# Michael Sionidis

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Kapetan (Chieftain) Michael Sionidis Michael Sionidis and his cousin, Dionysius Sionidis during the Macedonian Struggle.[a] Native name Μιχαήλ Σιωνίδης Born c. 1870 Grčište, Salonika Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (now Republic of North Macedonia). Died c. 1935 Evzonoi, Kingdom of Greece Allegiance Kingdom of Greece Branch HMC Hellenic Army Unit III Army Corps Conflicts Macedonian Struggle Balkan Wars First Balkan War Second Balkan War Battle of Kilkis-Lachanas World War I Macedonian front Battle of Skra-di-Legen Awards Gold Cross of Valour War Cross (1917 variant) Commemorative Medal of the Macedonian Struggle

**Michael Sionidis** ([Greek](/source/Greek_language): Μιχαήλ Σιωνίδης or Μιχάλης Σιωνίδης, **Mihális Sionídis**; c. 1870–1935) was a [Greek](/source/Greeks) leader of *[makedonomachoi](/source/Macedonian_Struggle#Macedonian_Committee)* in the [Macedonian Struggle](/source/Macedonian_Struggle).

## Early life

Michael Sionidis was born in the village of [Grčište](/source/Gr%C4%8Di%C5%A1te),[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire) (near [Bogdanci](/source/Bogdanci_Municipality) in the present-day [North Macedonia](/source/North_Macedonia)) in about 1870.

## Military career

At the outbreak of the Macedonian Struggle in 1904, Sionidis fought against the pro-[Bulgarian](/source/Bulgarians) *[komitadjis](/source/Komitadji)*,[b] acting in an area covering Grčište, [Gevgelija](/source/Gevgelija) and [Doirani](/source/Doirani). Sionidis first fought under Georgios Zira,[c] then under [Emmanuel Katsigaris](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emmanuel_Katsigaris&action=edit&redlink=1) [[bg](https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%95%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%83%D0%B8%D0%BB_%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%81)],[d] before he finally founded his own militia.[2]

In the autumn of 1904, Bulgarian *komitadjis* killed several of Grčište's Greek inhabitants, including the teacher Catherine Hadjigeorgiou, who was Michael's cousin, the teacher Constantine Sionidis, Andronikis' daughter, and five other Greeks. In retaliation, Sionidis led his militia in an attack on the village of [Marvinci](/source/Marvinci), where the *komitadjis* were hiding.[2] After getting injured, he went to [Gevgelija](/source/Gevgelija) to recuperate (January 1905).[3]

After the [First Balkan War](/source/First_Balkan_War), Grčište came under [Serbian](/source/Serbia) control, and Sionidis moved to the village of Matsikovo (modern [Evzonoi](/source/Evzonoi)), which was at the time on the Greco-Serbian border. During the Balkan Wars, King [Constantine I of Greece](/source/Constantine_I_of_Greece) established his headquarters in his house. Sionidis participated in the [Battle of Kilkis-Lahanas](/source/Battle_of_Kilkis-Lahanas), where he was injured. Sionidis also participated in the [Battle of Skra-di-Legen](/source/Battle_of_Skra-di-Legen) during [World War I](/source/World_War_I), and worked as a secret agent of the [Third Army Corps](/source/III_Army_Corps_(Greece)) behind enemy lines, in the area of [Strumica](/source/Strumica).[3]

## Later years

Following the end of World War I, Sionidis, as president of Matsikovo community, retrieved the remains of nine *[evzones](/source/Evzones)* whom the Bulgarians had killed during the [Second Balkan War](/source/Second_Balkan_War), and buried them in his village. In 1927, the **Epitropi Metonomasias**[e] renamed Matsikovo to Evzonoi in their honour. Michael Sionidis died in 1935.[3]

For his services, he was awarded the Golden [Cross of Valour](/source/Cross_of_Valour_(Greece)), Greece's highest bravery award, along with the [War Cross](/source/War_Cross_(Greece)) and the Commemorative Medal of the Macedonian Struggle.[3]

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** "The pair are dressed in pants of woolen material, waistcoats and wear the caps of *makedonomachoi*. In addition they wear homespun stockings. The figure at left wears *[tsarouhia](/source/Tsarouhi)* without [pompons](/source/Pompon), and the right wears service boots. The figure at left wears a square silver amulet with a skull and crossbones suspended over his chest. They each carry a [Fusil Gras mle 1874](/source/Fusil_Gras_mle_1874). They wear their cartridges in their belts. The left wears a double-edge *kama* knife in his belt while the right has a knife and a [Gasser M1870 Montenegrin Pattern revolver](/source/Gasser_M1870#Montenegrin_.22Gasser_Pattern.22_revolvers)."[1]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** "Committee members", i.e. members of *[cheta](/source/Cheta_(armed_group))* bands sympathising with the [Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization](/source/Internal_Macedonian_Revolutionary_Organization)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Γεώργιος Ζήρα

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Εμμανουήλ Κατσίγαρης

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** "Committee for Name Change", see [Geographical name changes in Greece](/source/Geographical_name_changes_in_Greece)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-mouseiophotoarch_1-0)** ["Photographic Archive"](http://www.imma.edu.gr/imma/dbs/Artifacts/index.html?start=110&show=1). *imma.edu.gr* (in Greek). Ὶδρυμα Μουσείο Μακεδονικού Αγώνα [Museum of the Macedonia Struggle Foundation].

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Vacalopoulos1979_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Vacalopoulos1979_6-1) Vacalopoulos, Constantin Ap. (1979). ["Anékdoto mitróo ton makhitón tou Makedonikoú Agóna" Ανέκδοτο μητρώο των μαχητών του Μακεδονικού Αγώνα](https://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/makedonika/article/download/6012/5750.pdf) (PDF). *Μακεδονικά* (in Greek). **19**: 40–92. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.12681/makedonika.451](https://doi.org/10.12681%2Fmakedonika.451).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-laoselantimak_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-laoselantimak_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-laoselantimak_7-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-laoselantimak_7-3) [Η Ελληνικη Αντισταση στη Μακεδονια 1904-1908](https://web.archive.org/web/20080121084407/http://www.laosver.gr/news/articles/13435.html) [The Greek Resistance in Macedonia 1904–1908]. *Imathías Laós* (in Greek). 14 October 2007. Archived from [the original](http://www.laosver.gr/news/articles/13435.html) on 21 January 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2016.

## Further reading

- *Ιστορία νεότερη και σύγχρονη Γ' Λυκείου* [*History new and modern Third Class Senior Highschool*] (in Greek). Athens: [OEDB](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=OEDB&action=edit&redlink=1) [[el](https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9F%CF%81%CE%B3%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B9%CF%83%CE%BC%CF%8C%CF%82_%CE%95%CE%BA%CE%B4%CF%8C%CF%83%CE%B5%CF%89%CF%82_%CE%94%CE%B9%CE%B4%CE%B1%CE%BA%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8E%CE%BD_%CE%92%CE%B9%CE%B2%CE%BB%CE%AF%CF%89%CE%BD)]. 2002.

- *[Papyrus Larousse Britannica](/source/Papyrus_Larousse_Britannica)*. Vol. 5. {{[cite encyclopedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_encyclopedia)}}: Missing or empty |title= ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#citation_missing_title))

- *Ιστορία του Νέου Ελληνισμού* [*History of New Hellenism*] (in Greek). Vol. 5. Athens: Ellinika Grammata.

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 [Michael Sionidis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Sionidis) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Sionidis?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.