Stefanos Skouloudis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stefanos Skouloudis
Στέφανος Σκουλούδης
Stefanos Skouloudis in January 1916 at the age of 78
Prime Minister of Greece
In office 25 October 1915 – 9 June 1916
Minister of Naval Affairs
In office 10 June 1892 – 3 May 1893
Personal details
Born	23 November 1838 Constantinopole
Died	August 19, 1928(1928-08-19) (aged 89) Athens, Greece
Residence	Skouloudis Mansion (today "King George Hotel" at Syntagma Square)
Occupation	politician, diplomat
Profession	banker

Stefanos Skouloudis (Greek: Στέφανος Σκουλούδης; born November 23, 1838 – died August 19, 1928) was an important Greek banker, diplomat, and the 34th Prime Minister of Greece. He played a key role in Greek politics and international relations during a time of big changes.

Early Life and Business

Stefanos Skouloudis was born in Istanbul (then called Constantinople) on November 23, 1838. His parents, John and Zena Skouloudis, came from Crete. His father was a successful businessman in Istanbul, where Stefanos went to elementary school.

In 1852, he moved to Athens for high school. After that, he studied medicine at the University of Athens. However, he chose a different path for his career.

In 1859, Skouloudis joined a famous trading company called Ralli Brothers. He quickly became a manager of their import and export business. By 1863, he was in charge of all their operations in Turkey. In 1871, he helped start the Bank of Constantinople with Andreas Syngros. Skouloudis became very wealthy from his business ventures. He also sometimes helped the Greek government with diplomatic issues involving the Ottoman Empire. By 1876, he moved to Athens permanently.

Getting Involved in Politics

Once in Athens, Skouloudis became very active in politics. A major crisis in 1877 gave him a chance to serve his country. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, he acted as a secret messenger to the Albanian people living outside Greece.

He also represented the city of Ioannina in important talks. These talks led to the Congress of Berlin, which changed the border between Greece and the Ottoman Empire after the war.

Public Service and Parliament

Besides his diplomatic work, Skouloudis also helped in other public ways. In 1880, he joined the Board of Governors for the Bank of Greece. In 1882, he started the first company to drain Lake Copais. This lake was next to very good farmland north of Thebes but sometimes caused floods.

Skouloudis was first elected to the Hellenic Parliament in 1881. He represented Syros and later Thebes. He was part of Trikoupis' liberal New Party.

Diplomatic Roles

In 1882, he became the Greek Ambassador to Spain, serving until 1886. When Bulgaria joined with Eastern Rumelia from the Ottoman Empire, Skouloudis represented Greece in peace talks in Constantinople in 1886.

He was elected to parliament again in 1892, representing Thebes. Prime Minister Trikoupis appointed him as Minister of Religion and Education. Later, he became Minister for the Navy. Both liberal and conservative governments asked him to help Greece get loans or extend existing ones from richer countries.

The 1896 Olympic Games

Skouloudis was part of the Organizing Committee for the 1896 Summer Olympics. He noticed that the costs for the Games were much higher than first thought. He told Crown Prince Constantine, who was the committee president, that Greece should consider not hosting the Games.

Skouloudis and others who agreed with him left the committee. However, Constantine decided to let the Games continue. The first modern Olympics were a big success, especially compared to the 1900 and 1904 Summer Olympics.

Foreign Affairs and War

Because of his wide experience in diplomacy, Skouloudis was made Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1897. This was in the conservative government of Dimitrios Rallis. In this role, he managed Greece's diplomatic response to its military defeat in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897. Even though Greece's army was defeated, the country lost only a small amount of land. This was partly thanks to Skouloudis' diplomatic efforts.

In 1905, Skouloudis was again elected to parliament from Thebes, but he did not join the government. After the Goudi Revolt in 1909, many people thought Skouloudis could be a good Prime Minister to bring about reforms. However, Stefanos Dragoumis was chosen instead. Dragoumis then helped Eleftherios Venizelos become Prime Minister in 1910, which ended a political crisis. Later, Venizelos chose Skouloudis to represent Greece in peace talks in London after the First Balkan War in 1912.

Becoming Prime Minister

After King George I died in 1913, Greece's Prime Minister Venizelos and the new king Constantine often disagreed. As Europe entered the First World War, the king, who favored Germany, and the Prime Minister, who supported the Allies, argued about whether Greece should join the war. The king wanted Greece to stay neutral, while Venizelos wanted to join the Allies.

Venizelos resigned, and Alexandros Zaimis became Prime Minister. In October 1915, Venizelos left Athens and later set up a separate government in Thessaloniki. Prime Minister Zaimis then resigned. At this point, the king asked Skouloudis to form a government that included all political parties.

The Skouloudis government focused mainly on Greece's role in World War I. They also tried to prevent the formation of a rival government in northern Greece. Skouloudis was not successful, and Prime Minister Zaimis was reappointed by the king.

Eventually, King Constantine stepped down in the summer of 1917, and Venizelos returned to Athens. Skouloudis faced serious questions about his actions while he was Prime Minister, such as why Fort Roupel was surrendered in 1916. Because of his old age, he was not sent into exile like some others, but was held under watch.

He was held accountable for his actions along with his cabinet and remained in custody until November 1920. When Venizelos lost the election, Skouloudis' situation changed in 1921, and he was pardoned. Stefanos Skouloudis passed away in Athens on August 19, 1928.

See also

In Spanish: Stéfanos Skouloúdis para niños