Greek & Turkish Conflicts
Pliny Fisk:
Pliny Fisk began his work as a missionary at the beginning of the War of Greek Independence in 1821. Fisk kept a very detailed journal in which he described the constant conflicts between the Turks and the Greeks. Although he was not at the center of the war, he witnessed or heard of many brutal acts between the Turks and the Greeks.
Brief Background:
The history of Turkish and Greek relations involved many conflicts between the two countries. These conflicts are the results of several factors, some of which are ethnic, geographical, and religious. The two countries have different ethnic ties and differ very much in religion and in race; the Turks being Muslim and the Greeks being Orthodox Christians. Much of the conflict between the two countries was due to their geographic locations. They have a common border in Thrace and many of the Greek islands are only a few miles off the Turkish mainland. This territorial tension caused conflict over border disputes between the two countries.
War of Greek Independence:
The War of Greek Independence lasted from 1821-1832. The Greeks struggled to gain their freedom from the Ottoman Empire during this period. They were influenced by revolutionary ideas spreading across Europe during this period and by the fact that the Ottoman Empire was in a state of decline. The Greeks eventually gained their independence and later established the independent Kingdom of Greece.
Click the link below for more information on the actual accounts in Fisk's diary and for the transcriptions of his writings.