Ioannis Kolettis

Portrait of Ioannis Kolettis

Ioannis Kolettis ( Greek Ιωάννης Κωλέττης , German also Joannis Kolettis; * 1773, 1774 or 1788 in Syrrako near Ioannina ; † August 31 or September 12, 1847 in Athens ) was a Greek politician of Wallachian origin. Kolettis played an important role in Greek politics from the Greek Revolution until the early years of the Greek Kingdom.

Early years

Ioannis Kolettis was born in Syrrako near Ioannina in the Epirus region. He studied medicine in Pisa , where he was influenced by the Carbonari movement. His return to Greece was therefore made with the desire to participate in Greece's struggle for independence.

In 1813 he settled in Ioannina, where he practiced as a doctor and, after he had earned a reputation, was employed as personal physician by Ali Pascha Tepelena's son Muctar Pascha. He stayed in Ioannina until 1821, then joined the Philiki Etaireia and went to Syrrako with the leader Raggos to promote the revolution in Rumelia . However, his efforts quickly failed as the Ottoman army reacted immediately. Kolettis was the leader of the pro-French party and drew his power on the one hand from his relationships with the leaders in Rumelia, on the other hand from his ability to eliminate his opponents through activities behind the scenes.

Greek revolution

At the first Greek National Assembly in Nea Epidavros , Ioannis Kolettis took part as representative of Epirus, and in 1822 he became Minister of the Interior. After the second Greek national assembly in Astros in May 1823 he was appointed sub-prefect of Euboea and was able to drive the Turkish troops from the island. At the same time he continued his political activities and became a member of the Supreme Government (Νομοτεστικόν), which position he held until 1826.

In late 1824, during the civil war of the Greek Revolution , he led the Central Greek Party and defeated the Peloponnesian Party which was fighting the government of Georgios Koundouriotis . Nevertheless, he supported the party of the Peloponnese in the third Greek National Assembly and was called with their support to train troops from Thessaly and Macedonia to destroy Ottoman supply facilities in Atalandi . However, Kolettis' inexperience in military matters ruined the whole enterprise and ruined his reputation.

Political career after 1821

After the election of Ioannis Kapodistrias as the first governor or president of Greece in Nafplion in 1828 , Kolettis was appointed governor of Samos and later, in July 1829, defense minister. Kapodistrias was murdered in October 1831; in the civil war that followed, which lasted until 1832, Kolettis was again the leader of the central Greek party. Together with Theodoros Kolokotronis and Augustinos Kapodistrias , he tried to form a government, but the coalition failed because of serious differences.

Political career under the rule of Otto I.

Before Otto I reached adulthood, Kolettis was Minister of Navy and Defense. In 1835 he was sent to France as an ambassador , where he established relationships with French politicians and intellectuals. After the Athens uprising in 1843, which forced King Otto to accept a constitution, Kolettis returned to Greece and participated in the constituent assembly. On the occasion of the elections in 1844 he founded the French Party (Γαλλικό Κόμμα) and formed a government together with Andreas Metaxas , the leader of the English Party . After Metaxas' resignation, Kolettis became Prime Minister and remained in this office until his death in 1847.

Ioannis Kolettis was the most prominent representative of the politics of the “ Megali Idea ” in his time and influenced Greek foreign policy through his attitude towards this irredentist basis. He proclaimed this guideline of Greek politics to the National Assembly in 1844:

“Due to its geographical location, Greece is the center of Europe. With the east on its right, with the west on its left, it was destined to clear the east through its decline. Our forefathers performed this task, the second task is assigned to us. In the spirit of our oath and this great idea, we always saw that the assembled delegates of the nation decide not only the fate of Greece, but the entire Greek race. A nation that through its decline has enlightened so many others is born again today, not divided into many small states but joined together with one government and one religion. ... What are all Orthodox Christian peoples doing in Europe, in the East and elsewhere? They are all waiting to hear whether we still have the Greek idea. "

- Ioannis Kolettis in a speech to Parliament in 1844.

With King Otto I, Kolettis pursued an expression of the “Megali Idea”, which, in terms of its exaggeration of Greek nationalism and irredentism, opposed the original idea of Rigas Fereos . Kolettis was able to assure himself of his ongoing support through a submissive attitude towards Otto I.

“Fortunately for Greece, my current government has withstood all the storms that threatened it. I say that for the happiness of Greece, I doubt whether any other government could allow calm in the country. I also have reason to enjoy Kolettis' devotion to me. "

- King Otto I of Greece in a letter to Prince von Metternich on April 27, 1846.

Web links

Commons : Ioannis Kolettis  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

1. ↑ The article in Meyers Konversationslexikon , 4th ed. 1885–1889, vol. 9 p. 933, names 1788 as the year of birth, also vol. 10 of the 5th edition (1895) on p. 358. The English Wikipedia mentions 1773, the French in 1774, and the Greek in 1773 or 1774 , without any indication of the source.
2. ^ Richard Clogg: History of Greece in the 19th and 20th centuries. A demolition. Romiosini Verlag, Cologne 1997. p. 65. ISBN 3-929889-13-7
3. ↑ Quoted from: Jon V. Kofas: International and domestic politics in Greece during the Crimean War. University Presses of California, Columbia and Princeton, Boulder 1980. p. 10. ISBN 0-914710-54-0 . Translation from English Christaras A .
4. ^ Pavlos Tzermias: Modern Greek History. An introduction. 3. Edition. Francke Verlag, Tübingen and Basel. P. 97. ISBN 3-7720-1792-4
5. ↑ Quoted from Jon V. Kofas: International and domestic politics in Greece during the Crimean War. University Presses of California, Columbia and Princeton, Boulder 1980. pp. 8-9. ISBN 0-914710-54-0 . Translation from English Christaras A .

predecessor	Office	successor
Alexandros Mavrokordatos	Prime Minister of Greece 1834–1835	Joseph Ludwig Count of Armansperg

predecessor	Office	successor
Alexandros Mavrokordatos	Prime Minister of Greece 1844–1847	Kitsos Tzavelas