Leonidas Smolents facts for kids
Leonidas Smolents (1806–1882) was an army officer from Austria with Greek family roots. After 1830, he moved to the newly independent country of Greece. There, he became a top general and even served as the Minister for Military Affairs, which means he was in charge of the country's army.
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Early Life and Military Start
Leonidas Smolents was born in 1806 in Pest, Hungary, and grew up in Vienna, Austria. His family was well-off; his great-grandfather, Simon Smolenic, was a successful Greek merchant who had been given a special title by the emperor.
Leonidas went to a military school called the Theresian Military Academy. In 1822, when he was just 16, he joined the Austrian Army as a young officer in the engineering section. For a couple of years, from 1822 to 1824, he was part of an Austrian army mission in a place called the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in Italy.
Joining the Greek Army
In 1825, the Greek War of Independence was happening, and many Greeks were fighting for their freedom. Leonidas wanted to help, so he quit his job in the Austrian army and tried to go to Greece. However, the Austrian government stopped him.
He finally managed to reach Greece in 1830. By then, Greece had become an independent country. Leonidas joined the new Greek Army as an engineer officer, working under Greece's first leader, Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias.
Rising Through the Ranks
As Greece grew, Leonidas Smolents continued to serve in the army. Under King Otto of Greece, he slowly moved up the ranks. However, after a big event called the 3 September 1843 Revolution, some people in Greece didn't like foreign officers. Because of his foreign-sounding name, Leonidas faced some trouble. Luckily, some important people who knew him from Vienna spoke up and confirmed that he was of Greek origin.
Even with these challenges, he was chosen to represent Attica (the area around Athens) in the National Assembly, which was a special meeting to write the Greek Constitution of 1843.
Minister of War
From 1855 to 1857, Leonidas Smolents served as the Minister for Military Affairs in the government led by Dimitrios Voulgaris. He did a great job fighting against bandits, who were a big problem in the country at the time. Thanks to his efforts, many bandits were caught, surrendered, or were stopped. King Otto was very impressed and gave him a special award called the Commander's Cross of the Order of the Redeemer.
Under a new king, George I of Greece, Leonidas was promoted to major general. He served as Minister for Military Affairs again several times: in 1863, 1870, and 1871. He also held important military roles, like being the overall military commander for the Peloponnese region twice, and for Attica once. He also worked as an army inspector and led a military court.
Leonidas Smolents passed away in Athens on April 21, 1882.
Family Life
Leonidas Smolents married Maria Axioti. Her father, Konstantinos Axiotis, was also an important military officer and politician. Leonidas and Maria had two sons: Konstantinos Smolenskis and Nikolaos Smolenits. Both of their sons followed in their father's footsteps, becoming army officers, generals, and even Ministers for Military Affairs themselves.
