Anastasios Papoulas ( el, Αναστάσιος Παπούλας; 1/13 January 1857 – 24 April 1935) 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 ...

general, most notable as the Greek commander-in-chief during most of the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–22. Originally a firm royalist, after 1922 he shifted towards the republican Venizelists, and was executed in 1935 for supporting a failed republican coup.

Life

Born in

Missolonghi Missolonghi or Messolonghi ( el, Μεσολόγγι, ) is a municipality of 34,416 people (according to the 2011 census) in western Greece. The town is the capital of Aetolia-Acarnania regional unit, and the seat of the municipality of Iera Polis ...

on 1 January 1857, Anastasios Papoulas enlisted in the

Greek 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 the ...

in 1878. He fought in the

Greco-Turkish War of 1897 The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 or the Ottoman-Greek War of 1897 ( or ), also called the Thirty Days' War and known in Greece as the Black '97 (, ''Mauro '97'') or the Unfortunate War ( el, Ατυχής πόλεμος, Atychis polemos), was a w ...

, and later served as head of police 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 ...

. During the Balkan Wars of 1912–13 he commanded the 10th Infantry Regiment. After the end of the wars he was assigned to divisional and corps commands, but in 1917 he was dismissed from the Army due to his royalist sympathies 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 ...

. With the electoral victory of the pro-royalist United Opposition in November 1920, he was recalled to active service and appointed commander-in-chief of the Greek forces (the

Army of Asia Minor The Army of Asia Minor ( el, Στρατιά Μικράς Ασίας, links=no) was the field army-level command controlling the Greek forces in Asia Minor (Anatolia) during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922. History 1919 Following the Gree ...

) in

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

, replacing Lt. General

Leonidas Paraskevopoulos Leonidas Paraskevopoulos ( el, Λεωνίδας Παρασκευόπουλος; 7 October 1860 – 16 May 1936) was a senior officer of the Hellenic Army and politician. He played a major role in Greece's war effort during World War I, and was the ...

. He commanded the Army of Asia Minor against the

Turkish nationalists Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and ...

in the failed Greek offensives of spring 1921 (

First Battle of İnönü The First Battle of İnönü ( tr, Birinci İnönü Muharebesi) took place between 6 and 11 January 1921 near İnönü in Hüdavendigâr Vilayet (present-day Eskişehir Province, Turkey) during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22), also known as ...

Second Battle of İnönü The Second Battle of İnönü ( tr, İkinci İnönü Muharebesi) was a battle fought between March 23 and April 1, 1921 near İnönü in present-day Eskişehir Province, Turkey during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22), also known as the weste ...

), the Greek summer offensive of 1921 (

Battle of Kütahya–Eskişehir The Battle of Kütahya–Eskişehir ( el, Μάχες Κιουτάχειας-Εσκί Σεχίρ (Δορυλαίου), tr, Kütahya-Eskişehir Muharebeleri), was fought between July 10 and July 24 (or June 27 and July 10 in the old calendar, the ...

and

Battle of Sakarya The Battle of the Sakarya ( tr, Sakarya Meydan Muharebesi, lit=Sakarya Field Battle), also known as the Battle of the Sangarios ( el, Μάχη του Σαγγαρίου, Máchi tou Sangaríou), was an important engagement in the Greco-Turkish W ...

) and the subsequent retreat to the lines captured in the Kütahya–Eskişehir battle. On 19 May 1922, due to his disagreement with the government on the further prosecution of the war, he was dismissed and retired from active service. Following the end of the war in 1922, Papoulas became a strong opponent of the monarchy after the establishment of the

Second Hellenic Republic The Second Hellenic Republic is a modern historiographical term used to refer to the Greek state during a period of republican governance between 1924 and 1935. To its contemporaries it was known officially as the Hellenic Republic ( el, Ἑλ� ...

as a supporter of the Venizelos government during the late 1920s and the early 1930s. As one of the leaders of a pro-Venizelos coup attempt in March 1935, his failure resulted in his capture and eventual execution for treason on 24 April 1935 in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Papoulas, Anastasios 1857 births 1935 deaths People from Missolonghi Hellenic Army generals Greek military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1897) Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars Greek military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) Executed Greek people 20th-century executions by Greece 20th-century executions for treason People executed for treason against Greece Commander's Crosses of the Cross of Valour (Greece) Grand Crosses of the Order of George I with Swords