Michail Asterios Sapkas () 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 ...
revolutionary of the
Macedonian Struggle
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts that were mainly fought between Greek and Bulgarian subjects who lived in Ottoman Macedonia between 1893 and 1912. From 1904 to 1908 the conflict was p ...
and politician.
Biography
Sapkas was born in 1873 in
Magarevo
Magarevo (; or ''Mãgãreva''; ) is a village in the municipality of Bitola, North Macedonia. The village is 8.29 kilometers away from Bitola, which is the second largest city in the country.
History
Magarevo was originally a small village inha ...
, then
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 ...
(now
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
).
He studied medicine in the
University of Athens
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; , ''Ethnikó kai Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the University of Athens (UoA), is a public university in Athens, Greece, with various campuses alo ...
. Some years before the
Macedonian Struggle
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts that were mainly fought between Greek and Bulgarian subjects who lived in Ottoman Macedonia between 1893 and 1912. From 1904 to 1908 the conflict was p ...
occurred, he with his family moved to
Larissa
Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...
, where he joined the "''New
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 ...
''" (''Νέα Φιλική Εταιρεία'') which was established by
Anastasios Pichion.
He established the ''Macedonian Society of Larissa'', which during the Macedonian Struggle was recruiting volunteers from the nearby areas.
He was elected mayor of
Larissa
Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...
4 times (1914, 1925, 1929, 1934), and during his service the local water supply and electricity systems got upgraded, as well as the first sidewalks were formed, modern courts of justice were created and the Municipal Conservatory, the Municipal Library and also the Museum of Larissa were founded.
Also, during his days, the ''Senior Gendarmerie Administration of
Thessaly
Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...
'' was established in Larissa and he granted 15
stremma
The stremma ( stremmata; , ''strémma'') is unit of land area used mainly in Greece and Cyprus, equal to 1,000 square metres or approximately ¼ acre.
History
The ancient Greek equivalent was the square plethron, which served as the Greeks' for ...
for the erection of the
Alcazar Stadium
Alcazar Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Larissa, 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 north ...
in 1932.
Furthermore, he was elected Member of the
Greek Parliament
The Parliament of the Hellenes (), commonly known as the Hellenic Parliament (), is the unicameral legislature of Greece, located in the Old Royal Palace, overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens. The parliament is the supreme democratic instit ...
representing Larissa in 1920 and 1936, supporting the
People's Party.
[Μητρώο Πληρεξούσιων, Γερουσιαστών και Βουλευτών 1822-1935]
Hellenic Parliament
The Parliament of the Hellenes (), commonly known as the Hellenic Parliament (), is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Greece, located in the Old Royal Palace, overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens. The parliament is the supreme demo ...
, Athens, 1986, p. 274-275[ΜΗΤΡΩΟΝ ΓΕΡΟΥΣΙΑΣΤΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΒΟΥΛΕΥΤΩΝ 1929-1974]
Hellenic Parliament, Athens, 1977, p. 74-75
He died in 1956, at the age of 83.
1 October 2013
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sapkas, Michail
19th-century births
1956 deaths
People from Bitola Municipality
People's Party (Greece) politicians
Greek people of the Macedonian Struggle
Greek Macedonians
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens alumni
MPs of Larissa
Expatriates from the Ottoman Empire in Greece