Petros Voulgaris
Encyclopedia
Petros Voulgaris was a Greek
admiral who served briefly as Prime Minister of Greece
in 1945.
, with his mother's relatives. After finishing school, he entered the Hellenic Naval Academy
in 1899, and was commissioned as Ensign
in 1903. In 1908–1910 he was detached for training abroad, and he briefly served aboard a French Navy
vessel in 1912. He took part in the Balkan Wars
aboard the destroyer Panthir
, including the Naval Battle of Elli
. In 1915–1916 he served as adjutant to the Navy Minister, Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis
. When the Movement of National Defence
broke out in Thessalonica in 1916, the pro-Venizelist
Voulgaris, like his mentor and fellow Hydriot Kountouriotis, left Athens and joined the revolutionary government. From 1916 to 1919 he commanded the destroyer Velos
, participating in the Allied naval operations in the Aegean during World War I
, the 1919 Allied Expedition to the Ukraine, and the opening phase of the Asia Minor Campaign. He subsequently served as head of the private office of the Navy Minister Athanasios N. Miaoulis
. Following the anti-Venizelist electoral victory
in November 1920, he was suspended March 1921.
Following the collapse of the Asia Minor front and the revolt by the Army, he was recalled to active service, and appointed captain of the destroyer Leon
. In 1923 he became commander of the Faliro
Naval Aviation Base, and he subsequently was appointed as captain of the Panthir. Following the so-called "Navy Strike" of June 1924, he resigned from the Navy but was recommissioned two months later. He resigned again a year later, following the coup d'état of General Theodoros Pangalos
. Following Pangalos' overthrow in August 1926, he re-joined the service, with the rank of Captain
, and became Superior Commander of the Naval Aviation, a position he held until 1930. WHen the Air Ministry was established in the same year, he became Director of the Air Force. In 1931, he was appointed commander of the Salamis Naval Base
, and in 1931–1934 he served as Superior Commander of the Submarines. In 1934, he was placed as military attaché
to Ankara
and Belgrade
, based at Istanbul
. It was there that the unsuccessful Venizelist coup attempt of March 1935 found him. Being a committed Venizelist, he was suspended and then dismissed by the subsequent purges of the Armed Forces. In November 1935 however, with the return of the monarchy and a partial pardon, he was listed as placed in reserve, with the rank of Rear Admiral
of the Reserve.
in April 1941. In May 1943, the Greek government in exile
recalled him to service, alongside many other officers who had been expelled in 1935, and gave him the post of Aviation Minister. When the Navy mutiny broke out in April 1944, Voulgaris replaced Rear Admiral Konstantinos Alexandris as Chief of the Fleet. From this position he supervised the forced capture of th ships by officer detachments. In October 1944, he led the fleet back to Greece, and assumed the duties of Chief of the Navy General Staff.
The political situation in Greece was extremely unstable: following month-long clashes between government and British forces and the guerrillas of the National Liberation Front, the Treaty of Varkiza
had resulted in the latter's disarmament. However the situation remained explosive. The moderate government of Nikolaos Plastiras
resigned under British pressure on 9 April 1945, and the Regent, Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens, appointed Voulgaris to head an interim government. Voulgaris also held several other ministries during his two cabinets (the second formed on 11 July), including those of Army, Navy and Air Force, and even, briefly, the Foreign Ministry. Unable to break the political deadlock, Voulgaris resigned his naval commission on 8 October 1945, and 9 days later, also from the post of Prime Minister.
He died in the Athens Naval Hospital in 1957 of heart failure and was buried in the First Cemetery of Athens
.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
admiral who served briefly as Prime Minister of Greece
Prime Minister of Greece
The Prime Minister of Greece , officially the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic , is the head of government of the Hellenic Republic and the leader of the Greek cabinet. The current interim Prime Minister is Lucas Papademos, a former Vice President of the European Central Bank, following...
in 1945.
Early career
He was born in the island of Hydra to George Voulgaris and Archonto Vatsaxi. After the death of his father in 1885, his family settled in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, with his mother's relatives. After finishing school, he entered the Hellenic Naval Academy
Hellenic Naval Academy
The Hellenic Naval Academy is a military academy with university status and has the responsibility to educate and suitably train competent Naval Officers for the Hellenic Navy. Its full name is Hellenic Naval Cadets Academy and was founded in 1845. The academy is one of the oldest educational...
in 1899, and was commissioned as Ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
in 1903. In 1908–1910 he was detached for training abroad, and he briefly served aboard a French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
vessel in 1912. He took part in the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
aboard the destroyer Panthir
Greek destroyer Panthir
Panthir served in the Hellenic Royal Navy from 1912–1946.The ship, along with her three sister ships of Wild Beast class destroyers Aetos, Ierax and Leon, was ordered from England. They were purchased ready for delivery, each for the sum of £148,000 from the English shipyards Camell Laird in...
, including the Naval Battle of Elli
Naval Battle of Elli
The Battle of Elli , also known as the Battle of the Dardanelles, took place near the mouth of the Dardanelles on as part of the First Balkan War between the fleets of Greece and the Ottoman Empire...
. In 1915–1916 he served as adjutant to the Navy Minister, Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis
Pavlos Kountouriotis
Pavlos Kountouriotis was a Greek admiral and naval hero during the Balkan Wars and the first and third President of the Second Hellenic Republic.-Family Background:The Kountouriotes was a prominent Arvanite family from the island of Hydra...
. When the Movement of National Defence
Movement of National Defence
The Movement of National Defence was an uprising by Venizelist officers of the Hellenic Army in Thessaloniki in August 1916 against the royal government in Athens. It led to the establishment of a separate, Venizelist Greek government in the north of the country, which entered the First World...
broke out in Thessalonica in 1916, the pro-Venizelist
Venizelism
Venizelism was one of the major political movements in Greece from the 1900s until the mid 1970s.- Ideology :Named after Eleftherios Venizelos, the key characteristics of Venizelism were:*Opposition to Monarchy...
Voulgaris, like his mentor and fellow Hydriot Kountouriotis, left Athens and joined the revolutionary government. From 1916 to 1919 he commanded the destroyer Velos
Greek destroyer Velos
Velos was a Niki class destroyer that served in the Royal Hellenic Navy .The ship, along with her three sister ships, was ordered from Germany in 1905 and was built in the Vulcan shipyard at Stettin....
, participating in the Allied naval operations in the Aegean during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the 1919 Allied Expedition to the Ukraine, and the opening phase of the Asia Minor Campaign. He subsequently served as head of the private office of the Navy Minister Athanasios N. Miaoulis
Athanasios N. Miaoulis
Athanasios N. Miaoulis was a Greek naval officer and politician, serving several times as Navy Minister and briefly as the Mayor of Piraeus. He was a relative of the naval leader of the from the Hydriot family .-Biography:...
. Following the anti-Venizelist electoral victory
Greek legislative election, 1920
The legislative elections of 1920 were probably the most crucial elections in the modern history of Greece, influencing not only the few years afterwards, including Greece's defeat by Kemal Atatürk's reformed Turkish army in 1922, but setting the stage for Greece's political landscape for most of...
in November 1920, he was suspended March 1921.
Following the collapse of the Asia Minor front and the revolt by the Army, he was recalled to active service, and appointed captain of the destroyer Leon
Greek destroyer Leon
Leon served in the Hellenic Royal Navy from 1912–1941.The ship, along with her three sister ships of Wild Beast class destroyers Aetos, Ierax and Panthir was ordered from England. They were purchased ready for delivery, each for the sum of £148,000, from the English shipyards Camell Laird in...
. In 1923 he became commander of the Faliro
Faliro
Faliro is a seaside suburb 8 km southwest of downtown Athens. There are two communities sharing the name: Palaio and Neo Faliro. Palaio Faliro is a municipality, whereas Neo Faliro is part of the town of Piraeus...
Naval Aviation Base, and he subsequently was appointed as captain of the Panthir. Following the so-called "Navy Strike" of June 1924, he resigned from the Navy but was recommissioned two months later. He resigned again a year later, following the coup d'état of General Theodoros Pangalos
Theodoros Pangalos (general)
Major General Theodoros Pangalos was a Greek soldier and politician. A distinguished staff officer and an ardent Venizelist and anti-royalist, Pangalos played a leading role in the September 1922 revolt that deposed King Constantine I and in the establishment of the Second Hellenic Republic...
. Following Pangalos' overthrow in August 1926, he re-joined the service, with the rank of Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
, and became Superior Commander of the Naval Aviation, a position he held until 1930. WHen the Air Ministry was established in the same year, he became Director of the Air Force. In 1931, he was appointed commander of the Salamis Naval Base
Salamis Naval Base
The Salamis Naval Base or Naval Dock Salamis is the largest naval base in Greece. It is located in the northeastern part of Salamis Island and in Amphiali and Skaramanga. It is close to the major population centres of Athens and Piraeus....
, and in 1931–1934 he served as Superior Commander of the Submarines. In 1934, he was placed as military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
to Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
and Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, based at Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. It was there that the unsuccessful Venizelist coup attempt of March 1935 found him. Being a committed Venizelist, he was suspended and then dismissed by the subsequent purges of the Armed Forces. In November 1935 however, with the return of the monarchy and a partial pardon, he was listed as placed in reserve, with the rank of Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
of the Reserve.
World War II and aftermath
For the next few years, he worked in the private sector, eventually joining the Bodosakis-Athanasiadis group. He moved to Egypt before the German invasion of GreeceBattle 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 April 1941. In May 1943, the Greek government in exile
Greek government in exile
The Greek government in exile was the official government of Greece, headed by King George II, which evacuated from Athens in April 1941, after the German invasion of the country, first to the island of Crete and then to Cairo in Egypt. Hence it is also referred to as the "Cairo Government"...
recalled him to service, alongside many other officers who had been expelled in 1935, and gave him the post of Aviation Minister. When the Navy mutiny broke out in April 1944, Voulgaris replaced Rear Admiral Konstantinos Alexandris as Chief of the Fleet. From this position he supervised the forced capture of th ships by officer detachments. In October 1944, he led the fleet back to Greece, and assumed the duties of Chief of the Navy General Staff.
The political situation in Greece was extremely unstable: following month-long clashes between government and British forces and the guerrillas of the National Liberation Front, the Treaty of Varkiza
Treaty of Varkiza
The Treaty of Varkiza was signed in Varkiza on February 12, 1945 between the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece for EAM-ELAS...
had resulted in the latter's disarmament. However the situation remained explosive. The moderate government of Nikolaos Plastiras
Nikolaos Plastiras
Nikolaos Plastiras was a Greek general and politician, who served thrice as Prime Minister of Greece. A distinguished soldier and known for his personal bravery, he was known as "O Mavros Kavalaris" during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922...
resigned under British pressure on 9 April 1945, and the Regent, Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens, appointed Voulgaris to head an interim government. Voulgaris also held several other ministries during his two cabinets (the second formed on 11 July), including those of Army, Navy and Air Force, and even, briefly, the Foreign Ministry. Unable to break the political deadlock, Voulgaris resigned his naval commission on 8 October 1945, and 9 days later, also from the post of Prime Minister.
He died in the Athens Naval Hospital in 1957 of heart failure and was buried in the First Cemetery of Athens
First Cemetery of Athens
The First Cemetery of Athens is the official cemetery of the City of Athens and the first to be built. It opened in 1837 and soon became a luxurious cemetery for famous Greek people and foreigners....
.