Dimitris 'Koliopoulos' Plapoutas () (1786 – 1865) 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 ...
general who fought during 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 rule of 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 ...
.
Biography
Plapoutas was born on in
Paloumba in the
Arcadia region of the
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...
,
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 ...
, the son of Kollias Plapoutas. This is of course the reason why
Theodoros Kolokotronis
Theodoros Kolokotronis (; 3 April 1770 – ) was a Greek general and the pre-eminent leader of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) against the Ottoman Empire.
The son of a klepht leader who fought the Ottomans during the Orlov revolt ...
referred to him simply as "Koliopoulos" ().
In 1811, he left Paloumba for the
Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a archipelago, group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , ''Heptanēsa'' or , ''Heptanē ...
where he became an officer in the
1st Regiment Greek Light Infantry. In 1818, he joined the
Filiki Eteria
Filiki Eteria () or Society of Friends () was a secret political and revolutionary organization founded in 1814 in Odesa, Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman Empire, Ottoman rule in Ottoman Greece, Greece and establish an Independenc ...
, which was planning to liberate Greece from Ottoman control.
During the revolution, Dimitris Plapoutas took part in the
Siege of Tripolitsa, the capture of the
Acrocorinth
Acrocorinth (, 'Upper Corinth' or 'the acropolis of ancient Corinth') is a monolithic rock overlooking the ancient city of Corinth, Greece. In the estimation of George Forrest, "It is the most impressive of the acropolis of mainland Greece."
W ...
, the
Battle of Valtetsi, the
Battle of Maniaki and other battles.
After independence, along with General
Theodoros Kolokotronis
Theodoros Kolokotronis (; 3 April 1770 – ) was a Greek general and the pre-eminent leader of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) against the Ottoman Empire.
The son of a klepht leader who fought the Ottomans during the Orlov revolt ...
and General
Kitsos Tzavelas, Plapoutas supported
Prince Otto of Bavaria as the King of Greece. However, later he opposed the Bavarian-dominated regency during his rule. He was charged with high treason and on 7 June 1834 he was imprisoned at the
Palamidi along with Kolokotronis and both sentenced to death and both later pardoned in 1835.
Plapoutas then became involved in Greek politics and served in Parliament (1844–1847) and in the Senate (1847–1862). He was made an honorary bodyguard of King Otto and was entrusted with escorting him to his new kingdom.
Plapoutas also had a brother, Georgios, who fought alongside him in many battles and died in the
Battle of Lalas.
When he was around seventy years old, Plapoutas married a woman in her thirties and had one child, a girl named Athanasia. Plapoutas died shortly afterwards.
His house still stands (albeit heavily damaged from an earthquake during the 1960s) in his home town of
Paloumpa
Paloumpa (, also ''Palouba'') is a town in Arcadia, southern Greece. It is situated on a mountain slope overlooking the valley of the river Alfeios. It was the seat of the former municipality of Iraia. The town is in a remote area, but contains a ...
,
Arcadia.
Gallery
File:Aythentiki.jpg, A photograph of Plapoutas in the Royal Phalanx
The Royal Phalanx () was a military body composed of veteran officers of the Greek War of Independence, established on 18 September 1835. The Phalanx entailed military garrison duties, but mostly it was an honorific appointment, and a means to sust ...
uniform.
File:Plapoutas castle.jpg, House of Plapoutas
File:Ottobrunn Dimitris Plapoutas bust.JPG, Plapoutas bust in Ottobrunn, Germany
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plapoutas, Dimitrios
1786 births
1864 deaths
19th-century heads of state of Greece
19th-century prime ministers of Greece
Greek military leaders of the Greek War of Independence
Greek generals
Members of the Greek Senate
Greek revolutionaries
Arvanites
People convicted of treason against Greece
Prisoners sentenced to death by Greece
Recipients of Greek royal pardons
1st Regiment Greek Light Infantry officers
People from Iraia
Members of the Royal Phalanx