Dimitrios Doulis

Dimitrios Doulis
Born	1865 Nivica, Sarande
Died	1928 Athens
Allegiance	Greece (1883- February 1914) Aut. Rep. Northern Epirus (February–October 1914)
Service/branch	Greek Army
Years of service	1886-1920
Rank	Colonel
Battles/wars	Greco-Turkish War (1897) First Balkan War Second Balkan War Northern Epirus Autonomy Struggle
Other work	Minister of Military Affairs of the Autonomous R. of Northern Epirus (1914) Member of the Greek Parliament (1915-1917)

Dimitrios Doulis (Greek: Δημήτριος Δούλης, 1865–1928), was a Greek military officer, from Nivica in modern southern Albania (Northern Epirus).

Doulis was born in 1865,^[1] son of Nikolaos Doulis and descendant of Kitsios Doulis, a hero of the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire (1821–30). In 1883 he enlisted in the Hellenic Army, while at 1897 he fought in the war against the Ottoman Empire, in the Epirus sector of operations, in which the Greek Army was defeated.

As a battalion commander he took part in the operations in Epirus front during the Balkan Wars of 1912–13, notably capturing the town of Preveza.^[1] During the war, the Greek army occupied the region of Northern Epirus, and Doulis was appointed military commander of Argyrokastro (Gjirokastër). In December 1913 however, with the Protocol of Florence, the Great Powers decided to award the region to the newly formed Albanian state. This decision was highly unpopular among the local Greek population, who decided to form their own government and military in order to secure their autonomy. Doulis resigned his commission in the Greek army and joined the autonomists.^[2]

With the official declaration of the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus, on 1 March 1914, he was appointed to the post of Minister of Military Affairs of the new government. From the first days he managed to mobilize an army consisting of more than 5,000 volunteer troops, and organize local gendarmerie units (called "Sacred Bands") in order to secure the region. Until May 17, when the Protocol of Corfu was signed, the autonomist Epirote forces managed retain their positions and push back the attacks of Albanian irregulars and gendarmerie, which was under the command of Dutch officers.^[3]

When World War I broke out, the Greek forces, after approval from the Triple Entente Powers, re-entered Northern Epirus. In the subsequent legislative elections, Dimitrios Doulis was elected as member of the Greek parliament for the Argyrokastron Prefecture.^[4] Doulis retired from the Greek Army with the rank of Colonel on 2 May 1915 (O.S.), and died in Athens in 1928.^[1]

References

1. Μεγάλη Στρατιωτική και Ναυτική Εγκυκλοπαιδεία. Τόμος Γ′: Δαβατηνός – Ιωσήφ [Great Military and Naval Encyclopedia. Volume III] (in Greek). Athens. 1929. p. 155.
2. Stickney. Southern Albania, 1912-1923 Stanford University Press ISBN 0-8047-6171-X
3. Boeckh, Katrin (1996). Von den Balkankriegen zum Ersten Weltkrieg: Kleinstaatenpolitik und ethnische Selbstbestimmung auf dem Balkan (in German). Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag. pp. 115–116. ISBN 978-3-486-56173-9.
4. Albania's Captives. Pyrrhus J. Ruches. Argonaut, 1965. p. 97.