Eleftherios Venizelos

Eleftherios Venizelos

Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936), was an one of the most eminent Greek politicians. Venizelos, a legendary Greek man, played an outstanding role in the historic and social evolution of Greece.

Eleftherios Venizelos was born in Mournies, near Chania, in the largest island of Greece, Crete. He studied law at the University of Athens.

Eleftherios Venizelos was the son of a Cretan revolutionary, Kyriakos Venizelos, who, in 1866, was deported by the Ottomans to Síros with his family.

Crete was then under Ottoman rule. Venizelos who was in favor of Cretan Union with Greece became leader of the Cretan rebellion of 1897, which ended with Crete being granted autonomy by the Ottoman Empire.

He served the government as a minister of justice from 1899 to 1901. Also he was the founder of Greek civil aviation and reorganised the Greek army and fleet. It is notable that he was the founder of political party, known as Komma Fileleftheron (the Liberal Party).

On the 2nd of October, 1910, he formed a government and started to reorganise the economic and political affairs of Greece. 

Beyond a doubt Venizelos was a charismatic personality, one of the most notable and significant political representatives in the Greek political life.

Today, a famous street (Eleftherios Venizelos Street) and the Athens International Airport is named after him.