Konstantinos Sapountzakis
| Konstantinos Sapountzakis | |
|---|---|
Lt Gen Sapountzakis during the First Balkan War at Filippiada, in 1913
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| Born | 1853 Rethymno, Greece |
| Died | 1931 (aged 84–85) Athens, Greece |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Greece
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| Service/branch | Hellenic Army |
| Years of service | 1865–1913 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant General
|
| Commands held | Army of Epirus |
| Battles/wars | |
Cretan Uprising
Greco-Turkish War
Balkan Wars
Konstantinos Sapountzakis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Σαπουντζάκης, 1846 – 1931) was a Greek Army officer. He is notable as the first head of the Hellenic Army General Staff and as the first commander of the Army of Epirus during the First Balkan War.
The son of Lieutenant General Vasileios Sapountzakis, he was born in Nafplio in 1846. He entered the Hellenic Army Academy, graduating as an artillery adjutant in 1865. He became a second lieutenant on 9 May 1867, a lieutenant in 1873, captain II class in 1878, captain I class in 1880, major in 1882, lieutenant colonel in 1890, and full colonel in 1896. In 1867 he returned to Crete and with his father fought in the ongoing Cretan uprising. Following the failure of the revolt, he was sent for studies abroad, in Germany, Britain and France.
He was appointed professor of military technology at the Army Academy, as well as tutor and aide de camp to Crown Prince Constantine. At the outbreak of the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, with the rank of colonel, he assumed the duties of chief of staff to the Crown Prince, who exercised the overall command of the main Greek field force, the Army of Thessaly. Badly trained and led, the Greek Army was defeated and forced to retreat. Sapountzakis was subsequently dismissed from his duties.
In 1899, he was named head of the Personnel Department in the Ministry for Military Affairs, and in 1901 he was made chief of staff of the Army General Command, which became the Hellenic Army General Staff in 1904, with Sapountzakis its first head. From this position, he supervised the reorganization of the Army under the Georgios Theotokis cabinets.
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