Philhellenes’ Archive

Wilhelm Bellier de Launoy: German officer, Philhellene, hero of the Exodus of Messolonghi (10/4/1826)

Wilhelm Bellier de Launoy (? - 1826), was a German officer and Philhellene. He served as an officer in the Cuirassier Regiment of the Prussian Royal Guard [1], during the Napoleonic Wars and fought against the French. At…

Antoine Schilcher, a German ardent Philhellene, fought and died in Greece

Biographies

Antoine Schilcher (1795 - 1828), was a German officer and a Philhellene from Bavaria. He received military training in Munich and served as a lieutenant in the artillery of the Bavarian army. From 1813 to 1815…

Auguste-Théodore Garnot, the first chief of the Corps of Engineers of the Army

Biographies

Auguste-Théodore Garnot was a Lieutenant Colonel of the Corps of Engineers in France, creator and first commander of the Fortification and Architecture Corps (i.e. the Corps of Engineers) of the Greek Army in Greece. He…

Ludwig I, King of Bavaria, one of the greatest Philhellenes and benefactors of Greece

Biographies

Ludwig I of Bavaria (25 August 1786, Strasbourg - 29 February 1868, Nice), was King of Bavaria from 1825 until the revolutions of 1848 in the German states. Born at the Hôtel des Deux-Ponts in Strasbourg, he was the eldest…

Camille Alphonse Trézel, Chief and Inspector General of the Greek Army

Biographies

Camille Alphonse Trézel was a French General born in Paris on January 5, 1780. His father was Pierre Jean Baptiste Antoine Auguste Trézel and his mother was Magdeleine Victoire Payen. Trézel was the son of a merchant. However,…

Baron Friedrich von Rheineck, great German Officer and Philhellene

Biographies

Baron Friedrich Eduard von Rheineck was born on November 2, 1796 in Potsdam, Prussia. He took part in the Napoleonic Wars against Napoleon as an officer of the Prussian Cavalry. From the beginning of the Greek war…

Robert François, French Philhellene, dies heroically in the Acropolis

Biographies

François Robert is one of the most famous French philhellenes, who played an important role and showed exemplary heroism during the siege of the Acropolis, under the command of Charles Fabvier. François Robert originated…

Alexander Kolbe, German officer, one of the first Philhellenes of 1821

Biographies

Alexander Wilhelm Kolbe (? - 1860), was a German officer and Philhellene. Born in Berlin, he served as a sergeant in the Prussian Army during the Napoleonic Wars[1], against the French. He was distinguished for his bravery…

Nicolas-Joseph Maison, marshal, marquis, head of the Expeditionary Corps of Morea

Biographies

Nicolas-Joseph Maison was born in Epinay-Sur-Seine, France on December 19, 1771. He was Earl as of 1813 and Marquis as of 1818. His father was Joseph Maison and his mother Marie Genevieve Guiard. His wife was named Marie-Madeleine-Françoise…

Karl Wilhelm Freiherr von Heideck: Swiss – Bavarian Philhellene, officer and painter of the Greek War for Independence

Biographies

Karl Wilhelm Freiherr von Heideck, also known as Heidegger (not to be confused with the famous philosopher of the 20th century), is associated with the fate of the foundation of the new Greek state, with his dual military…

Marie Henri Daniel Gaulthier de Rigny: French Admiral, commander of the French fleet in Navarino

Biographies

Marie Henri Daniel Gaulthier de Rigny, better known in Greek history as Admiral de Rigny, was born on February 2, 1782 in the city of Toul in the region of Meurthe in France. His father, according to a French biography,…

Denys Bourbaki, French Philhellene of Greek descent

Biographies

According to French records, Constantine Denis Bourbaki was born in Cephalonia on August 1, 1787 and was later naturalized in France on November 9, 1818. The bibliography usually refers to him as a philhellene of Greek…

Jean Henri Pierre Auguste Pauzié-Banne, Founder of the Military Academy in Greece

Biographies

Jean Henri Pierre Auguste Pauzié-Banne, as his full name is, was an Artillery officer in France. He was a graduate of the Polytechnic School of Paris, who became later the commander of the Artillery Corps in Greece,…

Wilhelm Müller: A great German poet, the soul of the Philhellenic movement in Germany

Biographies

Ohne die Freiheit, was wärest du Hellas? Ohne dich, Hellas, was wäre die Welt? Without Freedom, what would you be Hellas? Without you, Hellas, what would the world be like? ("Hellas und die Welt", Wilhelm Müller:…

Paul Marie Bonaparte, the Philhellene nephew of M. Napoleon

Biographies

Paul Maria Bonaparte was born on 19 February 1809 in Canino, Italy and died on 7 September 1827 in Nafplio. He was a prince of the Bonaparte family, a nephew of Napoleon the Great. He was a Philhellene and took part in…

Latest Posts

The West refuses to assign Cyprus to the Ottomans24 July 2026 - 10:50 am
A painting by the Italian Philhellene Giuseppe Lorenzo Gatteri (1829–1884) from the collections of the Philhellenism Museum. In this rare artwork, the distinguished history theme painter Gatteri depicts Marcantonio Bragadin (1523–1571), the heroic defender of Famagusta during the Ottoman siege (1570–71), refusing to surrender the city to them. The female figure on the right side […]
“Odysseus and Nausicaa” (Odysseus und Nausikaa)19 July 2026 - 7:42 pm
Oil painting by the German painter Carl Fielgraf (1804–1865) from the collections of the Philhellenism Museum. In light of the recent discourse surrounding Christopher Nolan’s new film “The Odyssey”, and specifically the discussion regarding the female emancipation in Homer’s work, we present this painting to highlight that the figure of Nausicaa represents a progressive […]