Konstantinos Paparrigopoulos (1815 – April 14, 1891)

Konstantinos Paparrigopoulos (1815 – April 14, 1891)

Born in Constantinople, he was a Greek teacher, professor and historian and through his lifetime of work, became known as the father of Greek historiography.

At the outbreak of the Greek Revolution of 1821, his father was killed by the Turks in front of his eyes, his brother, 2 of his uncles and a brother-in-law were also killed by the Turks.

Paparrigopoulos’ mother and his remaining siblings fled to Odessa, where the family stayed for a few years.

By 1830, the family had settled in Nafplio and Konstantinos studied at the Κεντρικό Σχολείο in Aegina, founded by Greece’s 1st Modern Head of State, Ioannis Kapodistrias.

By 1833 he was working for the ministry of Justice and soon after, was teaching at high schools and lecturing at universities. He was a proponent of the Megali Idea and an opponent of anti-Greek propaganda which was rampant in many parts of Europe.

Paparrigopoulos is the founder of the concept of the historical continuity of Greece, from the ancient world to the present.

It was he who proved and established the continuity of Greek history from the time of Ancient Greece, into the Medieval and Middle Ages, to the Byzantine Empire, through to the present day. Disproving the racist and anti-Hellenic pseudo historical narratives, which were prevalent at the time.

Paparrigopoulos introduced this in his teaching at the University of Athens.

His main work is the multi-volume – History of the Greek Nation (Ιστορία του Ελληνικού Έθνους) – covering the history of the Greeks from ancient to modern times, including the rediscovery of the Greek Middle Ages and their integration as part of the national history of Greece.