Greece coin – 10 Euro 2023 – Charles Norman – Silver PROOF
The son of an aristocratic family, Charles Norman (Karl Friedrich Lebrecht von Normann-Ehrenfels) was born in 1784 in Stuttgart, Württemberg and followed a military career. He distinguished himself in the Napoleonic Wars by serving in Bonaparte’s army, as Württemberg was an ally of France, and took part in the campaign against Russia. After the Battle of Leipzig (1813) he retired from active duty. Moved by the fight of the Greeks, he decided to go to Greece and in February 1822 he landed with 50 other philhellenes in Navarino, which he successfully defended. In the campaign organized by Alexander Mavrocordatos in Epirus, Norman led a Philhellenic battalion composed of French, Italians, Germans and Poles. After an initial victory at Komboti in Arta, the rebel forces suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Peta on July 16, 1822, with heavy losses for the Philhellenes. Norman was seriously injured and eventually died at Messolonghi on 15 November 1822.
