Emmanouil Zymvrakakis ( el, Εμμανουήλ Ζυμβρακάκης, 1858–1928) was a Hellenic Army officer who rose to the rank of Lieutenant General, and was distinguished in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
.
Biography
He was born to the expatriate Cretan Charalambos Zymvrakakis in
Nafplio
Nafplio ( ell, Ναύπλιο) is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece and it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important touristic destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the ...
in 1858. His younger brother was Epameinondas Zymvrakakis, who also became a Lieutenant General in World War I. He graduated the Hellenic Military Academy as an Artillery Ensign. Named 2nd Lieutenant in 1881, he went on to continue his studies at
Orléans
Orléans (;"Orleans" (US) and Cretan Revolt in the Greek expeditionary corps under Colonel Timoleon Vassos. He later became an active member of the Military League, and it was he who suggested, following the Goudi coup, to call upon the Cretan
Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos ( el, Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος, translit=Elefthérios Kyriákou Venizélos, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Greeks, Greek statesman and a prominent leader of the Greek national liberati ...
to come to Greece.
Subsequently he served as adjutant to King
George I of Greece
George I (Greek: Γεώργιος Α΄, ''Geórgios I''; 24 December 1845 – 18 March 1913) was King of Greece from 30 March 1863 until his assassination in 1913.
Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen, and seemed destined for ...
and King
Constantine I of Greece
Constantine I ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Αʹ, ''Konstantínos I''; – 11 January 1923) was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Ar ...
during 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 ...
. He was then promoted to Major General and appointed commander of the newly raised 11th Infantry Division at
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
Macedonian front
The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers to aid Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, in the autumn of 191 ...
Crete Division
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, ...
).
Subsequently he was tasked with the occupation of Western and
Eastern Thrace
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
* China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
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*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
* Eastern Air ...
, territories that had been ceded to Greece from Bulgaria and the
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) ...
respectively. In the latter case he defeated the resistance offered by the remaining Ottoman forces in the region. Following the electoral defeat of the Venizelists in 1920, he was dismissed from his post.
He died in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...