Venizélos, Eleuthérios

Venizélos, Eleuthérios (Kyriakos)

(born Aug. 23, 1864, Mourniés, Crete, Ottoman Empire—died March 18, 1936, Paris, France) Greek revolutionary leader. Son of a Cretan revolutionary, he served in the government of autonomous Crete as minister of justice (1899–1901), then led an insurrection that forced the autocratic high commissioner to leave Crete (1905). In Athens, he led the Military League opposition group and effected the union of Crete with Greece. As premier of Greece (1910–15) he helped form the Balkan League. During the Balkan Wars, his policies doubled Greece's area and population. In World War I he supported the Allies; he resigned when opposed by the pro-German King Constantine, led the opposition that forced the king into exile, and again became premier (1917–20), aligning Greece with the Allies and successfully protecting Greek interests at the Paris Peace Conference. He served three more stints as premier (1924, 1928–32, 1933), but he was forced into exile when the monarchy was restored in 1935.