“When was Greece liberated?” “Easy! In 1821!” “That’s what we would all answer, you’re right. But that’s not the whole truth. In reality, only a small part of present-day Greece was liberated then.”

“I’m from Ioannina. So when were we liberated?” “Ah, you’ll read about that in this book. What matters is who and how thought to liberate Ioannina too!”

“What do you mean? So we shouldn’t have been liberated?” “You too, your ancestors, and many other Greeks who still lived at the borders of the Ottoman Empire. But it was by no means obvious how far the borders of the free state would extend.”

“Let them reach as far as the ancient Greeks had colonies! No, no… to Constantinople, which was the capital of Byzantium… Or maybe… Well, I don’t know.”

“If we discuss it, we will find many ways to answer. The dream of liberating the unliberated Greeks was called the Great Idea. Here, you will read about the adventures of this idea... It’s a bit like a football match. In the first half, we counted victories. In the second half, defeats. But the result is the great victory of the free and modern state where we live today.”

For the book, rich educational material is available.