Nikostratos Kalomenopoulos ( el, Νικόστρατος Καλομενόπουλος) was 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 ...

revolutionary and

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

officer who reached the rank of major general. He is also known by his

nom de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

''Kapetan Nidas''.

Biography

He was born at

Syros Syros ( el, Σύρος ), also known as Siros or Syra, is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is south-east of Athens. The area of the island is and it has 21,507 inhabitants (2011 census). The largest towns are Ermoupoli, A ...

in about 1865. After studies in the NCO School, he was commissioned an infantry second lieutenant in 1891. In 1892, he went in disguise to

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

, then still under Ottoman rule, and secretly mapped the island, but was discovered, arrested, and expelled. In 1896, he joined the Cretan uprising against the Ottomans and was elected as head of the

Amari Province Amari ( el, Αμάρι) is a village and a municipality in Rethymno regional unit, Crete, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Agia Foteini. The municipal unit has an area of . One of the major geographic features of Amari is the Ama ...

. In 1897, he joined the Greek expeditionary force to the island under Colonel

Timoleon Vassos Timoleon Vassos or Vasos ( el, Τιμολέων Βάσσος or Βάσος; 1836–1929) was a Hellenic Army officer and general. He was born in Athens in 1836, the younger son of the hero of the Greek Revolution Vasos Mavrovouniotis. He studied a ...

. In 1905, following the death of

Pavlos Melas Pavlos Melas ( el, Παύλος Μελάς, ''Pávlos Melás''; March 29, 1870 – October 13, 1904) was a Greek revolutionary and artillery officer of the Hellenic Army. He participated in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and was amongst the first ...

, he rushed to join 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 ...

. In Macedonia, he adopted the

''Kapetan Nidas'' and became a chieftain of an armed band that operated around

Florina Florina ( el, Φλώρινα, ''Flórina''; known also by some alternative names) is a town and municipality in the mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. The town of Florina is the capital of the F ...

. On 15 April 1905, he and his band were surrounded by a force of 200 Ottoman troops. Following the battle that ensued, several Makedonomachoi were killed or wounded while Kalomenopoulos was captured by the Ottoman authorities and condemned to five years imprisonment at Monastir, but managed to escape three years later. He fought in the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...

of 1912–1913, being wounded during the

Battle of Sarantaporo The Battle of Sarantaporo, also variously transliterated as Sarantaporon or Sarandaporon ( el, Μάχη του Σαρανταπόρου, tr, Sarantaporo Muharebesi, links=no), took place on 9–10 October, 1912. It was the first major battle ...

in 1912. In 1914–1916 he commanded the

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Anatolia, Asia Minor ...

infantry regiment, and the 3rd Serres Regiment in the

Serres Division The Serres Division ( el, Μεραρχία Σερρῶν, Merarchia Serrōn) was an infantry division of Hellenic Army in World War I and the annexation of Western Thrace. Establishment The division began being raised in September 1916 by the Pr ...

in 1917. In 1918–19 he commanded the 8th Infantry Division, and in 1919, he served as garrison commander of

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

during its

occupation Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

by the Hellenic Army. In 1920, he was military governor of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, and retired in August 1921. Apart from his military career, Kalomenopoulos was also the author of a number of topographic, military, and historical studies, including on the military history of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

. He is considered one of the best military writers in Greece. He died in

in 1952.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalomenopoulos, Nikostratos 1860s births 1952 deaths 19th-century Greek military personnel 20th-century Greek military personnel Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars Greek military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1897) Greek military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) Greek military personnel of the Macedonian Struggle Greek military personnel of World War I Hellenic Army major generals People from Syros Prisoners and detainees of the Ottoman Empire Greek escapees 20th-century Greek historians Military historians