Dimitrios Doulis (, 1865–1928), was a

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

military office, minister of Defence of the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus. He was from Nivica in modern southern

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

Military career

Doulis was born in 1865, son of Nikolaos Doulis and descendant of Kitsos Doulis, a hero of the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

(1821–30). In 1883 he enlisted in the

Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the army, land force of Greece. The term Names of the Greeks, '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches ...

as a volunteer. After studies in the NCO Military School, he was commissioned as an infantry second lieutenant on 20 August 1888. 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 (), was a war fought between the Kingdom of Greece and the O ...

, and was promoted to lieutenant on 19 April 1898, captain II class on 31 December 1904, and captain I class on 18 January 1907. He participated in the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

of 1912–1913 as a major (promoted just before the war's outbreak, on 16 September 1912). During the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

, he commanded the 3rd Battalion of the 15th Infantry Regiment on the

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

front. He captured

Preveza Preveza (, ) is a city in the region of Epirus (region), Epirus, northwestern Greece, located on the northern peninsula of the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. It is the capital of the Preveza (regional unit), regional unit of Preveza, which is the s ...

and fought in the

Battle of Bizani The Battle of Bizani (, ''Máchi tou Bizaníou''; ) took place in Epirus on . The battle was fought between Greek and Ottoman forces during the last stages of the First Balkan War, and revolved around the forts of Bizani, which covered the app ...

. In the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...

, he fought in the area of Nevrokopi, being wounded during the Battle of Predel Han on 17 July 1913.

In Northern Epirus

After the war's end, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 25 September 1913, and made commander of the 26th Infantry Regiment, then based in his native district of Delvino and Himara. During the Balkan Wars, the Hellenic Army had occupied the region of

Northern Epirus Northern Epirus (, ; ) is a term used for specific parts of southern Albania which were first claimed by the Kingdom of Greece in the Balkan Wars and later were associated with the Greek minority in Albania and Greece-Albania diplomatic relation ...

, and Doulis was appointed military commander of Argyrokastro. In December 1913 however, with the Protocol of Florence, the

Great Powers A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power ...

decided to award the region to the newly formed Albanian state. This decision was highly unpopular among the local Greek population, who decided to form their own government and military in order to secure their autonomy. Doulis resigned his commission in the Hellenic Army and joined the autonomists.Stickney. Southern Albania, 1912-1923 Stanford University Press With the official declaration of the

Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus The Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus () was a short-lived, self-governing entity founded in the aftermath of the Balkan Wars on 28 February 1914, by the local Greek population in southern Albania ( Northern Epirotes). The area, known as ...

, on 18 February 1914, he was appointed to the post of Minister of Military Affairs and head of the army of the new government. From the first days he managed to mobilize an army consisting of more than 5,000 volunteer troops, and organize local

gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

units (called " Sacred Bands") in order to secure the region. Until May 17 (New Style), when the

Protocol of Corfu The Protocol of Corfu (, ), signed on 17 May 1914, was an agreement between the representatives of the Albanian Government and the Provisional Government of Northern Epirus, which officially recognized the area of Northern Epirus as an autonom ...

was signed, the autonomist Epirote forces managed retain their positions and push back the attacks of Albanian irregulars and gendarmerie, which was under the command of Dutch officers. When World War I broke out, the Greek forces, after approval from the

Triple Entente The Triple Entente (from French meaning "friendship, understanding, agreement") describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was built upon th ...

Powers, re-entered Northern Epirus. In the subsequent legislative elections, Dimitrios Doulis was elected as member of the Greek parliament for the

Argyrokastron Prefecture Argyrokastro ( ''Silver Castle'') may refer to: *Argyrokastro Castle, castle in the region of the Peloponnese, Greece *''Argyrokastro'', the Greek name of Gjirokastër, a city in southern Albania *''Argyrokastro Castle'', or Gjirokastër Castle, a ...

.Albania's Captives.
Pyrrhus J. Ruches. Argonaut, 1965. p. 97. On 25 April 1915, he was promoted to colonel, and retired from the army a few days after. He died in Athens on 5 April 1928.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doulis, Dimitrios 1865 births 1928 deaths Hellenic Army officers Greek colonels People from Himara Northern Epirus independence activists Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Greece