- Pavlos Kountouriotis
Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis (1855-1935) ( _el. Παύλος Κουντουριώτης) was a Greek naval hero and twice
President of Greece .Early life
Pavlos Kountouriotis was a member of the historical Kountouriotis family which originated from the island of
Hydra, Saronic Islands as many of the heroes of 1821; many members of the family took part in theGreek War of Independence , including his grandfather,Georgios Kountouriotis , who wasPrime Minister of Greece under King Otto. The original family name was Zervas but was changed to Kountouriotis, since one of their ancestors lived for a while in the village of Kountoura, Megarida.Naval Service
He joined the navy in 1875, being promoted to Rear Admiral in 1912, on the outbreak of the
First Balkan War . During theBalkan Wars , with his flagship, the "Georgios Averof", he led the Greek Navy to major victories against the Turkish fleet in December 1912 (Battle of Elli) and in January 1913 (Battle of Limnos), liberating most of the Aegean islands. His victories, due in large part to his daring but successful tactics, earned him the status of a national hero.Politics
In 1916, he became a minister in the
Stephanos Skouloudis government, but, in disagreement with the pro-German feelings of KingConstantine I of Greece , he followedEleftherios Venizelos toThessaloniki were he was assigned the ministry of Naval Affairs in Venizelos' National Defence government. He subsequently retired from the navy, and when KingAlexander I of Greece died in 1920, he becameRegent of Greece until the elections that took place in November 1920 and brought King Constantine back.President
In March 1924, after King
George II of Greece was deposed, he was elected as the first President of the Second Hellenic Republic, but resigned the post in March, 1926 in opposition to General Pangalos' dictatorship. He was reelected president in May 1929, but due to serious health complications he resigned in December of the same year.Death and honor
Pavlos Kountouriotis died in 1935. Α
World War II Greek destroyer and a Standard-class frigate, the F 462 Kountouriotis, are named after him.ee also
*
History of the Hellenic Navy
*Arvanites
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