Filiki Eteria () or Society of Friends () was a secret political and revolutionary organization founded in 1814 in Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman rule in Greece and establish an independent Greek State. Society members were mainly young Phanariot Greeks from Constantinople and the Russian Empire, local political and military leaders from the Greek mainland and islands, as well as several Orthodox Christian leaders from other nations that were under Hellenic influence, such as Karađorđe from Serbia, and Tudor Vladimirescu from Romania. One of its leaders was the prominent Phanariote Prince Alexander Ypsilantis. The Society initiated the Greek War of Independence in the spring of 1821.
Translations and transliterations
The direct translation of the word "Φιλική" is "Friendly" and the direct translation of "Ἑταιρεία" is "Society", "Company" or "Association"). The common transliteration "Filiki Eteria" reflects the pronunciation of the name in modern Greek. Other possible transliterations are "Filike Etaireia", which reflects Greek orthography, and "Philike Hetaireia", which reflects the ancient Greek etymology. The word "friendly" here is meant to connote allies who work towards the same goal, not necessarily those who socialize together.
Foundation
thumb|left|House of Filiki Eteria on [[Hretska Ploshcha|Greek Square in Odessa]]
In the context of ardent desire for independence from Turkish occupation, and with the explicit influence of similar secret societies elsewhere in Europe, three Greeks came together in 1814 in Odessa to decide the constitution for a secret organization in freemasonic fashion. Its purpose was to unite all Greeks in an armed organization to overthrow Turkish rule. The three founders were Nikolaos Skoufas from the Arta province, Emmanuil Xanthos from Patmos and Athanasios Tsakalov from Ioannina.
At the start, between 1814 and 1816, there were roughly twenty members. During 1817, the society initiated members from the diaspora Greeks of Russia and the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The Prince of Moldavia Michael Soutzos himself, became a member. Massive initiations began only in 1818 and by early 1821, when the Society had expanded to almost all regions of Greece and throughout Greek communities abroad, the membership numbered in thousands. Among its members were tradesmen, clergy, Russian consuls, Ottoman officials from Phanar and revolutionary Serbs, most notably, the leader of the Serbian Revolution, father of the modern Serbia and founder of the Karadjordjevic dynasty Karageorge Petrovic. Members included primary instigators of the Greek revolution, notably Theodoros Kolokotronis, Odysseas Androutsos, Dimitris Plapoutas, Papaflessas and the metropolitan bishop Germanos of Patras.
Hierarchy and initiation
thumb|right|The Oath of Initiation into the Society, painting by [[Dionysios Tsokos, 1849.]]
thumb|The Great Oath of the Filiki Eteria, written on a monument at Kolonaki, Athens.
Filiki Eteria was strongly influenced by Carbonarism and Freemasonry. The Priests were charged with the duty of initiation.
When the Priest approached a new member, it was first to make sure of his patriotism and catechize him in the aims of the society; the last stage was to put him under the lengthy principal oath, called the Great Oath (Μέγας Όρκος).
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Etairoi
!Apostles
|-
|
- Nikolaos Skoufas
- Athanasios Tsakalov
- Emmanuil Xanthos
- Antonios Komizopoulos
- Gregorios Flessas
- Panagiotis Anagnostopoulos
- Panagiotis Sekeris
- Anthimos Gazis
- Nikolaos Patsimadis
- Athanasios Sekeris
- Georgios Leventis
- Alexandros Ypsilantis
|
- Anagnostaras
- Christoforos Perraivos<sup> 1</sup>
- Yiannis Pharmakis
- Elias Chrysospathis
- Kamarinós Kyriakós †
- Aristeidis Pappas
- Nikolaos Ypatros
- Demetrios Themelis
- Antonios Pelopidas
- Nikolaos Galatis †<sup> 2</sup>
- Charalambos Mattis
- Georgios Sekeris
- Constantinos Pentedekas
- Athanasios Xodilos
- Gavriil Katakazi<sup> 3</sup>
|- style="background: #EFEFEF"
| colspan="2"|<sup>1</sup><small> In source referenced as Christodoulos Perraivos (p. 44).<br/></small><sup>2</sup><small> In source referenced as N. Galatis (p. 44) and Galanis (p. 45).<br/></small><sup>3</sup><small> In source referended as Georgios Katakazis (p. 44).<br/></small><small>† Members who were killed as traitors (p. 45).</small>
|-
| colspan="2"|<small>Source: List of 12 Etairoi and 15 Apostles, sorted by their initiation date.</small>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Initiations
!Name
!Profession
!Origin
!Initiator
!Place of Initiation
!Year
|-
|49
|Anagnostaras
|Soldier
| rowspan="2" |Peloponnese
|N. Skoufas
|Odessa
|1817
|-
|36
|G. Dikaios
|Clergyman
|P. Anagnostopoulos
|Constantinople
|1818
|-
|31
|N. Kalivas
|Doctor
|Zakynthos
|I. Asimakopoulos
|Zakynthos
|1819
|-
|30
|A. Pappas
|Teacher
|Thessaly
|—
|Italy
|1818
|-
|25
|K. Pentedekas
| rowspan="4" |Merchant
|Epirus
|N. Galatis
|Moscow
|1816
|-
| rowspan="2" |23
|S. Hahamakis
|Constantinople
|N. Skoufas
| rowspan="3" |Odessa
|1817
|-
|A. Stratigopoulos
|Smyrna
|—
|1820
|-
| rowspan="2" |18
|P. Anagnostopoulos
| rowspan="4" |Peloponnese
|N. Skoufas
|1815
|-
|N. Paboukis
|Teacher
|Anagnostaras
|Hydra
| rowspan="2" |1818
|-
| rowspan="2" |17
|Α. Tsounis
|Merchant
|—
| rowspan="3" |Odessa
|-
|Ε. Chrysospathis
|Soldier
|N. Skoufas
|1817
|-
|16
|N. Skoufas
| rowspan="6" |Merchant
|Epirus
| rowspan="2" |—
|1814
|-
|15
|P. Arvalis
| rowspan="2" |Peloponnese
| rowspan="2" |Constantinople
| rowspan="2" |1818
|-
|13
|P. Athanasiou
|A. Tsakalof
|-
| rowspan="3" |12
|G. Gatsos
| rowspan="2" |Epirus
|Α. Komizopoulos
|Moscow
|1817
|-
|A. Pelopidas
|G. Dikaios
|Constantinople
|1818
|-
|S. Arvanitachi
|Zakynthos
|N. Mouzakis
|Galați
|1820
|-
| rowspan="2" |11
|D. Paboukis
|Clergyman
| rowspan="3" |Peloponnese
|Ν. Paboukis
|Peloponnese
|1819
|-
|Th. Kolokotronis
|Soldier
|Anagnostaras
|Zakynthos
|1818
|-
| rowspan="2" |10
|D. Pelopidas
|Merchant
| rowspan="2" |P. Naoum
|Odessa
| rowspan="2" |1820
|-
|I. Klados
|Doctor
|Kythira
|Hydra
|}
Change of leadership
thumb|Fighting in [[Bucharest (1821)]]
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In 1818, the seat of Filiki Eteria had migrated from Odessa to Constantinople, and Skoufas' death had been a serious loss. The remaining founders attempted to find a major personality to take over the reins, one who would add prestige and fresh impetus to the society. In early 1818, they had a meeting with Ioannis Kapodistrias, who not only refused, but later wrote that he considered Filiki Eteria guilty for the havoc that was foreboded in Greece.
Alexandros Ypsilantis was contacted and asked to assume leadership of Filiki Eteria,