Christos Davelis

Christos Davelis (real name: Christos Natsios, circa 183212 July 1856) was an infamous Greek brigand operating in the regions of Attica and Boeotia.

Biography

Early years

According to an older account, Christos Natsios was born in the town of Steiri, Boeotia in 1832. A newer opinion assumes descent from the nearby town of Arachova, while other writers point to the town of Styra, on the island of Euboea.

For a period of time Davelis had been a shepherd tending to the flocks of Daou Pentelis monastery, in the Attic countryside, whose milk he sold in Athens, the Greek capital. Another account claims that he tended to the flocks of Petraki monastery instead, in Kolonaki, right outside Athens itself at the time. The abbot of the Monastery once gave the shepherd a letter to deliver to a nun in Athens, making Natsios curious and taking it to someone who could read it for him. Learning of its contents, he met with the nun himself and became a frequent visitor. The abbot eventually learned of this, and in anger reported Natsios to the authorities, accusing him of theft.

Arrested, Natsios was convicted and punished via bastinado, after which he left for Styra, in Euboea. While in Styra, he fell in love with a priest's daughter, who was already betrothed to a wealthy shepherd. When an army unit arrived in the village searching for a deserter by the name of Nastos, the shepherd pointed to Natsios as revenge. Not managing to convince the officers that he was not the deserter in question, a fight broke out when an arrest attempt was made, resulting in a soldier getting killed and Natsios escaping. Davelis proceeded to descend on the city and kidnap French officer Berteau (or Breteau) in Peiraios Avenue, the main road connecting Piraeus to Athens. Davelis was given 30,000 drachma in gold by the Greek government as ransom for the officer's release. The ransom was paid as quickly as possible to both avoid further foreign intervention in Greek internal affairs as well as cover up the existing connections between brigands and politicians.

Downfall

Davelis' criminal activity on the northern outskirts of Athens reached an all-time peak in the spring of 1856. In May, he ambushed the gendarmes stationed in the town of Menidi, in Attica, forcing them to lay down their arms. Seeking revenge for their humiliation, the Gendarmerie unleashed a manhunt which brought the brigand all the way to Mount Parnassus. Around the same time, the written correspondence between Davelis and Bacoli was intercepted by the Gendarmerie, depriving the bandits of the element of surprise and an escape route, as the duchess was arranging safe passage for Davelis and his gang to Italy. The brigands were finally surrounded in Zemeno pass, on the foothills of Parnassus. Despite that, the legend persisted enough for the former hideout to be called Davelis Cave today.