The history of nineteenth-century Greece is a topic much more rarely addressed than that of the twentieth century. Apart from a few notable exceptions like John PetropulosFootnote ¹, Ioannis KoliopoulosFootnote ², Gunnar HeringFootnote ³ and Georges DertilisFootnote ⁴, few scholars have offered insightful contributions on the first century of the Greek state. Lydia Tricha's recent biography of Charilaos Trikoupis presents a welcome addition to this distinguished line of scholarship. Indeed, high-quality biographies are a rare commodity in Greek-speaking academia, as the author herself remarks (p. 17). This lacuna becomes particularly evident when it comes to Trikoupis, who is commonly recognized as the most charismatic nineteenth-century Greek statesman but, up to this point, has not been the object of a scholarly biography. Tricha has invested more than three decades into the study of her subject, and she was allowed access to previously unexploited archives, including Trikoupis’ personal estate. This invaluable source is further supplemented by a wide range of Greek, British and French archival and published material, such as newspapers, parliamentary protocols and periodicals, and supported with abundant secondary literature. The author has used this impressive amount of sources to produce an authoritative account of Trikoupis’ public and private life, which is likely to remain a key reference work for years to come.

The biography follows a rather conventional chronological structure and is written in a lucid style, which enables even the non-expert to grasp Trikoupis’ background, formative stimuli, ambitions and limitations. Although Trikoupis is consistently at the core of the volume, it is in fact the comprehensive intermedia scattered across the book that provide the most fascinating information on broader issues surrounding the main protagonist. Therefore, the reader gets also informed about the early functioning and shortages of the ‘Othonian’ university of Athens, where Trikoupis began his legal studies (pp. 88–96); or on the peculiar voting system with a pellet (σφαιρίδιο), valid between 1864 and 1915, which defined the result of many an election during Trikoupis’ times (pp. 135–145). Here, Tricha can escape the mere narration of a great man's deeds. She is thus able to contextualize her subject appropriately by contrasting her findings with relevant scholars like Kostas LappasFootnote ⁵ and Nikos AlivizatosFootnote ⁶ respectively. The author, however, does not always takes full advantage of these opportunities and prefers to treat them solely as episodes in Trikoupis’ development. As regards the beginnings of Trikoupis’ career, one of the book's greatest achievements is that it permanently demolishes the oft-cited myth that sees in Trikoupis the rise of a bourgeois class in Greece. On the contrary, Tricha insists that Trikoupis was the most representative offspring of the Greek political oligarchy, being son and nephew of two former prime ministers, and, as such, best qualified for the highest governmental posts.

After examining the groundbreaking article ‘Who's to blame?’ (pp. 223–234) and the establishment of the no-confidence motion (pp. 250–254), Tricha turns to the modernizing ventures of the multiple Trikoupis cabinets after 1882 (pp. 317ff). Chapters 4 and 5, which focus on Trikoupis’ premierships until 1895, are thus the most interesting and well-written of the book, resembling an introduction to the political and administrative history of the period, rather than just the story of one man. Banal though it may sound at first, it is the history of Trikoupean bureaucratic advancement—allegedly the most important state-building episode between Othon and Venizelos—that requires urgent revisiting. Successfully transcending dated political historiesFootnote ⁷ and agreeing with recent reappraisals on statecraftFootnote ⁸, Tricha articulates a colorful picture of the internal dynamics of the expanding state apparatus. She accordingly provides a much-needed social history of the Greek state mechanism, a trajectory that will hopefully be replicated for subsequent eras of Greek history. Through administrative and military reorganization, reforms in public finance, and 1880s infrastructure projects, Tricha portrays Trikoupis’ vision of a strengthened Greece capable of dealing with international challenges in the post-1878 Balkans, and the means he deployed to create it (pp. 325–364, 433–448). Yet, these ambitious efforts concluded with Trikoupis’ last premiership (1892–1895). At this point, mounting economic problems led to the infamous 1893 bankruptcy, Trikoupis’ retirement from politics, and his premature death in self-exile in 1896 (pp. 509–558).

Tricha eventually judges Trikoupis rather favorably, mostly because of his parliamentary, legislative and infrastructural legacy, and despite the ultimate failure (or inadequacy) of his military and economic policy (pp. 558–566). Judging from her overall attitude towards Trikoupis, her positive empathy with her subject becomes evident. This stance leads her to Manichean conclusions and a harsh condemnation of Trikoupis’ main rival, Theodoros Diligiannis, even though certain scholars have already offered more balanced assertions about Diligiannis’ political career.Footnote ⁹

Finally, Tricha also deserves praise for unravelling the private individual behind the statesman, an essential ingredient for an aspiring holistic biography such as this. Therefore, the reader discovers the discreet yet highly influential role that Trikoupis’ sister Sophia played in his political rise and victorious electoral campaigns (especially pp. 218–223), as well as his late romantic engagement with Maria von Trautenberg, wife of the Austrian ambassador in Athens (pp. 376–384). Such brief intervals to the main storyline serve both to humanize Trikoupis and to provide relief from the typically ‘heavy’ political narrative that dominates the text.

In conclusion, one cannot but recognize the well-researched and timely contribution of Lydia Tricha to modern Greek historiography. One hopes that a shorter version, at least, will be translated into English as well. That way, Trikoupis could be interpreted comparatively to the other great European statesmen of his time, like Disraeli and Gladstone in Britain, Bismarck in Germany, Bach and Taaffe in Austria, and Stabulov in Bulgaria.