Ioannis Velissariou (, 26 November 1861 – 13 July 1913) was a
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 ...
officer and hero of 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 ...
. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in the military history of
modern Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. He had a decisive role 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 ...
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 ...
(1912–1913), forcing the
Ottoman Army
The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922.
Army
The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...
to surrender unconditionally.
Early life and career
Velissariou was born in
Ploiești
Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest.
The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...
,
United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia
The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (), commonly called United Principalities or Wallachia and Moldavia, was the personal union of the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia. The union was formed on when Alexa ...
, to Greek parents from
Evia. He spent much of his boyhood in Ploiești. At the age of 19 he joined the Hellenic Army as a volunteer, while in 1887 he was promoted to Infantry Second Lieutenant. He acquired his first combat experience during 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 ...
, where he distinguished himself at the battles of Melouna and Derven-Fourkas, covering the Greek positions. In the following years he was posted as
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 ...
commander in the island of
Skopelos
Skopelos (, ) is a Greek island in the western Aegean Sea. Skopelos is one of several islands that comprise the Northern Sporades island group, which lies east of the Pelion peninsula on the mainland and north of the island of Euboea. It is par ...
and in 1909 he participated in the
Goudi military coup.
Balkan Wars
First Balkan War
With the outbreak of 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 ...
, Velissariou was appointed commander in the 3rd Battalion of the 4th Infantry Regiment. At the
Battle of Sarantaporo
The Battle of Sarantaporo, also variously transliterated as Sarantaporon or Sarandaporon (, ), took place on 9–10 October, 1912. It was the first major battle fought between Greek forces under Crown Prince Constantine and Ottoman forces un ...
he managed to advance rapidly with his unit against the Ottoman forces and cut their withdrawal, causing general unrest to the enemy.
After Sarantaporo he was placed as commander in the 9th Battalion of the
1st Evzone Regiment. Velissariou then was transferred to the
Epirus front and was deployed at the east flank, in the Aetorachi sector. On February 19, 1913, the Greek headquarters ordered a general attack against the Ottoman fortifications in
Bizani
Bizani () is a village and a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ioannina, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 91.3 ...
, which covered the city of
Ioannina
Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...
.
The
Evzone
The Evzones or Evzonoi (, ) were a type of light infantry units in the Hellenic Army. Today, they are the members of the Presidential Guard (), a ceremonial unit that guards the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier () and the Presidential Mansion ...
battalions of Velissariou and Georgios Iatridis penetrated rapidly north and managed to cut off the only escape route of the enemy troops with the capture of the village of Agios Ioannis, between Bizani and Ioannina. Soon the Ottoman headquarters in Ioannina, was unable to transmit any communication message to the Ottoman forts, causing major panic. In the following night, the units of Velissariou and Iatridis managed to capture 37 officers and 935 soldiers in their attempt to withdraw north. As a result, the next day, the Ottoman commander
Esad Pasha surrendered, while Velissariou personally led the Ottoman delegation to the Greek headquarters.
Second Balkan War

Velissariou participated 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 ...
against Greece's erstwhile ally
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
, initially in the
Battle of Lachanas and then in the
Battle of Kresna Gorge
The Battle of Kresna Gorge was fought in 1913 between the Greeks and the Bulgarians during the Second Balkan War. The battle was fought over an eleven-day period, between 8–18 July, over a front of 20 km, in a maze of forests and mounta ...
.
After the Hellenic Army managed to break through the Kresna pass, it captured the town of
Simitli
Simitli ( ) also known as Simitliya (), is a town in Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It has a population of 7,454 and is located 17 km south of Blagoevgrad. It is the seat of Simitli Municipality.
Geography
The town is locate ...
, while the battalion of Velissariou, together with two other battalions of the 1st Evzone Regiment, fought at Summit 1378, northeast of
Simitli
Simitli ( ) also known as Simitliya (), is a town in Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It has a population of 7,454 and is located 17 km south of Blagoevgrad. It is the seat of Simitli Municipality.
Geography
The town is locate ...
. Although the sector suffered constant attacks by the
Bulgarian Army
The Bulgarian Army (), also called Bulgarian Armed Forces, is the military of Bulgaria. The commander-in-chief is the president of Bulgaria. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for political leadership, while overall military command is in ...
, the Evzones managed to repel them. During the time of 13–15 July, the Regiment suffered numerous casualties; Major Velissariou was one of the officers killed.
[Gedeon (1998)]
p. 259
/ref>
He was buried near the battle site.
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Velissariou, Ioannis
1861 births
1913 deaths
People from Ploiești
Evzones
Greek military personnel killed in action
Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars
Greek military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1897)
Hellenic Army officers
People from the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia