Georgios Theotokis
Encyclopedia
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
politician and four times 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...
. He represented the New Party or Neoteristikon Komma (NK).
Biography
He was the third child of Corfiote Nikolaos Andreas Theotokis. After graduating from the Ionian high school, he enrolled at the Law School of the Ionian UniversityIonian University
The Ionian University is a university located in the city of Corfu, Greece. It was established in 1984 by the Greek government under the Prime Ministership of Andreas Papandreou, in recognition of Corfu's contribution to Education in Greece as the seat of the first University of Greece, the Ionian...
. In 1861 he received his law degree from the Ionian University with a scholarship and continued his studies at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Upon his return to Corfu he worked as a lawyer. In 1879 he took part in the municipal elections and was elected mayor with a percentage of 65%. In 1883 he was re-elected mayor only to leave in 1885 at the invitation of Charilaos Trikoupis
Charilaos Trikoupis
Charilaos Trikoupis was a Greek politician who served as a Prime Minister of Greece seven times from 1875 until 1895....
, to become a member of the Hellenic Parliament
Hellenic Parliament
The Hellenic Parliament , also the Parliament of the Hellenes, is the Parliament of Greece, located in the Parliament House , overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens, Greece....
for the Trikoupis party.
In May 1886 Trikoupis appointed him Minister for Naval Affairs. As a minister Theotokis ordered the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s Spetsai
Greek battleship Spetsai
The Spetsai was a Greek steel battleship serving in the Royal Hellenic Navy from 1890 until 1920. She was named after the Saronic Gulf island of Spetses, which played a key role in the war at sea during the Greek War of Independence.The ship, along with her two sister ships of the Hydra Class, was...
, Hydra
Greek battleship Hydra
The Ironclad warship Hydra , named for one of the Saronic Gulf islands which played a key role in the war at sea during the Greek War of Independence, served in the Royal Hellenic Navy from 1889 - 1929....
and Psara
Greek battleship Psara
The steel ironclad warship Psara , named for one of the Aegean Sea islands that played a key role in the war at sea during the Greek War of Independence, served in the Royal Hellenic Navy from 1889 - 1929....
. He also improved drastically the condition of the Navy
Hellenic Navy
The Hellenic Navy is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence...
by promoting better training and establishing many naval academies and schools. Later Trikoupis appointed him Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs and Public Education. With the aid of professor Papamarkos, Theotokis prepared and submitted to Parliament progressive legislation for the improvement of education in Greece. However the legislation was never passed due to the opposition of Deliyannis.
From mid 1903 to 1909 Theotokis became three more times Prime Minister of Greece, the third time being the longest at the Prime Minister's post. Among his achievements are the organisation and strengthening of the army. He was the one who established the modern army and navy uniforms. He provided assistance for the Macedonian struggle and is noted for his calm and deliberate foreign policy just prior to 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...
.
His nephew Georgios Rallis has criticized him for two, in his opinion, important mistakes. Namely because in the days leading to the 1897 war he did not oppose sending the Hellenic army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
to Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
and that led to Greece's involvement and eventual defeat in the ensuing war. The second mistake according to Rallis was Theotokis' refusal to mediate between Prince George of Greece
Prince George of Greece and Denmark
align=right| Prince George of Greece and Denmark was the second son of King George I of the Hellenes and Grand Duchess Olga, and is remembered chiefly for having saved the life of a future Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II...
and Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Venizelos was an eminent Greek revolutionary, a prominent and illustrious statesman as well as a charismatic leader in the early 20th century. Elected several times as Prime Minister of Greece and served from 1910 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1932...
during their disagreement, an event that eventually grew to become the National Schism.
Georgios Theotokis, however, is considered by many to be a politician distinguished for his high ethics, calm demeanor and controlled temper, qualities not often found among politicians of his era.
As a Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Corfu Georgios Theotokis approved construction for the Municipal Theatre of Corfu
Municipal Theatre of Corfu
The Municipal Theatre of Corfu was τhe main theatre and opera house in Corfu, Greece, from 1902 to 1943. The theatre was the successor of the Nobile Teatro di San Giacomo di Corfù, which became the Corfu city hall. It was destroyed during a Luftwaffe aerial bombardment in 1943...
in 1885.
First Cabinet, April 14, 1899 – November 25, 1901
- Prime MinisterPrime Minister of GreeceThe 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...
: Georgios Theotokis - Minister for Foreign AffairsMinister for Foreign Affairs (Greece)The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the senior minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, established on 3 April 1833. The current Minister for Foreign Affairs, since 11 November 2011 is the former European Commissioner Stavros Dimas...
: Athos Romanos - Minister for the InteriorMinister for the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation (Greece)The Ministry of the Interior is a government department of Greece. Occasionally the office has been combined with that of the Ministry for Public Order...
: Georgios Theotokis - Minister for WarMinister for National Defence (Greece)The Minister for National Defence of Greece is a government minister responsible for the running of the Ministry of National Defence. The current minister is Dimitris Avramopoulos.-Recent Ministers for National Defence:-External links:*...
: Konstantinos Koumoundouros- replaced on January 11, 1900 by Nikolaos Tsamandos
- Minister for FinanceMinister for Economy and Finance (Greece)The Ministry of Finance is a government department responsible for the running of the public finance of the Greek state. The current minister is Evangelos Venizelos, who also holds the post of Deputy Prime Minister of Greece....
: Anargiros Simopoulos
Second Cabinet, June 27, 1903 – July 11, 1903
- Prime MinisterPrime Minister of GreeceThe 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...
: Georgios Theotokis - Minister for Foreign AffairsMinister for Foreign Affairs (Greece)The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the senior minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, established on 3 April 1833. The current Minister for Foreign Affairs, since 11 November 2011 is the former European Commissioner Stavros Dimas...
: Georgios Theotokis - Minister for the InteriorMinister for the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation (Greece)The Ministry of the Interior is a government department of Greece. Occasionally the office has been combined with that of the Ministry for Public Order...
: Nikolaos LevidisLevidis familyLevidis is the name of a family of old Byzantine aristocratic origin, hailing from Constantinople and with a distinguished role in the history of the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire, Wallachia, and modern Greece.... - Minister for WarMinister for National Defence (Greece)The Minister for National Defence of Greece is a government minister responsible for the running of the Ministry of National Defence. The current minister is Dimitris Avramopoulos.-Recent Ministers for National Defence:-External links:*...
: Alexios Grivas - Minister for FinanceMinister for Economy and Finance (Greece)The Ministry of Finance is a government department responsible for the running of the public finance of the Greek state. The current minister is Evangelos Venizelos, who also holds the post of Deputy Prime Minister of Greece....
: Anargiros Simopoulos
Third Cabinet, December 19, 1903 – December 29, 1904
- Prime MinisterPrime Minister of GreeceThe 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...
: Georgios Theotokis - Minister for Foreign AffairsMinister for Foreign Affairs (Greece)The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the senior minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, established on 3 April 1833. The current Minister for Foreign Affairs, since 11 November 2011 is the former European Commissioner Stavros Dimas...
: Athos Romanos - Minister for the InteriorMinister for the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation (Greece)The Ministry of the Interior is a government department of Greece. Occasionally the office has been combined with that of the Ministry for Public Order...
: Giorgios Theotokis - Minister for WarMinister for National Defence (Greece)The Minister for National Defence of Greece is a government minister responsible for the running of the Ministry of National Defence. The current minister is Dimitris Avramopoulos.-Recent Ministers for National Defence:-External links:*...
: Konstantinos Smolenskis - Minister for FinanceMinister for Economy and Finance (Greece)The Ministry of Finance is a government department responsible for the running of the public finance of the Greek state. The current minister is Evangelos Venizelos, who also holds the post of Deputy Prime Minister of Greece....
: Anargiros Simopoulos- replaced on October 10, 1904 by Nikolaos KalogeropoulosNikolaos KalogeropoulosNikolaos Kalogeropoulos was a Greek politician and briefly Prime Minister of Greece.Kalogeropoulos was born in Chalkida, Euboea, and studied law in Athens and Paris. He was elected a Member of the Hellenic Parliament a total of ten times representing Euboea and served as minister in several...
- replaced on October 10, 1904 by Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos
Fourth Cabinet, December 21, 1905 – July 29, 1909
- Prime MinisterPrime Minister of GreeceThe 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...
: Georgios Theotokis - Minister for Foreign AffairsMinister for Foreign Affairs (Greece)The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the senior minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, established on 3 April 1833. The current Minister for Foreign Affairs, since 11 November 2011 is the former European Commissioner Stavros Dimas...
: Alexandros Skouzas (left office on 21 June 1908- replaced on July 5, 1908 by Giorgios Baltatzis
- Minister for the InteriorMinister for the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation (Greece)The Ministry of the Interior is a government department of Greece. Occasionally the office has been combined with that of the Ministry for Public Order...
: Nikolaos KalogeropoulosNikolaos KalogeropoulosNikolaos Kalogeropoulos was a Greek politician and briefly Prime Minister of Greece.Kalogeropoulos was born in Chalkida, Euboea, and studied law in Athens and Paris. He was elected a Member of the Hellenic Parliament a total of ten times representing Euboea and served as minister in several... - Minister for WarMinister for National Defence (Greece)The Minister for National Defence of Greece is a government minister responsible for the running of the Ministry of National Defence. The current minister is Dimitris Avramopoulos.-Recent Ministers for National Defence:-External links:*...
: Georgios Theotokis - Minister for FinanceMinister for Economy and Finance (Greece)The Ministry of Finance is a government department responsible for the running of the public finance of the Greek state. The current minister is Evangelos Venizelos, who also holds the post of Deputy Prime Minister of Greece....
: Anargyros Simopoulos- replaced on January 8, 1908 by Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos
- replaced on July 5, 1908 by Dimitrios GounarisDimitrios GounarisDimitrios Gounaris was the Prime Minister of Greece from March 10, 1915 to August 23, 1915 and April 8, 1921 to May 16, 1922...
- replaced on February 28, 1909 by Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos
Books
- Georgios Rallis: "Georgios Theotokis: Politician of the measured response" (In Greek), Ελληνική Ευρωεκδοτική, Αθήνα 1986, 355 p. ISBN 9602410175.
External links
- «Georgios Theotokis: Politician of the measured response and of calm manners»– Article by Georgios Rallis in the newspaper Τα Νέα, 18 October 1999.