Leonidas Paraskevopoulos ( el, Λεωνίδας Παρασκευόπουλος; 7 October 1860 – 16 May 1936) was a senior officer of the Hellenic Army and politician. He played a major role in Greece's war effort during

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, ...

, and was the commander-in-chief of the Army of Asia Minor in 1919–20. In later life he was a member of the Greek Senate and served as its speaker in 1930–32.

Life

Leonidas Paraskevopoulos was born on 7 October 1860 on the island of Kythnos. His family hailed from

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

. He entered the Hellenic Military Academy and graduated in November 1881 as an Artillery 2nd Lieutenant. During the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, he served in the expeditionary corps sent to

Crete 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, Cypru ...

under Colonel Timoleon Vassos. During the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

of 1912–13, he initially served as the commander of the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, but already at the

Battle of Sarantaporo The Battle of Sarantaporo, also variously transliterated as Sarantaporon or Sarandaporon ( el, Μάχη του Σαρανταπόρου, tr, Sarantaporo Muharebesi, links=no), took place on 9–10 October, 1912. It was the first major battle ...

he was appointed with the supervision of the entire artillery establishment of the

Army of Thessaly The Army of Thessaly ( el, Στρατιά Θεσσαλίας) was a field army of Greece, activated in Thessaly during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and the First Balkan War in 1912, both times against the Ottoman Empire and commanded by Crown Prin ...

, a post he held until the capture of

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 ...

. He then succeeded

Konstantinos Kallaris Konstantinos Kallaris ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Καλλάρης, 1858–1940) was a senior Hellenic Army officer who distinguished himself in the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913. Born in Athens in 1858, Kallaris studied at the Hellenic Army Acad ...

as commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, when the latter was transferred to the

Epirus sq, Epiri rup, Epiru , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Historical region , image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg , map_alt = , map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinrich ...

front. There again, however, he was after a few days appointed as Chief of Artillery of the

Army of Epirus The following is the order of battle of the Hellenic Army during the First Balkan War. Background Greece, a state of 2,666,000 people in 1912,Erickson (2003), p. 70 was considered the weakest of the three main Balkan allies, since it fielded th ...

, playing a crucial role in the successful

Battle of Bizani The Battle of Bizani (, ''Máchi tou Bizaníou''; tr, Bizani Muharebesi, italic=no) 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 ...

and the capture of

Ioannina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the ...

. In April 1913 he was placed in command of the newly formed 10th Infantry Division, which he led during the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...

against

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...

, from the Battle of Doiran to the area of

Pečkovo Pečkovo ( mk, Печково) is a village in the municipality of Gostivar, North Macedonia. Demographics According to the 2002 census, the village had a total of 48 inhabitants. Ethnic groups in the village include:Macedonian Census (2002) ''Boo ...

. In

, Paraskevopoulos became commander of I Army Corps on the Strymon sector on the eastern flank of the

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 ...

in 1917–18, before being appointed commander-in-chief of the Greek Army in October 1918. After World War I, Paraskevopoulos took over direct command of the Greek forces that occupied

in 1919 in accordance with the Treaty of Sèvres. Under his command, the Hellenic Army successfully extended their occupation zone, from the greater Smyrna area, south to

Aydın Aydın ( ''EYE-din''; ; formerly named ''Güzelhisar'', Ancient and Modern Greek: Τράλλεις /''Tralleis''/) is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of ...

and north to

Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in t ...

. With the electoral victory of the pro-monarchist

United Opposition United Opposition may refer to: *United Opposition (Greece) *United Opposition (Hungary, 1930s) *United Opposition (Philippines) *United Opposition (Soviet Union) * United Opposition of Serbia See also *Opposition (politics) *United for Hungary ...

in November 1920, he was dismissed on 25 November 1920. After the end of the

Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) The Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, ota, گرب جابهاسی, Garb Cebhesi) in Turkey, and the Asia Minor Campaign ( el, Μικρασιατική Εκστρατεία, Mikrasiatikí Ekstrateía) or the Asia Minor Catastrophe ( el, Μικ ...

, Paraskevopoulos entered politics. He was appointed to the Greek Senate in 1929 "on merit", and served as President of the Senate in 1930–32. He died on 16 May 1936 in

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, aged 75. He was awarded Serbian Order of the White Eagle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paraskevopoulos, Leonidas 1860 births 1936 deaths Greek military personnel of the Balkan Wars Greek military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1897) Greek military personnel of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) Greek military personnel of World War I Hellenic Army lieutenant generals Liberal Party (Greece) politicians People from Kythnos Speakers of the Hellenic Parliament Members of the Greek Senate 1929–1932 Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)