Joseph Stephanini (Greek: Ιωσήφ Στεφανίνις; 1803–?) was an Ottoman Greek author and runaway slave. He migrated to the United States. He wrote The Personal Narrative of the Sufferings of J. Stephanini pleading to the American people to raise money to free his family from the bondage of slavery. The book began to circulate in the United States in the early 1830s. Many American's learned about the horrors of Ottoman slavery. The Greek Slave Movement evolved and American abolitionists used the subject matter. The most notable subject of the Greek Slave Movement was The Greek Slave statue by Hiram Powers.

Stephanini was born in Arta to Ioannis and Chrissavi Themiano. They were married at fourteen years old. They had seven children: Joseph, Spiro, Demetri, Sylvestro, Maria, Catharina, and Anna. Joseph's father was a very wealthy merchant. The family eventually moved to Patras. The city primarily dealt with Italian merchants. Stephanini learned the family business and spoke Italian.

When the Greek War of Independence broke out Joseph was captured and sold into slavery. Many people were murdered in front of him including elderly people and infants. The soldiers spared his life because his father was a wealthy merchant and could pay a large ransom. He was severely beaten for three days and begged his captors to put him to death. The soldier took a large pistol and pressed it against his head and pulled the trigger but the gun misfired.

He was eventually sold in the market for seventy-eight dollars. He was purchased by an Ottoman military commander named Mustafa Bey of Patras. He was referred to as a Greek dog (skili romi). His master wanted him to convert to Islam. He was put in a dungeon for a period of twenty-eight hours without food or water. They repeatedly asked him if he was willing to convert to Islam. He was repeatedly thrown into the dungeon, in one instance with dogs. His torture continued for roughly two and a half months.

Stephanini survived the torture but because he was unwilling to convert to Islam he was installed as a lower servant. He was the pipe boy, in charge of the pipe and tobacco. Mustafa and the other servants treated Stephanini very poorly. Sometimes Mustafa showed gentle feelings but they were overwhelmed by racist remarks such as skili romi, seni köpek and giaour köpek. The revolution was not healthy for the enslaved Greek population. He could not leave the house of his master without the locals antagonizing him. Stephanini was also an errand boy and eventually was associated with the harem.

Several assassination attempts were made on his life. During the war, the local Greek population was punished by the local Turks when Turkish soldiers died. Greek women and children were brutally murdered in front of Stephanini. On several occasions, Mustafa or his friends had to intervene to save Stephanini's life from a lynch mob. Stephanini relayed the shocking horrors in his book. In some instances, babies and young children were mercilessly beaten to death against the city walls.

Mustafa Bey of Patras was the commander of the Ottoman military in the region. Mustafa moved his family to Nafpaktos for their safety. He was responsible for the Gulf of Patras and Patras Castle. The castles were used as fortresses. He was in a strong fortress at the mouth of the gulf. Stephanini traveled with him on several occasions. One time, Stephanini was severely beaten because he misunderstood Mustafa's mistress. There was a communication barrier because Stephanini did not understand Turkish. He accidentally looked at her face attentively. She took this as a severe insult. Mustafa personally served Stephanini one hundred and fifty strokes of the bastinado. The punishment was so severe his feet bled. Another time his mouth was sewed shut for thirty hours because he said something disrespectful.

Italian vessels frequently visited Patras Castle. The castle was situated at the entrance of the Gulf of Patras. They frequently traded with the locals. During his final stay in Patras, Stephanini acted as an Italian translator because a Genoese sea captain and trader named Spalla did not speak Greek or Turkish. Mustafa wanted to purchase cargo for the garrison and Stephanini was the only person in the household that spoke Italian. Stephanini found a way to escape. Stephanini convinced Spalla to sneak him out of Patras Castle in the middle of the night. Spalla was familiar with Stephanini's father. Spalla had Stephanini's hair cut and changed his appearance. Stephanini was a runaway slave. He escaped in January 1825. The ship left the Gulf of Patras headed to Smyrna.