Maniots

The Maniots ( ) or Maniates ( ) is the traditional name for the native Greek inhabitants of the Mani Peninsula in the southern Peloponnese region of Greece. They have historically been known as Mainotes, and the peninsula as Maina. In the early modern period, Maniots gained a reputation as fierce and proudly independent warriors, who engaged in piracy and blood feuds. They lived mainly in fortified villages and "tower houses" built as defenses against "Frankish" (see Frankokratia) and Ottoman invaders. The Maniots claim to be descendants of the ancient Spartans and heirs to their militaristic culture. Modern observers noted Maniots' self-identification as warriors ready to "preserve their liberty" with arms. Genetic studies have identified the Maniots of Inner Mani as a population isolate within mainland Greece, showing substantial parental genetic continuity from antiquity and limited influence from medieval population movements.

The Maniots ( ) or Maniates ( ) is the traditional name for the native Greek inhabitants of the Mani Peninsula in the southern Peloponnese region of Greece. They have historically been known as Mainotes, and the peninsula as Maina. In the early modern period, Maniots gained a reputation as fierce and proudly independent warriors, who engaged in piracy and blood feuds. They lived mainly in fortified villages and "tower houses" built as defenses against "Frankish" (see Frankokratia) and Ottoman invaders. The Maniots claim to be descendants of the ancient Spartans and heirs to their militaristic culture. Modern observers noted Maniots' self-identification as warriors ready to "preserve their liberty" with arms. Genetic studies have identified the Maniots of Inner Mani as a population isolate within mainland Greece, showing substantial parental genetic continuity from antiquity and limited influence from medieval population movements. ==Culture== ===Clans=== Maniot society is traditionally clan-based. By examining shared paternal lineages within major clans, it has been proposed that the formation of the Maniot clan structure dates primarily to the 14th and 15th centuries AD, earlier than some previous estimates based solely on documentary sources. This timing has been linked to regional instability, episodes of warfare, and the absence of a centralized authority in the Mani region during the late medieval period. ===Arts=== Two dances come from Mani: ( , ) and the Modern Maniatiko. The Palio Maniatiko is only found in Mani and is described as an ancient dance. The Modern Maniatiko is the modern version of the Palio Maniatiko dance and includes certain aspects of the Kalamatiano dance in it. Like the Palio Maniatiko, it is only performed in Mani. ===Piracy=== Historically, Maniots were notorious pirates. Piracy was their main source of income into at least the 18th century. Local Eastern Orthodox Church priests blessed the raiding ships before departure; sometimes priests joined the pirate crews. Most of the Maniot pirates came from ( , 'Inner Mani'). ===Folklore=== There is a strong history of superstition and folklore in Maniot culture; most common stories revolve around witches, demons, vampires, and ghosts. When Henry Herbert, 3rd Earl of Carnarvon, was touring Mani in 1839, he found a fresh egg by the side of the road and offered it to a Maniot soldier who escorted him. The soldier declined the offer and explained that if a hag had enchanted the egg then the soldier would be forced to marry her. The Maniots thought that certain areas were haunted by demons. ===Vendettas=== Another important aspect of Maniot culture were the vendettas which frequently plagued Mani. Usually, the decision to start a vendetta was made at a family gathering. The main aim of a vendetta was usually to wipe out the other family. The families involved locked themselves in their towers and whenever they got the chance murdered members of the opposing family. The other families in the village normally locked themselves in their towers in order not to get in the way of the fighting. Vendettas could go on for months, sometimes years, and usually ended when one family was exterminated or left the town. In some cases (like the killing of a murderer) vendettas would be concluded after the 'guilty' individual(s) were killed. In other cases vendettas, particularly long-running ones, were ended in a peaceful to terms or exchange of property. In the case of long vendettas, families often agreed upon a temporary ( , 'truce') in order to allow for harvests or the attendance of religious ceremonies; when the treva ended, the killing could resume. A cornerstone of the Maniot's vendetta culture was the agreement that all vendettas immediately stop in a universal treva whenever the community faced a Turkish threat. The longest known treva was announced by the Mavromichalis clan when war was declared on the Ottoman Empire in March 1821, beginning the Greek War of Independence. Vendettas continued after Greek independence. The Maniot vendetta culture is considered one of the most vicious and ruthless of all the Mediterranean vendetta cultures. One of the last large scale vendettas on record required the Greek Police, 1,000 Greek Army soldiers, and 200 Greek Navy sailors to stop. ===Cuisine=== Local specialities: Hilopites Kolokythokorfades Paspalas Regali, lamb soup Tsouchtí, pasta with egg dish Syglino (pork meat, coldcut) Dakos Lalagides or Lalagia (Λαλαγγίδες) Diples (dessert) ==Ethnology== Some Maniots claim to be descendants of the ancient Spartans. According to this tradition, after the Romans took over Laconia, Spartan adherents to the laws of Lycurgus left for Mani rather than be subjects of the Achaean League or, later, Rome. Mani became a refuge during the 4th-century Migrations Period of Europe. When the Slavs and Avars entered the Peloponnese (the latter triggering the Avar–Byzantine wars of 568–626), refugees from northern Greece and Macedonia fled south into the mountainous terrain of Mani. The 10th-century Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus wrote that the Maniots were not conquered by the Slavs and were descended from the ancient Romaioi. Historian David Armine Howarth states: "The only Greeks that have had an unbroken descent were the clans like the Maniotes who were so fierce, and lived so far up the mountain, that invaders left them alone." ==Notable Maniots== Stephen Antonakos, sculptor Panagiotis Doxaras, painter, founder of the Heptanese School Konstantinos Davakis, military officer Limberakis Gerakaris, pirate and first Bey of Mani Kyriakos D. Kassis, artist Elias Koteas, actor Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis, hero of the Greek War of Independence Stylianos Mavromichalis, lawyer, president of the Areopagus and prime minister (1963) Demetrios Mavromichalis, politician, military officer, and aide to King Otto of Greece Kyriakoulis P. Mavromichalis, prime minister of Greece 1909–1910 Petros Mavromichalis, hero of the Greek War of Independence, last Bey of Mani Michail Anagnostakos, military officer and army leader of the Macedonian Struggle George Tsimbidaros-Fteris, poet and journalist Sotiris Petroulas Tzannis Tzannetakis, naval officer, Member of the Hellenic Parliament, prime minister of Greece (1989) and Minister for Foreign Affairs ==References== ==Further reading== ==External links==

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