetian War (1463–1479).
History
[edit]During the 1478 siege of Kotsina Castle on the island of Lemnos by Suleiman Pasha in the First Ottoman–Venetian War (1463–1479), eighteen-year-old Maroula is said to have defended the fortress from invading Ottoman Turks. Her father was supposedly a soldier who died of a serious injury sustained during the siege, so Maroula raised his bloody sword and led the military garrison into battle.[1][2] Due to her actions, Maroula was given dowry by the Venetian state and was allowed to choose an officer to become her husband.[2]
Legacy
[edit]Maroula's story was recorded in a 1669 poem by Italian Jesuit priest Girolamo Dandini.[3] Her legend has inspired other Italian and Greek authors,[4] including Maria Lampadaridou-Pothou, Kostis Palamas, Marcus Antonius Coccius Sabellicus and Alessandro Maria Vianoli [de].[1] Lampadaridou-Pothou was awarded by the Academy of Athens for her historical novel Maroula of Lemnos.[5]
A statue of Maroula stands near to the Zoodohos Pigi church on the former site of Kotsina Castle.[6] The statue was financed by the Teachers’ Association of Lemnos, was designed by Hippocrates Savouras and was erected in 1969.[1][3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Maroula of Lemnos". Ypsipyli Project. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- 1 2 Hale, John Rigby (1 January 1977). Renaissance Europe: Individual and Society, 1480-1520. University of California Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-520-03471-6.
- 1 2 "Kotsinas". Limnos Tourist Guide. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ↑ Vakalopoulos, Apostolos Euangelou (1973). History of Macedonia, 1354-1833. Institute for Balkan Studies. p. 43.
- ↑ "Βραβείο Ακαδημίας Αθηνών για το ιστορικό μυθιστορημα Η Μαρούλα της Λήμνου 1987". Μαρία Λαμπαδαρίδου Πόθου (in Greek). 17 April 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ↑ Triantaphyllou, Maria V., et al. (2023) "“Geo-Archaeo-Routes” on the Island of Lemnos: The “Nalture” Experience as a Holistic Geotouristic Approach within the Geoethical Perspective." Geosciences 13(5) 143. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
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