Georgios Drakos
Georgios Drakos
Native name	Γεώργιος Δράκος
Born	c. 1788 Souli, Pashalik of Yanina, Ottoman Empire (now Greece)
Died	1827 (aged 39-40) Chalkida, Sanjak of Eğriboz, Ottoman Empire (now Greece)
Allegiance	First Hellenic Republic
Service/branch	Hellenic Army
Battles/wars	Greek War of Independence  Battle of Arachova Battle of Phaleron

Georgios Drakos (Greek: Γεώργιος Δράκος; 1788–1827) was a Souliot chieftain of the Greek War of Independence.

Biography

Drakos was born in Souli in 1788. While the Ottoman Albanian forces were besieging, they attempted to take control of spring from which the Souliotes got water. Certain of victory, they encamped with 6000 soldiers. Georgios Drakos reportedly fought them with a force of only 18 men, and managed to repulse them until Notis Botsaris came with reinforcements, and declared Drakos the hero of the victory.

In the 1821 Battle of Pente Pigadia, Drakos lead a contingent of only 300 men. He also took part in other battles, in Panassari in 1824, in Kolovates in 1825, in the campaign of Karaiskakis in Eastern Greece, as commander-in-chief in the siege of Salona, in Distomo against the Pasha of Karystos and Karofilbei.

He died in Chalkida in 1827. He was a prisoner of Kutahi and was being taken to Euboea to recover, when Kutahi's guards killed him by order and said he committed suicide. His widow Susana and his orphaned children settled in Nafpaktos in 1829, together with the families of Athanasios, Georgios (grandfather and first cousin of the General) and Nikolaos Drakos.

Bibliography