Despo Botsi

Despo Botsi ready to blow up Dimoula's tower

Despo (Despina) Botsi (Greek: Δέσπω (Δέσποινα) Μπότση) was a Souliotissa who went down in history for her resistance to the troops of Ali Pasha and her heroic death - together with the women and children she had under her protection - in the tower of Dimoulas, in the village of Riniasa (now Riza) of Zaloggos, on December 25, 1803.

Despo came from the Souliot family of Sachaioi. Her brothers were Giannakis, Giorgos and Dimitrios Sechos or Karametsis. She was the wife of the Soulioti chief Giorgakis Botsis. The extended family of Giorgakis Botsis had settled in the almost coastal village of Riniasa as early as 1802, tributary to Ali Pasha, where they now lived from agriculture. But when Ali Pasha's pursuit of the Souliots broke out, immediately after the decision of the former to abandon Souli and hand it over to the Pasha of Ioannina in December 1803, a group of about 500 Turkalvan soldiers passed through Riniasa and attacked the towns there established families. Despo Botsi, head of the family after the death of her husband, in order to avoid the soldiers and save her family, closed herself in the castle of the area, the Castle of Reniassa (better known as the "Tower of Dimoulas", today it is also referred to as "Castle of Despo") along with all her daughters-in-law and grandchildren. From there, she fought bravely against the soldiers, refusing to surrender. When the guns stopped firing, she set fire to the tower and burned with her family.

Folk poetry

The heroism of Despo Botsi has been immortalized in the following well-known folk song:

A heavy roar is heard, many rifles fall. A month in marriage is thrown, a month in harokopi? Neither do they throw themselves into marriage,

nor do they throw themselves into harokopi. Despo makes war with brides and bridegrooms. Arvanitia plastered it in Dimoulas the tower: "Yorgena, drop the chariots, Suli is not here. Here you are a slave of the Pasha, a slave of the Arvanites". "Even if Suli prostrated, even if Ciapha turned, Despo masters Liapides didn't do it, she doesn't do it". Drum in hand grab, daughters and brides shout: "Slaves of Turks let us not live, children come with me". And the firecrackers lit up, and everyone was on fire.

Achós varýs akoúetai, pollá toufékia péftoun.

Mína se gámo ríchnontai, mína se charokópi?

Oudé se gámo ríchnontai oudé se charokópi.

H Déspo kánei pólemo me nýfes kai m' angónia.

Arvanitiá tin plákose stou Dimoulá ton pýrgo:

"Giórgaina, ríxe t’ ármata, den eínai edó to Soúli.

Edó eísai skláva tou pasá, skláva ton Arvaníton".

"To Soúli ki an proskýnise, ki an toúrkepsen i Kiáfa,

i Déspo aféntes Liápides den ékame, den kánei".

Davlí sto chéri árpaxe, kóres kai nýfes krázei:

"Skláves Toúrkon mi zísome, paidiá mazí mou eláte".

Kai ta fysékia anápsane, ki óloi fotiá geníkan.