Revolt of Dionysios the Philosopher

In 1611, Dionysios, a former Orthodox bishop known as Dionysios the Philosopher or Skylosophos, led an uprising against Ottoman rule in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. Dionysios had earlier led a failed revolt in Thessaly in 1600. He had been in contact with Spain and other Western powers, hoping for their support. Gathering a force of peasants from the villages around Ioannina, he launched a night attack on the city, aiming to seize it from the Ottoman governor. The rebels set fire to parts of the city, but the uprising was poorly organized and badly armed, and it was quickly crushed by Ottoman forces. Dionysios fled and hid in a cave but was captured and executed, and according to accounts, he was skinned alive. The consequences for the local Christian population were severe. The Christians of Ioannina, who had previously been allowed to live inside the city's castle, were expelled from it, and the privileges the city had enjoyed were withdrawn. The revolt became part of the long tradition of Greek resistance to Ottoman rule.