The Rise of the Middle Class

Carlowitz treaty: signed between the Ottoman Empire, Austria Hungary, Venice and Poland. Article XIV secured free trade among the parties involved.

The development of commercial activity and transport boosted the Greek economy. The political developments that occurred during the 18th century and in particular the Carlowitz Treaty, signed in 1699, the reoccupation of the Peloponnese by the Turks in 1715, the Treaty of Kuchuk Kainargi and the French Revolution, revealed Greek commercial superiority and control in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and the Balkan peninsula reaching as far as central and eastern Europe. The mansions in northern Greece (Kastoria, Siatista, Ioannina, Zagorochoria) are indicative of this wealth. Caravans carried Greek products to Europe's commercial centres, where flourishing Greek communities were established. Navigation in the Aegean islands blossomed after 1774. Some Greeks, mainly from Mani, became pirates. The illegal transport of goods and tax evasion brought in money that was reinvested in commerce and navigation. Social and financial security turned the pirates into powerful and wealthy shipowners; their liberal and revolutionary ideas assisted the revolution.

Lavishly decorated
mansion in Siatista

The House of Nikolaos Argiris,
Giannena, 1820

The growth of trade helped to form a middle class in the Balkans. This mostly consisted of Greeks or Hellenized Orthodox peoples and was considered as a dominating force as compared to the popular classes. Their international contacts helped spread the liberal ideas of the Enlightenment. Gains from their commercial activities sponsored the Revolution as well as the establishment of schools.