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Ioannis Kolettis | |
|---|---|
| Ἰωάννης Κωλέττης | |
 A portrait of Ioannis Kolettis, National Historical Museum, Athens | |
| Prime Minister of Greece | |
| In office 6 August 1844 – 5 September 1847 (o.s.) | |
| Monarch | Otto |
| Preceded by | Alexandros Mavrokordatos |
| Succeeded by | Kitsos Tzavelas |
| In office 31 May 1834 – 9 May 1835 (o.s.) | |
| Monarch | Otto |
| Preceded by | Alexandros Mavrokordatos |
| Succeeded by | Josef Ludwig von Armansperg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1773 or 1774 |
| Died | 17 September 1847[1] (aged 73–74) |
| Resting place | First Cemetery of Athens (Section 2) |
| Nationality | Greek |
| Political party | French Party |
| Domestic partner(s) | Maria Palaska Marquise de Pouizeron |
| Children | Maria Xanthi Koletti |
| Alma mater | University of Pisa |
| Occupation |
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| Awards |  Order of the Redeemer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  First Hellenic Republic Kingdom of Greece |
| Branch/service |  Hellenic Army |
| Battles/wars | |
Ioannis Kolettis (Greek:Ἰωάννης Κωλέττης; 1773 or 1774 – 17 September 1847)[2] was a Greek politician who played a significant role in Greek affairs from theGreek War of Independence through the early years of the Greek Kingdom, including as Minister to France and serving twice as Prime Minister. Kolettis is credited with conceiving the Byzantine restorationist and irredentistMegali Idea or "Great Idea" which became the core of Greek foreign policy until the early 20th century.
Kolettis was a hellenizedAromanian, with a strong sense ofGreek identity.[3][4] He was born inSyrrako,Epirus and played a leading role in the political life of the Greek state in the 1830s and 1840s. Kolettis studied medicine inPisa,Italy and was influenced by theCarbonari movement and started planning his return to Epirus in order to participate in Greece's independence struggles.
In 1813, he settled atIoannina, where he served as a doctor and after gaining standing he was recruited as the personal doctor ofAli Pasha's son,Muhtar Pasha. He remained in Ioannina till March 1821, when he enteredFiliki Eteria and left for Syrrako, together with chieftain Raggos, in order to spread the revolution intoCentral Greece (Rumeli), but his efforts quickly failed because of the rapid reaction of the Ottoman army. Kolettis was the leader of the pro-French party and based his power on his relations with the leaders of Central Greece but also on his ability to eliminate his adversaries by acting behind the scenes.
In theFirst Greek National Assembly, atEpidavros, he participated as the representative of Epirus and in January 1822 he becameMinister of Internal Affairs. After theSecond Greek National Assembly, atAstros in May 1823 he was appointed sub-prefect ofEuboea and managed to remove Turkish troops off the island. At the same time, he continued his political activities, resulting in his election as member of the Legislative Body (Νομοθετικόν), a position that he held till 1826.
At the end of 1824, during thecivil war between the rebel factions, he was in charge of the Roumeliot (Central Greece) party and defeated the Moreot or Peloponnesian party, which opposed theKountouriotis government. Nonetheless, in theThird Greek National Assembly, he supported the Peloponnesian party and with its support was assigned to train troops fromThessaly andMacedonia, with the aim of destroying Ottoman resource depots atAtalanti. However, the whole operation failed because of his inexperience in military affairs, which ruined his reputation.
WhenIoannis Kapodistrias landed atNafplio in January 1828 as governor, he was appointed as governor ofSamos and later, in July 1829 as Minister of Defense. In October 1831, Kapodistrias was assassinated; in the ensuing civil war, which lasted until 1832, Kolettis was once again leader of the Roumeliot Party. He tried, along withTheodoros Kolokotronis andAugustinos Kapodistrias to form a government but due to severe disagreements the coalition was dissolved. To assume leadership after 1821, he is considered responsible for the death of a great Greek Independence Hero, Odysseus Androutsos, and also responsible for the separation ("divide and conquer") of a legendary couple of the Greek Independence: PrinceDemetrios Ypsilantis andManto Mavrogenous.
UntilOtto of Greece reached adulthood, Kolettis was Minister of the Navy and Minister of Defense. In 1835, he was sent toFrance as the ambassador where he created connections with French politicians and intellectuals. He returned to Greece after the coup that broke out inAthens in September 1843, which forced King Otto to grant a constitution and Kolettis took part in the subsequent Constitutional Assembly. To contest the elections in 1844, he formed a party, theFrench Party (Γαλλικό Κόμμα) and together withAndreas Metaxas, leader of theRussian Party formed a government. When Metaxas resigned, he became Prime Minister and served as such until his death in 1847. He is credited with conceiving theMegali Idea or "Great Idea" which became the core of Greek foreign policy until the early 20th century.
Ioannis Kolettis, a Hellenised Vlach.
Media related toIoannis Kolettis at Wikimedia Commons
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Greece 31 May 1834 - 9 May 1835 (o.s.) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Greece 6 August 1844 – 5 September 1847 (o.s.) | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
