Hellenic Nomarchy

The origins of modern Greek republican thought can be traced in the works of Iosipos Moisiodax, a major representative of the modern Greek Enlightenment, especially in his work Apology (, 1780). Further development of republican thought in Greek culture was stimulated by French Revolutionary ideas. An articulate expression of Greek republicanism can be found in the works of the revolutionary author Rigas Feraios. Feraios' execution in 1798 at the hands of the Ottomans gave an aura of heroism to these political ideas, which also visualized the liberation of Greece in the context of political reforms. In addition to Feraios' writings, other works in the same polemical style took on a sharper revolutionary character, as social contradictions in the Ottoman Empire grew. It was in this context that the most important theoretical monument of Greek republicanism, Hellenic Nomarchy, was written. The author was perhaps a merchant who lived in Livorno or Venice, in northern Italy, styling himself Anonymous Hellene. Several personalities of that time have been suggested, such as Adamantios Korais, Pashalis Donas, Christophoros Perraivos and George Kalaras. However, the author's identity was so well-concealed that even repeated scholarly investigations in recent decades have proven unable to attribute the work. ==Content==

Hellenic Nomarchy proclaims that society must be governed by laws established by common agreement of the people and that the establishment and preservation of liberty requires a Nomarchic form of government. Although this term was uncommon in the Greek literature of that time, it is used as an alternative term of democracy. Feraios also praised democracy as the most successful system of government. , Leonidas, Themistocles and Thrasybulus." – from Hellenic Nomarchy'', regarding Rigas Ferraios (pictured) The anonymous author dedicates his work to the activist and author Rigas Feraios The main references in the book are to the ancient Greek philosophical works, although the influence of contemporary European thinkers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Voltaire is obvious in the author's endeavor to describe a "fair and humane" society. On the other hand, when it comes to the struggle for national liberation he turns to the moral greatness of ancient Greece in order to stimulate collective pride and to describe models of heroism and patriotism: Moreover, Hellenic Nomarchy points to the ongoing successful struggle of the Serbs against the Ottoman rule, which began in 1804. The author states that the Orthodox clergy was holding back the national aspirations of the Greek people, while the educated and dynamic elements of Greek society and the mercantile diaspora should return to Greece and join the movement of national liberation. ==Popularity==

Hellenic Nomarchy was widely read during the late Ottoman rule among Greeks, and propagated the ideals of freedom, social justice and equality as the main principles of every well-governed society. as well as "the most articulate declaration of social and political discontent before the War of Independence". ==References==