Georgios Zoitakis
Encyclopedia
Georgios Zoitakis was a Greek Army general
and regent
of Greece from 13 December 1967 to 21 March 1972, during the period of the military regime of the Colonels.
and the Battle of Greece
in an Evzone battalion with the rank of Lieutenant. During the Axis Occupation of Greece, he joined the EDES guerrillas in his native Aitoloakarnania prefecture. During the civil conflict between EDES and the leftist EAM-ELAS in late 1943, his father Konstantinos was killed by ELAS fighters. In fall 1944, he too was captured by ELAS and kept prisoner until the Varkiza agreement in spring 1945. He then re-joined the Army, and fought in the Greek Civil War
, rising to the rank of Major. For his military service, he thrice received, among other awards, Greece's highest medal for bravery, the Gold Cross of Valour
, an extremely rare honour.
In the 1950s he attended staff officer courses in the Superior School of War and the School of National Defence in Greece parallel to NATO military seminars in West Germany and in the United States. During this period he served as adjutant to King Paul
, then chief of staff to the First Army
as Brigadier, CO of the I Army Corps as Major General and of the III Army Corps in Thessaloniki
, then the most important Greek military formation, as Lieutenant General. On 21 April 1967, the day of the Colonels' coup, he was in Athens. Like most of the senior military leadership, he was caught by surprise at the events, but he quickly moved to support the coup. On the same day, he was placed as Deputy Minister of National Defence in the new government.
Following the failure of King Constantine II
's counter-coup on 13 December 1967 and the subsequent flight of the royal family to Italy
, Zoitakis was sworn in as Regent for the absent King. He held this post until 21 March 1972, when he was replaced by the junta's principal leader, Prime Minister Georgios Papadopoulos. At the same time, he was retired from the Army with the rank of full General. On 1 June 1973, Papadopoulos would abolish the monarchy
and declare himself President
of a new republic.
After Greece's return to democracy
, in 1975 Zoitakis, along with the other junta leaders, was tried
and convicted to life imprisonment for high treason. He remained in prison for 13 years until 1988, when he was released, due to deteriorating health. A pardon plea was rejected in 1991, and he remained confined to his residence in Athens until his death in 1996.
He was married to Sofia Vouranzeri and had a daughter, Vicky.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
and regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Greece from 13 December 1967 to 21 March 1972, during the period of the military regime of the Colonels.
Life
Georgios Zoitakis was born in Nafpaktos. He graduated from the Hellenic Army Academy in 1932, and fought in the Greco-Italian WarGreco-Italian War
The Greco-Italian War was a conflict between Italy and Greece which lasted from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. It marked the beginning of the Balkans Campaign of World War II...
and the Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
in an Evzone battalion with the rank of Lieutenant. During the Axis Occupation of Greece, he joined the EDES guerrillas in his native Aitoloakarnania prefecture. During the civil conflict between EDES and the leftist EAM-ELAS in late 1943, his father Konstantinos was killed by ELAS fighters. In fall 1944, he too was captured by ELAS and kept prisoner until the Varkiza agreement in spring 1945. He then re-joined the Army, and fought in the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
, rising to the rank of Major. For his military service, he thrice received, among other awards, Greece's highest medal for bravery, the Gold Cross of Valour
Cross of Valour (Greece)
The Cross of Valour is the second highest military decoration of the Greek state, awarded for acts of bravery or distinguished leadership on the field of battle...
, an extremely rare honour.
In the 1950s he attended staff officer courses in the Superior School of War and the School of National Defence in Greece parallel to NATO military seminars in West Germany and in the United States. During this period he served as adjutant to King Paul
Paul of Greece
Paul reigned as King of Greece from 1947 to 1964.-Family and early life:Paul was born in Athens, the third son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He was trained as a naval officer....
, then chief of staff to the First Army
First Army (Greece)
The Greek First Army is the highest formation of the Hellenic Army and its only extant field army.The First Army was created in March 1947, during the Greek Civil War. It controlled the II and III Corps, with Volos as its headquarters. It was abolished on 10 February 1948, and re-established in...
as Brigadier, CO of the I Army Corps as Major General and of the III Army Corps in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, then the most important Greek military formation, as Lieutenant General. On 21 April 1967, the day of the Colonels' coup, he was in Athens. Like most of the senior military leadership, he was caught by surprise at the events, but he quickly moved to support the coup. On the same day, he was placed as Deputy Minister of National Defence in the new government.
Following the failure of King Constantine II
Constantine II of Greece
|align=right|Constantine II was King of Greece from 1964 until the abolition of the monarchy in 1973, the sixth and last monarch of the Greek Royal Family....
's counter-coup on 13 December 1967 and the subsequent flight of the royal family to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Zoitakis was sworn in as Regent for the absent King. He held this post until 21 March 1972, when he was replaced by the junta's principal leader, Prime Minister Georgios Papadopoulos. At the same time, he was retired from the Army with the rank of full General. On 1 June 1973, Papadopoulos would abolish the monarchy
Metapolitefsi
The Metapolitefsi was a period in Greek history after the fall of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974 that includes the transitional period from the fall of the dictatorship to the Greek legislative elections of 1974 and the democratic period immediately after these elections.The long...
and declare himself President
President of Greece
The President of the Hellenic Republic , colloquially referred to in English as the President of Greece, is the head of state of Greece. The office of the President of the Republic was established after the Greek republic referendum, 1974 and formally by the Constitution of Greece in 1975. The...
of a new republic.
After Greece's return to democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, in 1975 Zoitakis, along with the other junta leaders, was tried
Greek Junta Trials
The Greek Junta Trials were the trials involving members of the military junta that ruled Greece from 21 April 1967 to 23 July 1974. These trials involved the instigators of the coup as well as other junta members of various ranks who took part in the events of the Athens Polytechnic uprising and...
and convicted to life imprisonment for high treason. He remained in prison for 13 years until 1988, when he was released, due to deteriorating health. A pardon plea was rejected in 1991, and he remained confined to his residence in Athens until his death in 1996.
He was married to Sofia Vouranzeri and had a daughter, Vicky.