Venizelos, Eleutherios, << `veh` nee ZEH laws, `eh` lehf THEH ryaws >> (1864-1936), served as prime minister of Greece six times between 1910 and 1933. Under his leadership, Greece acquired many Aegean islands, Crete, and other territories. Venizelos led Greece during an unstable time of international and domestic conflict.
Eleutherios (Greek for free) Venizelos was born in the village of Mournies, Crete, on Aug. 23, 1864. At that time, Crete was part of the Ottoman Empire. Venizelos graduated from the University of Athens in 1887 and returned to Crete to practice law. In 1889, he entered the Cretan parliament and participated in the often violent movement to free Crete from Ottoman rule. The island became autonomous (self-ruling) in 1898.Venizelos served in high positions in the government. In 1910, he moved to Greece and was elected to the Greek parliament that same year. In October 1910, Venizelos became prime minister of Greece. In 1912, he led Greece into the First Balkan War (1912-1913), after which Greece doubled in size.
In opposition to King Constantine I, Venizelos entered Greece into World War I (1914-1918) on the side of the Entente (France, Russia, and the United Kingdom). Following an assassination attempt by royalist supporters and defeat in the 1920 elections, Venizelos moved his family to France. Greece lost a war with the Ottoman Empire in 1922 and became a republic in 1924. Venizelos returned, serving again as prime minister in 1924, 1928 to 1932, and 1933.
In 1935, a failed attempt to stop the restoration of the Greek monarchy forced Venizelos into exile in France. He died in Paris on March 18, 1936. Athens International Airport was named after Venizelos when it opened in 2001.
See also Balkans ; Constantine I ; Greece (George I) .
