Kondyles, George (1879-1936)

Greek general and politician. A royalist supporter, Kondyles led a number of military interventions in Greek political life, most notably to restore King George II to the throne in 1935.

After fighting the Bulgarians in the Second Balkan War in 1913, Kondyles was made a colonel during World War I. During the 1920s, he divided his time between the military and politics, serving as minister of the interior 1923-25. In 1926 he led a coup against a republican government, briefly assumed the premiership in order to secure fair elections, and then resigned. He returned to political life in 1932 as war minister, and crushed an uprising by supporters of Eleuthérios Venizelosin March 1935. Acting as regent, Kondyles succeeded in reestablishing George II as monarch in November 1935.