Dimitris Plapoutas

Dimitris 'Koliopoulos' Plapoutas (Greek: Δημήτρης Κολιόπουλος Πλαπούτας) (1786 1865) was a Greek general who fought during the Greek War of Independence against the rule of the Ottoman Empire.

Dimitrios Plapoutas
Δημήτρης Πλαπούτας
A portrait of Plapoutas in Royal Phalanx uniform
Senator
In office
1847–1862
MonarchOtto
Prime MinisterKitsos Tzavellas
Georgios Kountouriotis
Konstantinos Kanaris
Antonios Kriezis
Alexandros Mavrokordatos
Dimitrios Voulgaris
Athanasios Miaoulis
Ioannis Kolokotronis
Member of Parliament
for Karytaina
In office
1844–1847
MonarchOtto
Prime MinisterIoannis Kolettis
Personal details
Born15 May 1786
Paloumpa, Morea Eyalet, Ottoman Empire (now Greece)
Died5 July 1864
Paloumpa, Kingdom of Greece
Awards Order of the Redeemer
Nickname(s)Koliopoulos
Κολιόπουλος
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Greece First Hellenic Republic
Greece Kingdom of Greece
Branch/service British Army
 Hellenic Army
Years of service18
RankGeneral
Unit1st Regiment Greek Light Infantry
Royal Phalanx
Battles/wars

Biography

Plapoutas was born on in Paloumba in the Arcadia region of the Peloponnese, Ottoman Empire, the son of Kollias Plapoutas, who came from a strong line of Arvanites of Greek Orthodox religion from Epirus at the time, in northwestern Greece. This is of course the reason why Theodoros Kolokotronis referred to him simply as "Koliopoulos" (Greek: Ό Κολιόπουλος).[1]

In 1811, he left Paloumba for the Ionian Islands where he became an officer in the 1st Regiment Greek Light Infantry. In 1818, he joined the Filiki Eteria, which was planning to liberate Greece from Ottoman control.

During the revolution, Dimitris Plapoutas took part in the Siege of Tripolitsa, the capture of the Acrocorinth, the Battle of Valtetsi, the Battle of Maniaki and other battles.

After independence, along with General Theodoros Kolokotronis and General Kitsos Tzavelas, Plapoutas supported Prince Otto of Bavaria as the King of Greece. However, later he opposed the Bavarian-dominated regency during his rule. He was charged with high treason and on 7 June 1834 he was imprisoned at the Palamidi along with Kolokotronis and both sentenced to death and both later pardoned in 1835.[1] Plapoutas then became involved in Greek politics and served in Parliament (1844–1847) and in the Senate (1847–1862). He was made an honorary bodyguard of King Otto and was entrusted with escorting him to his new kingdom.

Plapoutas also had a brother, Georgios, who fought alongside him in many battles and died in the Battle of Lalas.

When he was around seventy years old, Plapoutas married a woman in her thirties and had one child, a girl named Athanasia. Plapoutas died shortly afterwards.

His house still stands (albeit heavily damaged from an earthquake during the 1960s) in his home town of Paloumpa, Arcadia.

References

  1. Kolokotronis, Theodoros (2002). Apomnimonevmata (Memoirs). Athens: Vergina Editions.
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