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People
Greek Macedonian Struggle (1903-1908)
Pavlos Melas (1870-1904)
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Pavlos
Melas {Παύλος Μελάς}
(1870-1904). Pavlos Melas was born in Marseille to parents of Ipirot {Ipirotiki ~ Ηπειρωτική}
descent. He was a fighter, vanguard and protomartyr of the Macedonian Cause. In 1891 he
graduated from the Hellenic Military Academy
as Second Lieutenant in the artillery. He was brother-in-law to
Ion Dragoumis {Ίων
Δραγούμης} through his sister. He took part in the war in 1897 and his name
is closely associated with the "Macedonian Comitat", which was founded in 1900.
He first entered Macedonia [Place Names] secretly because it was then occupied by the Ottomans and the Bulgarians, in February 1904 with Kontoulis {Κοντούλης}, Papoulas {Παπούλας} and Kolokotronis {Κολοκοτρώνης}. Their intention was to arouse the conscience of the Greeks in Macedonia. In July in the same year he again entered Macedonia in the guise of a cattle dealer by the name of Petros Dedes {Πέτρος Δέδες}.
After a meeting with Lambros Koromilas {Λάμπρος Κορομηλάς} who was the Greek Consul in Thessaloniki {Θεσσαλονίκη}, Melas went back to Athens [Place Names] and in August, still in the same year, he went back into Macedonia with 35 men from Macedonia, Sparta {Σπάρτη} and Crete {Κρήτη}. This time he used the name Captain Mikis Zezas {Καπετάν Μίκης Ζέζας} (i.e. a combination of the names of his two children, Mikis and Zeza).
The "Comitat" (an organization formed to serve a specific purpose) appointed him chief of all resistance groups in the areas of Monastirion {Μοναστήριον}, Florina {Φλώρινα} and Kastoria {Καστοριά}. There were many difficulties involved. On October 13th, 1904, when he was in the village of Statista {Στάτιστα}, Kastoria, he was betrayed, surrounded and fought a fierce battle. The Ottoman forces were many and Melas had to break out in an exodus. He and his brave fighting men broke through the surrounding troops. However, he was gravely wounded at the last moment and died half an hour later.
Melas became a symbol of the Macedonian Cause and after the liberation, the village where he died was renamed "Pavlos Melas".
Pavlos Melas (1870-1904)
04-23-2004