by court in Tripolitsa with the court finding in Papaflessas' and the monastery's favour. This angered the Turkish official who told the authorities that Papaflessas was a revolutionary and was arming the ('slaves', as the Turks used to call Greeks) against the Turks. The Tripolitsa authorities sentenced Papaflessas to death and sent soldiers to the monastery to arrest and execute him. Armed Poliani fighters delayed the soldiers and Papaflessas was able to leave his homeland, saying as he did so that he would return either a bishop or a pasha and deal with them. Papaflessas went to the island of Zakynthos, a haven for Greeks from the mainland who were under death sentence by the Turks. He obtained a reference letter from the Archbishop of Christianoupolis (Arcadia Kyparissia). While traveling by sea to Constantinople, Papaflessas was shipwrecked on Mount Athos during which the seal on his letter of recommendation broke. Reading the letter he was surprised to find that it called him dishonest, immoral and untrustworthy, causing him to discard the letter. He arrived in Constantinople with the goal of studying Ancient Greek and theology and to become an archbishop in the patriarchy of Agia Sofia. While studying Greek and the Periklis harangue, he also started meeting prominent "patriots". Because he was under death sentence by the Turks, and due to his reputation from Peloponnisos, he used the name Dikaios. He soon joined the secret organization Filiki Eteria with the code name Armodios (A. M.), , and the number five (5). In 1819, Gregorios was ordained to the highest priesthood position, archimandrite, a rank next to bishop, by Patriarch Gregorios V of Constantinople and he was given the ecclesiastical "officio of Dikaios" (the Ecumenical Patriarch's representative), in order to be able to move freely in the Moldovlachia area and not to be bothered by the Turks. Papaflessas was sent to the northern part of the Ottoman Empire to inspire and spread hope among his countrymen for the nation's independence from the Turks. Action in Resistance Returning to Constantinople from his successful mission, Papaflessas again came to the attention of the Turkish authorities and had to flee. At the end of 1820, he sailed to Aivali of Asia Minor and catechised all scholars of the Big School (as it was called there) while awaiting the arrival of war supplies from Smyrna. From Smyrna he received military supplies and the assurance of