# Georgios Tsontos

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Greek general and politician

Georgios Tsontos Γεώργιος Τσόντος Georgios Tsontos c. 1908-09 Minister Governor-General of Crete In office 10 October – 30 November 1935 Monarch George II Prime Minister Georgios Kondylis Member of Parliament for Kastoria Prefecture In office 1933–1935 President Alexandros Zaimis Prime Minister Panagis Tsaldaris Member of Parliament for Florina Prefecture In office 1932–1933 President Alexandros Zaimis Prime Minister Panagis Tsaldaris Eleftherios Venizelos Alexandros Othonaios Personal details Born c. 1871 Sfakia, Eyalet of Crete, Ottoman Empire (now Greece) Died 1942 Athens, Hellenic State Resting place First Cemetery of Athens Alma mater Hellenic Army Academy Signature Nickname(s) Kapetan Vardas Καπετάν Βάρδας Military service Allegiance Kingdom of Greece Aut. Rep. of Northern Epirus Second Hellenic Republic Branch/service Hellenic Army Years of service 1893-1917 1920-1923 1927 1935 Rank Lieutenant General Commands Commandant of the Hellenic Military Academy Garrison Commander of Athens Battles/wars Greco-Turkish War (1897) Cretan Revolt Macedonian Struggle Balkan Wars First Balkan War Second Balkan War North Epirote Struggle

**Georgios Tsontos** ([Greek](/source/Greek_language): Γεώργιος Τσόντος) (c. 1871–1942) also known with the *[nom de guerre](/source/Nom_de_guerre)* **Kapetan Vardas** (Καπετάν Βάρδας), was a [Greek](/source/Greece) guerrilla fighter, general, and later politician from [Crete](/source/Crete).

## Early life

Georgios Tsontos was born in the village of Askifou in [Sfakia](/source/Sfakia), [Crete](/source/Crete), [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire) in about 1871. His father Charalambos had distinguished himself as a rebel leader during the [Cretan Revolt (1866–69)](/source/Cretan_Revolt_(1866%E2%80%9369)) against the [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire), was assassinated in [Athens](/source/Athens) in 1874.[1] Georgios entered the [Hellenic Military Academy](/source/Hellenic_Army_Academy) in 1888, graduating in 1893 as an Artillery Second Lieutenant.[1]

## Military career

In the [Greco-Turkish War of 1897](/source/Greco-Turkish_War_of_1897), he participated in the Greek expeditionary force to Crete under Colonel [Timoleon Vassos](/source/Timoleon_Vassos).[1] There he would assist in the [Cretan Revolt (1897-1898)](/source/Cretan_Revolt_(1897-1898)) which would lead to the establishment of the [Cretan State](/source/Cretan_State).

In 1904 he went to Ottoman-ruled [Macedonia](/source/Macedonia_(region)) as part of the [Macedonian Struggle](/source/Macedonian_Struggle), and spent two and a half years leading guerrilla detachments in the [Monastir](/source/Bitola) area to fight the [Ottomans](/source/Ottoman_Army_(1861%E2%80%931922)) and Bulgarian [Komitadjis](/source/Komitadji). It was in [Macedonia](/source/Macedonia_(region)) where operated under the *[nom de guerre](/source/Nom_de_guerre)* of *Kapetan Vardas*.[1] He also fought in the [Balkan Wars](/source/Balkan_Wars) of 1912–13 as a [captain](/source/Captain). In the [Second Balkan War](/source/Second_Balkan_War) against Bulgaria in particular, he once more led irregular forces to clear out eastern Macedonia from Bulgarian irregulars ([Komitadjis](/source/Komitadji)).[1]

In 1914 he temporarily resigned his commission to join the armed forces of the [Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus](/source/Autonomous_Republic_of_Northern_Epirus). During the North Epirote autonomy, he was named military and civil governor of [Korytsa](/source/Korytsa).[1] During [World War I](/source/World_War_I), he organized guerrilla groups in [Northern Epirus](/source/Northern_Epirus) in order to operate against Albanian bands that were raiding the Greek populated areas[2] In the [National Schism](/source/National_Schism), he supported the monarchists, and as a result found himself dismissed from the army in 1917–20.[1]

## Later career

Following the [electoral victory](/source/1920_Greek_legislative_election) of the monarchists in November 1920 he was reinstated, and served as commandant of the [Hellenic Military Academy](/source/Hellenic_Military_Academy) and garrison commander of Athens. He retired from the army in February 1923 with the rank of major general.[1] He was restored to inactive service in 1927 and finally in 1935, reaching the rank of [lieutenant general](/source/Lieutenant_general).

He also served as MP for [Florina Prefecture](/source/Florina_Prefecture) in 1932-33 and for [Kastoria Prefecture](/source/Kastoria_Prefecture) in 1933-35. He died in [Athens](/source/Athens) in 1942.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Enc_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Enc_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Enc_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Enc_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Enc_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Enc_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Enc_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-Enc_1-7) *Μεγάλη Στρατιωτική και Ναυτική Εγκυκλοπαιδεία. Τόμος Στ′: Σαράντα Εκκλησίαι – Ώχρα* [*Great Military and Naval Encyclopedia. Volume VI*]. Athens. 1930. p. 415.{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location_missing_publisher))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Leon George B.. [*Greece and the Great Powers, 1914-1917*](https://books.google.com/books?id=f1xoAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Epirus+apparently+with%22). Institute for Balkan Studies, 1974, p. 443.

## Further reading

- Soulogiannis, E. Th. (1980). "Η έξοδος του Γ. Τσόντου-Βάρδα στο Μακεδονικό Αγώνα". [*Πεπραγμένα του Δ' Διεθνούς Κρητολογικού Συνεδρίου, Ηράκλειο, 29 Αυγούστου - 3 Δεκεμβρίου 1976. Τόμος Γ′ Νεώτεροι χρόνοι*](https://anemi.lib.uoc.gr/metadata/0/6/1/metadata-1643884844-836717-19947.tkl) (in Greek). Athens: University of Crete. pp. 226–240.

v t e Hellenic Macedonian Committee Macedonian Committee Ion Dragoumis Stefanos Dragoumis Dimitrios Kalapothakis Germanos Karavangelis Pavlos Melas Georgios Pentzikis Makedonomachoi (with nom de guerre) Theodoros Adam Sarantis-Tellos Agapinos (Agras) Michail Anagnostakos (Matapas) Charalambos Boufidis (Fourtounas) Theodoros Boulasikis Ioannis Boubaras Antigonos Choleris Petros Christou Konstantinos Christou (Kottas) Nikolaos Dailakis Panagiotis Danglis (Parmenion) Stergios Daoutis (Perifanos) Nikolaos Davelis Ioannis Demertzis Ioannis Demestichas (Nikiforos) Christos Dogiamas (Itsos) Dimitrios Dogiamas (Bikas) Lazos Dogiamas (Barovitsalis) Konstantinos Dogras Georgios Doitsinis Nikolaos Doumpiotis (Amyntas) Periklis Drakos Ioannis Evaggelopoulos Doukas Gaitatzis (Zervas) Konstantinos Garefis Dimitrios Golnas Nikolaos Gousios Stergios Goutas Pavlos Gyparis Petros Hatzitasis Simos Ioannidis (Armenskiotis) Georgios Kakoulidis (Dragas) Nikostratos Kalomenopoulos (Nidas) Pantelis Kandilas Efthymios Kaoudis (Old Kaoudis) Filippos Kapetanopoulos Georgios Karaiskakis Ioannis Karavitis Georgios Katechakis (Rouvas) Dimitrios Kechagias (Dalipis) Nikolaos Kollias Georgios Kondylis Alexandros Kontoulis (Skourtis) Stavros Kotsopoulos (Banitsiotis) Evangelos Koukoudeas Theodoros Koukoulakis Georgios Koutles Pavlos Kyrou Dimitrios Lalas Georgios Lepidatos (Arkoudas) Traianos Liantzakis (Traikos) Nikolaos Manos Konstantinos Manos (Michailidis) Petros Manos (Vergos) Ioannis Martzios Apostolis Matopoulos Konstantinos Mazarakis-Ainian (Akritas) Pavlos Melas (Mikis Zezas) Alexandros Merentitis (Doukas) Georgios Modis Evangelos Natsis (Srebreniotis) Pavlos Nikolaidis (Rakovitis) Alexandros Othonaios (Palamidis) Markos Palamidis Pantelis Papaioannou (Nikotsaras) Konstantinos Papastavrou (Mavromatis) Iraklis Patikas Filolaos Pichion (Filotas) Nikolaos Pyrzas (Lakis) Stavros Rigas (Kavodoros) Nikolaos Rokas (Kolios) Michail Sapkas Dimitrios Sarros Georgios Savvas Georgios Seridis (Spanos) Ioannis Simanikas Michael Sionidis Konstantinos Sorros (Kallas) Georgios Soulios Spyros Spyromilios (Bouas) Dimitrios Stagas (Mizas) Athanasios Stavroudis Christos Stogiannidis (Lilis or Iason) Markos Theodoridis Georgios Thomopoulos (Gogos) Georgios Tombras (Roupakias) Ioannis Tsangaridis Lazaros Tsamis Dimitrios Tsapanos Nikolaos Tsipouras Dimitrios Tsitsimis Christos Tsolakopoulos (Rembelos) Georgios Tsontos (Vardas) Lazaros Varzis (Zarkadas) Zisis Verros Ioannis Villioglou (Ramnalis) Stergios Vlachveis Argyrios Vouzas Zisis Vrakas Georgios Yiotas (Gonos) Antonios Zois Consular officials & undercover agents Ion Dragoumis Athanasios Exadaktylos (Antoniou) Lambros Koromilas Spyridon Levidis Alexandros Mazarakis-Ainian (Ioannidis) Anastasios Pichion Ptolemaios Sarigiannis (Kalamidis) Museums Museum for the Macedonian Struggle (Thessaloniki) Museum of the Macedonian Struggle (Kastoria) Museum of the Macedonian Struggle (Chromio) Museum of the Macedonian Struggle (Skopje) Folklore Museum of Giannitsa Pavlos Melas Museum Captain Kottas Museum

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Georgios Tsontos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgios_Tsontos) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgios_Tsontos?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.