- Pavlos Melas
Infobox Military Person |name=Pavlos Melas
"Παύλος Μελάς"
lived=1870 – 1904
placeofbirth=Marseille ,France
placeofdeath=Statitsa, Kastoria (Macedonia)
nickname=Zezas
allegiance=
serviceyears=1891-1904
rank=Captain
commands=
battles=Greek Struggle for Macedonia
awards=
portrayedby=Georgios Jakobides Pavlos Melas ( _el. Παύλος Μελάς) (
March 29 1870 –October 13 1904 ) was an officer of theHellenic Army , and he was among the first who organized and participated in theGreek Struggle for Macedonia He was born inMarseilles ,France in a family with origin fromNorthern Epirus . At an early age he moved toAthens to study, and later joined the Army, graduating from the Hellenic Army Academy as aLieutenant ofArtillery in 1891.Melas, with the cooperation of Kastorian
Ion Dragoumis ,consul of Greece in then Ottoman occupied Monastir (nowBitola ), Christos Kottas,andGermanos Karavangelis , metropolitan bishop ofKastoria , tried to raise money for the economic support of Greek efforts in Macedonia. After theIlinden-Preobrazhenie uprising , he decided to enter Macedonia in June, 1904 to assess the situation and to see if there is any possibility of establishing a military unit to fight the Bulgarians (VMRO) and the Ottoman Turks.In July, 1904 under the alias "Captain Mikis Zezas", he reentered Macedonia with a small unit of men and fought against the
VMRO until October 13, 1904 when he was killed after being surrounded by Ottoman forces in the village of Statista. The village with coordinates 40° 42' N 021° 16' E has since been renamed Melas in his honour.After his death, Greek efforts became more intense, resulting in the interception of Bulgarian
Komitadji efforts, especially in West and Central Macedonia, which joined Greece after theBalkan Wars .He is considered to be a symbol of
Greek Struggle for Macedonia and many of his personal belongings can be seen in the "Museum of the Macedonian Struggle " inThessaloniki and "Pavlos Melas Museum" in Kastoria.External links
* [http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Museums/History_And_War/Mma_Thessalonikhs.html Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, Thessaloniki]
* [http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Museums/History_And_War/Pavlos_Melas_Kastoria.html Pavlos Melas Museum, Kastoria]
* [http://www.sse.gr/Greek/various/ifa12.html Photographs from the website of the Hellenic army academy including one of Melas with his family]
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