Manto Mavrogenous

Manto Mavrogenous Μαντώ Μαυρογένους
Lithography of Manto Mavrogenous by Adam Friedel, 1827
Born	1796 or 1797 Trieste, Habsburg Monarchy
Died	July 1848 Paros, Greece
Rank	Honorary Lieutenant General
Relations	Nikolaos Mavrogenes (father) Zacharati Chatzi Bati (mother)

Manto Mavrogenous (Greek: Μαντώ Μαυρογένους) (1796 – July 1848) was a Greek heroine of the Greek War of Independence. A rich woman, she spent all her fortune for the Hellenic cause. Under her encouragement, her European friends contributed money and guns to the revolution.

Manto Mavrogenous was born in Trieste, then in the Habsburg Monarchy, now part of Italy. She was daughter of the merchant and member of the Filiki Eteria, Nikolaos Mavrogenes, and Zacharati Chatzi Bati. One of her ancestors, the great-uncle of her father, Nicholas Mavrogenes, was dragoman of the Ottoman Empire's fleet and Prince of Wallachia.

A beautiful woman of aristocratic lineage, she grew up in an educated family, influenced by the Age of Enlightenment. She studied ancient Greek philosophy and history at a college in Trieste, and spoke French, Italian and Turkish fluently.

In 1809, she moved to Paros with her family, where she learned from her father that the Filiki Eteria was preparing what would become known as the Greek Revolution and later, in 1818, after her father's death, she left for Tinos. When the struggle began, she went to Mykonos, the island of her origin, and invited the leaders of Mykonos to join the revolution.