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

'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