CHARLES FABVIER

Charles Nicolas Fabvier (1782-1855) was a distinguished officer of the French army. He served under Napoleon and took part in his campaigns. Dismissed from service after the Bourbon restoration, he decided in 1823 to come to Greece and assist in the War of Independence, persuading many experienced Bonapartists to join him. Following the crushing defeat of the Philhellenes’ Battalion led by Karl Normann, Fabvier undertook to recruit and train regular troops, which excelled in several battles. He learned to speak fluent Greek and was very popular with his men. He was perhaps the most honest and selfless of all philhellenes.

In a bold move, on 30 November 1826 he managed to break through the lines of the besieging Ottoman troops and relieve the garrison of the Acropolis, which he defended until the surrender of the stronghold in 1827. In recognition of his services, the Third National Assembly of Troezen (1827) made him an honorary Greek citizen, while King Otto later awarded him with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer.