Leonidas Paraskevopoulos

Leonidas Paraskevopoulos
Leonidas Paraskevopoulos ca. 1920
Born	7 October 1860 Kythnos
Died	16 May 1936(1936-05-16) (aged 75) Paris
Allegiance	Greece
Service / branch	Hellenic Army
Years of service	1878–1920
Rank	Lieutenant General
Battles / wars	Greco-Turkish War of 1897, Balkan Wars, First World War, Asia Minor Campaign

Leonidas Paraskevopoulos (Greek: Λεωνίδας Παρασκευόπουλος; 7 October 1860 – 16 May 1936) was a senior Greek military officer and politician. He played a major role in Greece's war effort during World War I, and was the commander-in-chief of the Greek 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, Asia Minor.

He entered the Hellenic Army 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 under Colonel Timoleon Vassos. During the First Balkan War of 1912–13, he initially served as the commander of the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, but already at the Battle of Sarantaporo he was appointed with the supervision of the entire artillery establishment of the Army of Thessaly, a post he held until the capture of Thessaloniki.

He then succeeded Konstantinos Kallaris as commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, when the latter was transferred to the Epirus front. There again, however, he was after a few days appointed as Chief of Artillery of the Army of Epirus, playing a crucial role in the successful Battle of Bizani and the capture of Ioannina. In April 1913 he was placed in command of the newly formed 10th Infantry Division, which he led during the Second Balkan War against Bulgaria, from the Battle of Dojran to the area of Pechovo.

In World War I, Paraskevopoulos became commander of I Army Corps on the Strymon sector on the eastern flank of the Macedonian Front 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 Smyrna 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 Aydin and north to Bursa.

With the electoral victory of the pro-royalist United Opposition in November 1920, he was dismissed on 25 November 1920. After the end of the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), 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, aged 75.