Editing Hydra (island) (section)

=== Greek War of Independence ===
{{Further|Greek War of Independence|Antonis Oikonomou|Andreas Miaoulis}}
[[File:Statue of Andreas Vokos Miaoulis.jpg|thumb|180px|left|Statue of [[Andreas Miaoulis]], admiral during the [[Greek War of Independence]].]]
[[File:Peter von Hess Antonis Oikonomou Ydra.jpg|thumb|180px|''[[Antonis Oikonomou]] starts the revolution in Hydra'' by [[Peter von Hess]].]]
[[File:1821 Flag of Hydra.svg|thumb|right|180px|Flag of Hydra during the [[Greek War of Independence]], displaying the Spartan maxim "Η ΤΑΝ Η ΕΠΙ ΤΑΣ".]]

In the 19th century, Hydra was home to some 125 boats and 10,000 sailors. The mansions of the sea captains that ring the harbor are a testament to the prosperity that shipping brought to the island, which, at the time of the [[Greek Revolution]], had 16,000 inhabitants.

To begin with, Hydriots were far from unanimous in joining the [[Greek War of Independence]]. In April 1821, when [[Antonis Oikonomou]] expelled the Ottoman governor Nikolao Kokovila and proclaimed Hydra's adherence to the independence struggle, he met strong opposition from island leaders who were reluctant to lose the relatively privileged position they had under Ottoman rule. Oikonomou was imprisoned, hounded off the island and eventually his opponents sent assassins to chase and kill him in December 1821.

Still, Hydra eventually did join the cause of independence, and Hydra's contribution of some 150 ships, plus supplies, to fight against the Turks played a critical role. The Greek admiral [[Andreas Miaoulis]], himself a settler on Hydra, used Hydriot [[fire ships]] to inflict heavy losses on the Ottoman fleet. Eventually the fleet of Hydra – along with those of the other two naval islands of [[Psara]] and [[Spetses]] – were able to wrest control of the eastern [[Aegean Sea]] from the Ottoman Empire.

The Albanian-speaking seamen of Hydra and Spetses provided the core of the Greek fleet and leading members of the Greek government, among them a one wartime president. They in some cases used Albanian with each other to prevent others on their side from reading their correspondence.<ref>{{cite book |author=Mark Mazower |title=The Greek Revolution and the Making of Modern Europe |page=44 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T4spEAAAQBAJ&q=alien+concept |year=2021 |publisher=Penguin Press |isbn=978-0-698-16398-0 |quote=On the Greek side, there were the Christian Albanian Souliot bands, hardened mountain fighters based around clan leaders who gradually became integrated into the national war effort. There were also the Albanian-speaking seamen of Hydra and Spetses who provided not only the core of the Greek fleet but also leading members of the Greek government – including one wartime president – who occasionally used Albanian among themselves to prevent others on their own side from reading their correspondence.}}</ref>