Alexandros Koumoundouros

Alexandros Koumoundouros was born in Kampos, on the Messenian side of the Mani Peninsula, in 1815. He was the son of Spyridon-Galanis Koumoundouros, the bey of the area during the last period of the Ottoman rule. He studied law in Nafplion and Athens, and became involved in politics from an early age. He took part in the revolution in Crete in 1841, despite believing it was a lost cause. He was elected to the Greek Parliament in 1851, and became its president in 1854. He was a member of the moderate wing of the Constitutional Party, and supported the overthrow of King Otto in 1862. He served in the interim government that prepared the way for the accession of King George I. He was appointed prime minister for the first time in 1865, and held the office nine times in total, more than any other Greek politician. He was known for his strong anti-Turkish policies, his nationalist views, and his democratic reforms. He tried to form alliances with other Balkan states and Egypt against Turkey, and advocated Greek intervention in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. He also promoted the development of the army, the distribution of land to the peasants, and the construction of major public works, such as the Corinth Canal. He was popular among the people, but faced opposition from the king and the British, who feared his expansionist ambitions. He resigned from his last premiership in 1882, after failing to annex more territories from Turkey. He died in Athens in 1883, at the age of 68. He is regarded as one of the most influential and patriotic figures of modern Greek history.