Greece. New Silver Proof Coins Remember Bicentenary Anniversary of Heroine of Independence

Laskarina Pinotsi – otherwise known as ‘Bouboulina’ was born in Constantinople on the 11th May 1771 as the daughter of Stavrianos Pinotsis, from the island of Hydra in the Saronic Gulf and her mother Skevo Kokkini, a descendant of the distinguished Byzantine Kokkinis family. She grew up on the maritime island of Spetses and according to local records, was educated to a standard not ordinarily offered to girls of her day. Laskarina married her first husband, Dimitrios Yiannouzas, at the age of 17, and from this marriage, she had three children. But at the age of only 26, she became a widow after her husband was killed in a clash with Algerian pirates. Sadly, her second husband, Dimitrios Bouboulis suffered the same fate as her first and in 1811, Bouboulis was killed in a fight with Algerian pirates. Laskarina, who took her second husband’s surname until her own death was 40 at the time of her second widowhood and took over his fortune and trade company. She herself had four more ships constructed at her own expense, including the massive 18-Gun warship Agamemnon. It was this immense sum of money which Bouboulina had spent to finance the Greek Revolution which had broken out in March 1821. She was one of the few women to be admitted to the Friendly Society known as the Philike Etaireia, which masterminded the revolt. As soon as she was initiated, she started to procure military equipment, including the Agamemnon which became the flagship of her flotilla. At the same time, she recruited and paid for a private army of fellow islanders from Spetses.

Throughout the war, Bouboulina was considered an equal with other revolutionary commanders and was involved in planning their strategy. It was during the siege of Nauplion that Bouboulina’s flotilla participated, she was said to have been on board the Agamemnon. The famous nineteenth-century oil painting of her pointing in the direction of the Fortress on Nauplion which she ordered attacked and destroyed is perhaps one of the best-known images of Lascarina. She later settled on land in Nauplion which later became the capital city of the newly created Greek state which was donated to her by the Greek government in recognition of her services. However, after the civil war in 1824, her plea to the government to release her friend and father-in-law of her daughter, the imprisoned opponent Theodoros Kolokotronis led to her banishment to the island of Spetses and her fortune having been exhausted from fighting for Greek independence.

Sadly, a brave woman such as Laskarina’s life was not ended in battle or from having lived a long life but rather from a misunderstanding between families. On the 22nd May 1825, members of the Koutsis family came to the home of Bouboulina to question her about her son Georgios who had eloped with the daughter of Christodoulou Koutsis. Supporting her son's decision and the couple’s choice, armed members of the Koutsis family went to Bouboulina's house, believing that the couple had taken refuge inside her home. When Bouboulina confronted them from the balcony, she was shot and killed at the age of 54 by one of the armed men. Just days after and unaware of her death, a delegation from the Imperial Government of Russia arrived on Spetses to present her with the honorary rank of Admiral of the Russian Navy personally granted by Tsar Alexander I of Russia. It is believed that this granting of rank made Lascarina Bouboulina perhaps the first woman in world naval history to hold this title. In 2018 she was posthumously and formally granted the title of Rear Admiral in the Hellenic Navy as ordered by presidential decree. In 1978, the Bank of Greece depicted Bouboulina on the reverse side of Greek 50 drachma banknotes and on the obverse side of one-drachma coins issued from 1988 until 2001.

The silver proof quality coins are produced by the Hellenic Mint at their facilities in Athens on behalf of the Bank of Greece and designed by Leda Pavli. The obverse side recreates a well-known 19th-century painting of Laskarina Bouboulina by an anonymous artist which is displayed at the National Museum of History in Athens. Bouboulina is famously depicted pointing in the direction of the Fortress of Nauplion which she ordered her army to destroy in support of Greek independence. The inscription around the primary design reads 200 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ ΘΑΝΑΤΟ ΤΗΣ ΛΑΣΚΑΡΙΝΑΣ ΜΠΟΥΜΠΟΥΛΙΝΑΣ (200 years of the Death of Laskarina Bouboulina). To the left of the mast is the mintmark of the Greek Mint and year of issue, 2025. The reverse side includes depictions of the rigging and the mast of the Ship Agamemnon, built for service supporting and fighting for Greek independence by Bouboulina. Along the left rim is the denomination 10 EYPΩ (10 Euro) and just to the right of the coin’s face value is the crest of the Hellenic Republic with the text ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΉ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΊΑ (Hellenic Republic) encircling the shield.

The coins are encapsulated and presented in a Bank of Greece-branded custom case accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. A date for their release has not yet been announced. For additional information, please visit the collector’s webpage of the Bank of Greece.