Pavlos Melas
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| Pavlos Melas | |
|---|---|
| 1870 – 1904 | |
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| Nickname | Zezas |
| Place of birth | Marseille, France |
| Place of death | Statitsa, Kastoria (Macedonia) |
| Allegiance | Greece |
| Years of service | 1891-1904 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | Greek Struggle for Macedonia |
Pavlos Melas (Greek: Παύλος Μελάς) (March 29, 1870–October 13, 1904) was an officer of the Hellenic Army, and he was among the first who organized and participated in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia
He was born in Marseilles, France in a family with origin from Northern Epirus. At an early age he moved to Athens to study, and later joined the Army, graduating from the Hellenic Army Academy as a Lieutenant of Artillery in 1891.
Melas, with the cooperation of Kastorian Ion Dragoumis, consul of Greece in then Ottoman occupied Monastir (now Bitola), Christos Kottas,original Kote Hristov ,Macedonian Slav renegade from VMRO) and Germanos Karavangelis, metropolitan bishop of Kastoria, tried to raise money for the economic support of Greek efforts in Macedonia. After the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising, he decided to enter Macedonia in June, 1904 to assess the situation and to see if there is any possibility of establishing a military unit to fight the Bulgarians (VMRO) and the Ottoman Turks.
In July, 1904 under the alias Captain Mikis Zezas, he reentered Macedonia with a small unit of men and fought against the VMRO until October 13, 1904 when he was killed by Lakis Pirzas (his comrade)in the village of Statitsa.The reason was one bag with money which Melas took from Karavangelis. The Macedonian village of Statitsa with coordinates 40° 42' N 021° 16' E has since been renamed Melas in his honour.
After his death, Greek efforts became more intense, resulting in the interception of Bulgarian Komitadji efforts, especially in West and Central Macedonia, which were ceded to Greece after the Balkan Wars.
He is considered to be a symbol of Greek Struggle for Macedonia and many of his personal belongings can be seen in the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle in Thessaloniki and Pavlos Melas Museum in Kastoria.
[edit] External links
- Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, Thessaloniki
- Pavlos Melas Museum, Kastoria
- Photographs from the website of the Hellenic army academy including one of Melas with his family
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