Konstantinos Metaxas (Greek:Κωνσταντίνος Μεταξάς, 1793–1870) was aGreek fighter of theGreek War of Independence and politician fromCephalonia.
He was born inArgostoli in 1793, as one of the four children of Nicholas Metaxas and Diamantina Andritsi. He studied law in Italy and returning to Cephalonia he worked as a lawyer. On the eve of the Greek Revolution he was initiated into theFiliki Eteria and in cooperation with the local archbishop Germanos, he organized the forthcoming local volunteer campaign in thePeloponnese.[1] In May 1821, along with his cousin,Andreas Metaxas, he was one of the chiefs of the Cephalonian volunteers who disembarked atGlarentza and took part in the siege of Lala.[2] Later, he participated as head of his compatriots in the battles around the city ofPatras, but he suffered from typhus and he was transferred for treatment toMessolonghi.[3]
In 1822, he was appointed by the Provisional Government as Minister of Justice and then as commissioner of the Aegean islands. For his services he was promoted to the rank of general at the beginning of 1823.[4][5] The same year Metaxas was appointed as prefect ofWestern Continental Greece.[5][6] With headquarters in Messolonghi, he ended the disputes between the chieftains of Western Greece and contributed to repel of Mustai Pasha ofSkodra's troops.[7] In 1825, he participated in the operations againstIbrahim Pasha of Egypt and became commandant ofPalamidi fortress.[5] When the danger of an attack by Ibrahim onNafplio was removed, he went to the Aegean islands where he recruited about a thousand men.[8] In 1826 he fought in the anti-piracy operations in the Aegean, as well as in the conflicts inAttica as was chief of the Ionian forces, while in 1827 he participated in the staff of generalRichard Church.[9]
During the governorship ofIoannis Kapodistrias, Metaxas served as temporary commissioner of theCyclades and then participated in theFourth National Assembly at Argos as a representative of the Peloponnesians.[5] During the years of the Regency he experienced prosecutions and he fled to the Ionian Islands. From there he returned toGreece in 1843, and was placed as a member of theCouncil of State. In 1855 he received the rank of colonel of theRoyal Phalanx. In 1861 he was appointed as asenator. After the abolition of the institution he retired to his hometown where he wrote the "Memoirs of the Greek Revolution", which were released after his death. Konstantinos Metaxas died in 1870 in Cephalonia.[10]
He was married from 1830 to the daughter of a rich and illustrious Muslim family ofLaconia, who was saved from the massive massacres of her co-religionists and converted to Christianity adopting the name Eleni. From their marriage, they had eight children[10] among whom was the military officer and cabinet ministerNikolaos Metaxas.[5]
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