Leicester Fitzgerald Charles Stanhope, 5th Earl of Harrington (1784-1862). 1830s. Sketch of an unknown artist. University of Oxford.

 

Leicester Fitzgerald Charles Stanhope, 5th Earl of Harrington (1784-1862), was a British officer, a great Philhellene, with a significant influence on the creation of the press in Greece and on the promotion of an educational system.

Born in Dublin, he was the third child of General, diplomat and politician Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington, and Jane Fleming-Stanhope, Lady of Harrington[1].

He pursued a military career from his adolescence. At the age of just 15, in October 1799, he was enlisted in the 1st Regiment of the Royal Guard, initially holding the rank of cornet and later the one of second lieutenant[2]. He was promoted to lieutenant on October 20, 1802[3]. In March 1803 he was transferred to the 9th Infantry Regiment, while in April of the same year, he was transferred as cavalry lieutenant to the 10th Light Dragon Regiment of the Prince of Wales[4].

From 9 November 1803 to 26 January 1813, he served in the 6th Dragoon Regiment of the Royal Guard, while on 27 January 1813, he was transferred to the 17th Light Dragoon Regiment in India[5]. . In India he was promoted to cavalry major and appointed deputy adjutant general in the East Indies in June 1815, while he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.[6].

In April 1817, Stanhope served as Deputy Quartermaster – General in the 47th Infantry Regiment and took part in the 3rd Anglo – Maratha War[7]. For his action, he was honoured in October 1818 with the Order of the Bath[8].

At the same time, his philhellenic interests began to develop[9]. In the process, he resigned from the army on March 29, 1821 and on June 26, 1823, he was placed in the reserve in a state of combat readiness, bearing the rank of lieutenant colonel[10].

The Philhellenic Committee of London was founded on February 28, 1823[11] . Stanhope was quickly initiated into it by Lord Byron and he was one of its first members.[12].

Before going to Greece, in their correspondence, Stanhope and Lord Byron express different tendencies. Stanhope, although a military man, believes that the most powerful weapon is the “pen” (i.e. the promotion of education and the press), while Lord Byron, despite being himself a writer, he believes that the battlefields are the first school of freedom (which is first conquered by military means), and therefore that the sword precedes the pen[13]. This, however, in no way negates the fact that both tried to help Greece, with Lord Byron himself offering his own life in Messolonghi on April 7, 1824[14].

Stanhope had proved to be an excellent manager and so the Philhellenic Committee of London sent him to Greece with the mission of Lord Byron, on July 16, 1823[15]. In fact, he was appointed together with Lord Byron and Lazaros Kountouriotis, member of the management committee of the first loan that the revolted Greeks would receive during this period[16].

Before arriving in Greece, he organized an important tour (accompanied by another active German philhellene, Wilhelm Bellier de Launoy), starting in Darmstadt, Germany, Zurich, Bern, Geneva and Genoa, Italy. There, Stanhope met with representatives of the local Philhellenic committees, to whom he presented with many speeches his vision and ideas for strengthening the struggle of the Greeks. In fact, during this tour, he also met with Ioannis Kapodistrias[17]. ΕHe finally arrived in Kefalonia, which was at that time under British rule, on August 4, 1823[18]. From Kefalonia, he passed in December 1823 to Messolonghi[19].

Stanhope, in addition to accompanying Lord Byron, was also responsible for transporting to Greece, the first printing machines, which had been purchased by the Philhellenic Committee of London. He himself believed that the development of the press would be an effective weapon for the freedom of the Greeks[20]. Thanks to this obsession, he laid the foundations for the creation of newspapers in Greece with this printing facility. Specifically, the emblematic newspaper “Hellenic Chronicles”, which was published from 1824 to 1826 in Messolonghi, by the important Philhellene Swiss doctor Johann Jacob Meyer (1798-1826), was printed with the material brought by Stanhope[21]. In fact, from March 20, 1824, a second newspaper began to be published in the same printing house, edited by Gamba, the Italian earl and a close friend of Lord Byron (he was the brother of Byron’s companion). Its title was “Telegrafo Greco”. This newspaper was addressed mainly to foreigners and aimed at informing the European public opinion. It was printed in English, French, German and Italian.

Stanhope also visited the leaders – chieftains of the warring parties in Central Greece (during the civil war), and attempted to reconcile them.[22].

What characterized Stanhope as a personality (but also the quality of his Philhellenism), was his intellectual cultivation, and the very advanced and progressive plans he had for the design of the modern Greek society, with emphasis on the design of the educational system, the creation of schools and medical centres, the establishment and operation of a Post Service, and most importantly, in the promotion of journalism.

In Athens, where he spent a long time, he founded schools and designed their curriculum[23]. He also organized a scholarship program for young Greeks to study in England and return to Greece to take up their duties as teachers.

In Athens he closely monitored the operation of local institutions. In fact, on February 21-23, 1824, he participated in the process of electing the city’s representatives.

He intended to deliver to Nafplio (seat of the government), the second printing facility that he brought to Greece. Eventually, however, he preferred to send it to Athens with the aim of publishing a newspaper there and not in Nafplio, which was a centre of intense political manipulations and disputes.

Stanhope dreamed of publishing a national and independent newspaper, whose mission would be to promote the issues of the national liberation struggle and to increase the prestige of Greece.

So he donated the equipment to Athens (which was delivered and installed for security reasons in Salamis). The donation was accompanied by a very moving letter on April 20, 1824. Stanhope assigned the responsibility for the publication to the Athenian G. Psyllas. The first edition concerned an extensive “Proclamation” which was drafted jointly by Psyllas and Stanhope. This extensive proclamation had a patriotic content, and highlighted the damage that confrontations and discord can cause.

This was followed by the publication of the newspaper entitled “Efimeris Athinon”. The first issue was printed on August 20, 1824 and the newspaper circulated until April 1826, when Kioutachis pasha began the siege of Athens.

Stanhope also met Odysseus Androutsos in Athens, and was fascinated by his personality, as was the other Greek philhellene Trelawny.

Stanhope was a pure Philhellene who loved Greece passionately, and especially Athens, which owes him a lot. In his continuous correspondence, he invited his English compatriots to come to Greece, providing them information on the cost of living and assuring them of the security that prevailed in the liberated parts of the country. He also communicated with politicians and diplomats from many countries, whom he urged to help Greece. Of particular interest are the letters he sent to Gropius, the consul of Austria in Athens.

The Greeks considered him their own friend, and always expressed to him their love and recognition.

The death of his mother, and two months later, the death of Lord Byron on April 7, 1824, as well as his confrontation with Kountouriotis and Mavrokordatos, forced Stanhope to leave Greece in May 1824 and return to his homeland[24].  The loss of Stanhope was particularly painful for the Greeks and the Athenians. The wisdom, the circumspection and the vision of this man, would have helped considerably Greece.

In fact, he returned with the same ship that carried the body of Lord Byron.

Hellenic Chronicles, issue 69 of 23 August 1824. It contains an article referring to the arrival of Lord Byron’s body in London.

Stanhope never ceased to be interested in what was happening in Greece, about which he maintained dense correspondence with people such as Kapodistrias and Mavrokordatos[25]. In 1825, he wrote the book “Greece, in 1823 and 1824: Being a Series of Letters, and Other Documents”, through which he informed the British public about the situation in Greece.

Stanhope’s book “Greece, in 1823 and 1824: Being a Series of Letters, and Other Documents” (SHP collection).

The greatness of this important philhellene derives from the content of his farewell letter to the Greeks, published in May 1824 in the “Greek Chronicles” and in the “Friend of the Law”. He mentions among other things the following:

“Your great forefathers, because of the jealousies and divisions, which they had among themselves, lost their freedom. So from experience and from many years of frictions you know the evil, that comes from discord and you want again, you Greeks, descendants of Themistocles and Miltiades, to plunge into a sea of danger. Money, you say, insures your victory and independence. So why did your ancestors drive the Persians to flee and you yourself the Turks, who were so rich and superior in number? Because they were corrupt by tyranny and despotism while the Greeks were poor and free. So it is a lie to argue that gold and iron are the nerves of war. These are only auxiliary means. The nerves of war are heart and courage …”.

And this fierce Philhellene adds: “… I am and I want to be while you are free, your most respectful slave”.

After the end of the Greek Revolution, Stanhope retired from public life. On April 23, 1831, he married Elisabeth Green, with whom he had 4 children[26]. In 1837 he was promoted to honorary colonel of the British Army[27]. Finally, in 1851, he succeeded his brother, Lt. General Charles Stanhope Jr., as 5th Earl of Harrington.

Leicester Fitzgerald Charles Stanhope, 5th Earl of Harrington, officer and Philhellene, died on September 7, 1862 in London.

SHP pays tribute to the memory of Leicester Stanhope, a noble Philhellene, who brought the first printing facility, triggered the birth of the press in Greece, proposed innovative forms of organisation of the society, and promoted culture to a significant level, highlighting a different dimension of the struggle of the Greeks for national independence.

 

References

[1] Doyle, James William Edmund, “The Official Baronage of England”, εκδ. Longmans, Λονδίνο, 1886, β’ τόμος, σελ. 136.
[2] Εφ. ‘’The London Gazette’’, Λονδίνο, φύλλο 28ης Σεπτεμβρίου 1799, σελ.995.
[3] Doyle, James William Edmund, ‘’The Official Baronage of England’’, εκδ. Longmans, Λονδίνο, 1886, β’ τόμος, σελ. 136.
[4] Εφ. ‘’The London Gazette’’, Λονδίνο, φύλλο 15ης Μαρτίου 1803, σελ. 369.
[5] Εφ. ‘’The London Gazette’’, Λονδίνο, φύλλο 23ης  Ιανουαρίου 1813, σελ.186.
[6] Εφ. ‘’The London Gazette’’, Λονδίνο, φύλλο 8ης Ιουλίου 1815, σελ. 1355.
[7] Downham, John, “The 47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot”, εκδ. Lancashire Infantry Museum, Lancaster, 2010.
[8] Εφ. ‘’The London Gazette’’, Λονδίνο, φύλλο 18ης Οκτωβρίου 1818, σελ. 1851.
[9] Rosen, F., ‘’ London Greek Committee (act. 1823–1826)’’, εκδ. Oxford University Press, Λονδίνο, 1992.
[10] Εφ. ‘’ The London Gazette’’, Λονδίνο, φύλλο 5ης Ιουλίου 1823,   σελ. 1090.
[11] Dimaras, Alexis, ‘’The other British Philhelenes’’, εκδ. Oxford University Press, Λονδίνο, αχρονολόγητο.
[12] St Clair, William, “That Greece Might Still be Free: The Philhellenes in the War of Independence”, εκδ. Open Book Publishers, Λονδίνο, 2008, σελ. 145.
[13] Moore, Thomas, ‘’Letters and Journals of Lord Byron with Notices of his Life’’, εκδ. H. L. Broenner, Φρανκφούρτη, 1830. Επίσης, βλ. Αθάνας, Γ., ‘’Ιστορικά Μελετήματα’’, εκδ. Ίδρυμα Γ & Μ. Αθανασιάδη – Νόβα, Ναύπακτος, 1998, σελ. 194.
[14] Moore, Thomas, ‘’Letters and Journals of Lord Byron with Notices of his Life’’, εκδ. H. L. Broenner , Φρανκφούρτη, 1830
[15] Lovell, Ernest J., ‘’His Very Self and Voice, Collected Conversations of Lord Byron’’, εκδ. MacMillan, Νέα Υόρκη, 1954, σελ. 369.
[16] ‘’Ιστορικόν Αρχείον Αλεξάνδρου Μαυροκορδάτου’’, επιμ. Εμμ. Πρωτοψάλτης, Γενικά Αρχεία του Κράτους, Αθήνα, τόμος 3.
[17] St Clair, William, “That Greece Might Still be Free: The Philhellenes in the War of Independence”, εκδ. Open Book Publishers, Λονδίνο, 2008, σελ. 159.
[18] Βλ. στο ίδιο.
[19] Stanhope, Leicester, 5ος κόμης του Harrington, “Greece, in 1823 and 1824: Being a Series of Letters, and Other Documents”, εκδ. Sherwood, Gilbert & Piper, Λονδίνο, 1825, σελ. 543.
[20] Εφημερίδα «Ελληνικά Χρονικά», 1η Ιανουαρίου 1824, Μεσολόγγι, φύλλο 1. Επίσης, βλ. St Clair, William, “That Greece Might Still be Free: The Philhellenes in the War of Independence”, εκδ. Open Book Publishers, Λονδίνο, 2008, σελ.160.
[21]Συλλογικό, ‘’Πεντακόσια χρόνια έντυπης παράδοσης’’, εκδ. Βιβλιοθήκη της Βουλής των Ελλήνων, Αθήνα, 2000, σελ.192.
[22] St Clair, William, “That Greece Might Still be Free: The Philhellenes in the War of Independence”, εκδ. Open Book Publishers, Λονδίνο, 2008
[23]  ‘’Αρχείο Leicester Stanhope’’, Γενικά Αρχεία του Κράτους, Αθήνα, τόμοι 13 και 15α’. Επίσης, βλ. St Clair, William, “That Greece Might Still be Free: The Philhellenes in the War of Independence”, εκδ. Open Book Publishers, Λονδίνο, 2008, σελ. 159-161.
[24] ‘’Αρχεία της Ελληνικής Παλιγγενεσίας’’, εκδ. Βουλή των Ελλήνων, Αθήνα, 1977, 10ος τόμος, σελ. 299.
[25] “Αρχείο Leicester Stanhope”, Γενικά Αρχεία του Κράτους, Αθήνα, τόμοι 13 και 15α’. Επίσης, βλ. “Ιστορικόν Αρχείον Αλεξάνδρου Μαυροκορδάτου”, επιμ. Εμμ. Πρωτοψάλτης, Γενικά Αρχεία του Κράτους, Αθήνα, τόμος 3.
[26] Doyle, James William Edmund, “The Official Baronage of England”, εκδ. Longmans, Λονδίνο, 1886, β’ τόμος, σελ. 136.
[27] Βλ. στο ίδιο.

 

Bibliography – Sources

  • Doyle, James William Edmund, “The Official Baronage of England”, εκδ. Longmans, Λονδίνο, 1886, β’ τόμος.
  • Εφ. ‘’The London Gazette’’, Λονδίνο, φύλλο 28ης Σεπτεμβρίου 1799.
  • Εφ. ‘’The London Gazette’’, Λονδίνο, φύλλο 15ης Μαρτίου 1803.
  • Εφ. ‘’The London Gazette’’, Λονδίνο, φύλλο 23ης Ιανουαρίου 1813.
  • Εφ. ‘’The London Gazette’’, Λονδίνο, φύλλο 8ης Ιουλίου 1815.
  • Εφ. ‘’The London Gazette’’, Λονδίνο, φύλλο 18ης Οκτωβρίου 1818.
  • Εφ. ‘’The London Gazette’’, Λονδίνο, φύλλο 5ης Ιουλίου 1823.
  • Downham, John, ‘’The 47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot’’, εκδ. Lancashire Infantry Museum, Lancaster, 2010.
  • Rosen, F., ‘’London Greek Committee (act. 1823–1826)’’, εκδ. Oxford University Press, Λονδίνο, 1992.
  • Dimaras, Alexis, ‘’The other British Philhelenes’’, εκδ. Oxford University Press, Λονδίνο, αχρονολόγητο.
  • St Clair, William, “That Greece Might Still be Free: The Philhellenes in the War of Independence”, εκδ. Open Book Publishers, Λονδίνο, 2008.
  • Lovell, Ernest J., ‘’His Very Self and Voice, Collected Conversations of Lord Byron’’, εκδ. MacMillan, Νέα Υόρκη, 1954.
  • Stanhope, Leicester, 5ος κόμης του Harrington, “Greece, in 1823 and 1824: Being a Series of Letters, and Other Documents”, εκδ. Sherwood, Gilbert & Piper, Λονδίνο, 1825.
  • Εφημ. “Ελληνικά Χρονικά”, 1η Ιανουαρίου 1824, Μεσολόγγι, φύλλο 1.
  • Συλλογικό, ‘’Πεντακόσια χρόνια έντυπης παράδοσης’’, εκδ. Βιβλιοθήκη της Βουλής των Ελλήνων, Αθήνα, 2000.
  • ‘’Αρχεία της Ελληνικής Παλιγγενεσίας’’, εκδ. Βουλή των Ελλήνων, Αθήνα, 1977, 10ος τόμος.
  • ‘’Αρχείο Leicester Stanhope’’, Γενικά Αρχεία του Κράτους, Αθήνα, τόμοι 13 και 15α’.
  • ‘’Ιστορικόν Αρχείον Αλεξάνδρου Μαυροκορδάτου’’, επιμ. Εμμ. Πρωτοψάλτης, Γενικά Αρχεία του Κράτους, Αθήνα, τόμος 3.
  • Moore, Thomas, ‘’Letters and Journals of Lord Byron with Notices of his Life’’, εκδ. H. L. Broenner, Φρανκφούρτη, 1830.
  • Αθάνας, Γ., ‘’Ιστορικά Μελετήματα’’, εκδ. Ίδρυμα Γ & Μ. Αθανασιάδη – Νόβα, Ναύπακτος, 1998.
  • Δημητρίου Α. Γέροντα, “Οι Αθηναίοι στην Επανάσταση του 1821“