The assassination of Kapodistrias remains an open wound in the body of the history of the new Greek state, despite the fact that almost two centuries have passed since it happened. There are many interpretations, even more conspiracy theories, even for an event that should have long troubled modern Greeks on the path to the milestone of 200 years since the Greek national uprising of 1821.
The “Note on the Assassination of Kapodistrias” is the testimony of an eyewitness, a devoted friend and supporter of the governor, a Russian philhellene who found himself in the vortex of Greek history and, after a few years, recorded what he experienced on that cruel day for Hellenism.
Aleksei Rayko, son of Nikolai Rayko, recorded his father’s memories and submitted them to the important, at that time, Russian magazine Russian Archive and published them in 1866.
The testimony of Nikolai Raiko is of particular importance for understanding not only the event itself, but also the political situation of the time. It helps us to understand the political intrigues of both the Greeks and the representatives of the great, guarantor powers, to see the mortal struggle between the old and the new, to understand the important meteoric step of the modernization of the new Greek state in its first steps.
The author does not limit himself to just describing the events, but also proceeds to reveal the roles of various protagonists, as well as to make value judgments, which, despite their subjective nature, help us to better understand both the narrative and Raiko’s additions.