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Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios

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Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios (Greek: Χατζηγεωργάκης Κορνέσιος) was from Kritou Terra in Paphos, a province on the western part of Cyprus. During the Ottoman Empire's rule of Cyprus, Hadjigeorgakis held the title of the Dragoman (i.e. interpreter) to the Divan (Council) of the Sultan between 1779 and 1809. The dragoman was usually a Christian from the local community appointed by the Ottomans and it was a significant office awarded to highly educated individuals with mastery of both the Greek and Turkish languages. Around 1796 he was appointed life-long Dragoman of Cyprus issued by Sultan Selim III. The prestige of his position brought both wealth and power - however also many enemies. This was his destruction as his enemies succeeded in having him decapitated on March 31, 1809 in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul).

Career and Influence

As an interpreter, Hadjigeorgakis dealt mostly with matters of taxation and administration, which brought him into contact with the local administration of Cyprus, i.e. the “muhassil” (Turkish governor)and the aghas on the one hand, and the “kocabacis” (the local prelates) on the other.

The people and the clergy held Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios in high esteem and this earned him increased power and influence. As a result of his position and connections, the dragoman gained considerable wealth. However, he was not known to use his power and riches for his personal benefit. According to a poem by an unknown author composed after Hadjigeorgakis’ decapitation, Hadjigeorgakis contributed greatly to the protection of Christians and lepers, offered financial and moral support to the Church of Cyprus and promoted education.

He and his wife Maroudia (who was also the Archbishop Chrysanthos’s niece), displayed patriotic and charitable sentiments. Nevertheless, there were many that nursed negative feelings against the Dragoman. His own and the Archbishop’s rise in the political and financial life of Cyprus caused the envy and anxiety of the Turk aghas, who as conquerors had been accustomed to being the principal agents of authority and the privileged beneficiaries of such authority, but now saw themselves being supplanted. On the other hand, a part of the population resented the heavy taxes placed upon them – and consequently, resented Hadjigeorgakis, who was responsible for the collection of such taxes. The French consuls were also hostilely disposed towards him because they considered him a Russophile and, by consequence, an enemy of France. This resentment manifested itself also in the 1804 revolt of the islands’ Ottomans caused by the increased taxation and the wheat shortage. The insurgents initially revolted against the Turkish authorities, but the authorities managed to turn their wrath against the Church and the Dragoman. The angry mob broke into and sacked Hadjigeorgakis’ mansion. The Dragoman himself escaped with his family to Constantinople, where they stayed for three years.

Hadjigeorgakis appointed his assistant, a man named Nicholaos Nicholaides, as his commissary who unfortunately was quick to take advantage of his position to become rich. He collaborated closely with the muhassil and resorted to tyrannical methods for the collection of taxes. When Hadjigeorgakis was cleared of all charges, he returned in 1807 to Cyprus to conduct an audit of the accounts. Nicholaides and Hasan Agha sent a slanderous report against him to the sultan in order to avoid being called to account for their actions. This caused an order to be issued for the Dragoman’s arrest and for a full examination of his accounts for the past 20 years. Hadjigeorgakis was informed of this development and once again fled to Constantinople to prove his innocence. However, this time he was not successful. Despite the efforts of the ambassadors of England and Russia, the Grand Vizier Youssouf Zia, who resented Hadjigeorgakis, ordered for his execution. By the time the sultan’s order for his release was secured, it was too late. Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios was beheaded in Constantinople on March 31, 1809.

Descendants and the Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios Mansion

Hadgigeorgakis spent a portion of his wealth in building a mansion in the upper class Ayios Antonios area in Nicosia, close to the Archbishopric of Cyprus. After his execution his estate was confiscated and his family suffered several years of exile and imprisonment. Hatice Hanim, of the Turkish family of Magnisali, bought the mansion for 13,000 gross. In 1830, Tselepi Yiangos, the Dragoman’s youngest son, returned from Constantinople and bought the mansion with a loan he received from the Archdiocese. Tselepi Yiangos settled there with his wife Iouliani, neé Vondiziano. He died in 1874 and his wife remained at the mansion with the family of her niece Ourania Zachariadou Oikonomidi, whom she had adopted for she had no children of her own. The mansion was then inherited by Ourania’s four daughters. The last tenant, Julia Piki, died in 1979.

The mansion was was acquired by the Cyprus Department of Antiquities and serves today as the Cyprus Ethnological Museum.

References

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