Lambros Katsonis

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Lambros Katsonis (1752–1804) was a Greek naval hero of the 18th century

Born in Ithaka, he joined the Orlov Revolt in 1770 but he was not pleased by the result and took matters into his own hands by building up a small fleet and harassing the Ottomans in the Aegean Sea. He forced the Ottomans to abandon the island of Kastelorizo; the castle on the island was renamed to Lambros Katsonis Castle. Katsonis had his hideout in the bay of Porto Kagio. His crew grew very restless and they attacked and sunk two French naval ships. This caused the French to join with the Ottomans to try to stop Katsonis. They cornered him at Porto Kagio and Katsonis' navy was destroyed. Katsonis escaped to Odessa and Yalta where he was granted the Livadia estate by Catherine the Great. He lived out the rest of his days there. He was also the godfather of Odysseas Androutsos, a hero of the Greek War of Independence.