Neokosmos Grigoriadis ( el, Νεόκοσμος Γρηγοριάδης; c. 1879– c. 1967) was a
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is th ...
general, notable for his involvement in the
Greek Resistance during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
as a leading member of the left-wing
National Liberation Front (EAM).
Biography
Neokosmos Grigoriadis was born around 1879 in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
,
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
(today Istanbul,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
) to a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
family. He initially graduated from the
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is th ...
's NCO Academy but eventually he became a regular commissioned officer, and by the end of his military career he had achieved the rank of
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
.
Grigoriadis had an eventful military career. From 1907 to 1909 he was posted in
Vodena (then still part of the Ottoman Empire) as a secret agent working against Turkish and Bulgarian interests during the
Macedonian Struggle
The Macedonian Struggle ( bg, Македонска борба; el, Μακεδονικός Αγώνας; mk, Борба за Македонија; sr, Борба за Македонију; tr, Makedonya Mücadelesi) was a series of social, po ...
; officially, he was principal of Vodena's Greek primary school.
He took part in the revolutionary
Goudi Coup
The Goudi coup ( el, κίνημα στο Γουδί) was a military coup d'état that took place in Greece on the night of , starting at the barracks in Goudi, a neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Athens. The coup was a pivotal event in mod ...
in 1909, fought in the
Balkan Wars and
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and sided with the
Venizelists during the
National Schism
The National Schism ( el, Εθνικός Διχασμός, Ethnikós Dichasmós), also sometimes called The Great Division, was a series of disagreements between King Constantine I and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos regarding the foreig ...
. In 1920, after the royalist
electoral victory, he was discharged from the Army, but he was recommissioned in 1922 by the
11 September 1922 Revolution
The 11 September 1922 Revolution ( el, Επανάσταση της 11ης Σεπτεμβρίου 1922) was an uprising by the Greek army and navy against the government in Athens. The revolution took place on 24 September 1922, although the date wa ...
, and participated in the
Trial of the Six
The Trial of the Six ( el, Δίκη των Έξι, ''Díki ton Éxi'') or the Execution of the Six was the trial for treason, in late 1922, of the Anti-Venizelist officials held responsible for the Greek military defeat in Asia Minor. The tria ...
as "revolutionary commissioner" (public prosecutor). In 1926 he was promoted to Major General, and later that year left the Army for good.
Grigoriadis was then involved in politics, being elected
senator for Edessa (renamed from Vodena) for Venizelos's
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
(1929-1935). However, during the late 1930s he increasingly sympathized with the Left. After the
German invasion of Greece
The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usu ...
and the Nazi occupation, Grigoriadis was an active member of the left-wing
National Liberation Front (EAM), culminating in his role as Chairman of the "
National Council" that EAM created in 1944 in order to supervise the drafting of a new constitution for post-liberation Greece.
Neokosmos Grigoriadis died in 1967. His son,
Solon Grigoriadis (1912–1994), was a respected military writer, historian and journalist.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grigoriadis, Neokosmos
1870s births
1967 deaths
Constantinopolitan Greeks
People from Constantinople vilayet
Liberal Party (Greece) politicians
Democratic Alignment politicians
Members of the Greek Senate
Greek MPs 1950–1951
Hellenic Army generals
Greek military personnel of the Macedonian Struggle
Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars
Greek military personnel of World War I
National Liberation Front (Greece) members
Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Greece
Military personnel from Istanbul