From 1453 with the fall of Constantinople until the revolution in 1821 Greece is under the rule of the Ottoman Turks who control the entire middle east, and the Balkans as far as the gates of Vienna.

The Ottomans are Seljuk Turks, a tribe from Central Asia who appeared in the area of Anatolia in the 11th century.

"Freedom or Death"

Eleftheria i thanatos (Greek: Ελευθερία ή θάνατος, pronounced [elefθeˈria ˈi ˈθanatos], "freedom or death") is the motto of Greece.

It arose during the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s, where it was a war cry for the Greeks who rebelled against Ottoman rule. It was adopted after the Greek War of Independence.

It is still in use today, and is a popular theory regarding the use of 9 stripes (for the nine syllables of the motto) in the Greek flag. The motto symbolized and still symbolizes the resolve of the people of Greece against tyranny and oppression.