Greece, in 1823 and 1824: Being a Series of Letters and Other Documents on the Greek Revolution, Written during a Visit to that Country

Leicester Fitzgerald Charles Stanhope (1784-1862) played a controversial role in the struggle for Greek independence. After a career in the Indian army, he offered his services to the London Greek Committee in 1823, and was sent as its agent to Greece. However, his paternalistic view of the Greeks, as childlike ‘natives’ in need of guidance, was resented both by the Greeks themselves and by other members of the Committee. His approach, which supported the imposition of a unified constitutional system from above, alienated the Greek factions, especially Alexandros Mavrokordatos, whose otherwise pro-British stance was undermined by Stanhope’s actions (which also disrupted the delivery of the Committee’s loan to the Greeks). Stanhope was recalled by the British government (travelling home with Byron’s body) and immediately released his correspondence with the Committee, which was edited and published in 1824, to deflect criticism of his conduct.