The Greek national hero Paulos Melas was born in 1870, and completed his university in 1891 at the University of Athens graduating to the military position of sub lieutenant of Artillery. He is among many national heroes that fought bloody battles against the Bulgarian forces in Macedonia.  The battles occurred a result of the Neo-Turks allowing  the Bulgarians to change the ethnic "Greek" character of Macedonia through persecutions.  

The Greeks in Macedonia rose up in arms to protect themselves from an impending genocide.  With the support of  the Greeks in liberated Greece, the Greek Macedonians hoped to save themselves from genocide and liberate Macedonia joining it with mother Greece.

Paulos Melas was one of the first Greek officers to enter in the fight for the defense of Macedonia.  He was a true patriot and burned with love for his homeland, he ran as did many Greeks to defend their people from impending catastrophe, and died for his beliefs.

As he fought against the combined Turkish and Bulgarian forces in Macedonia, he became a legend to the local populations and all of Greece. The local populations had become so filled with hope as a result of their new hero that they awaited liberation from the oppressors.  The Turkish and Bulgarian forces on the other hand developed such a great fear of him that they decided that they would do all that they could to catch him and put him to death.

On October 13th 1904 in the village of Siatista the enemy got its wish, combined Bulgarian and Turkish forces surrounded him and his soldiers.  However, the combined forces were unable to catch the heroic Greek or his soldiers, even though they were heavily outnumbered they managed to break the line of the enemy and withdraw from their positions.  Paulos Melas was unfortunately wounded heavily in this battle and in less then half an hour passed away.

All of enslaved Macedonia and liberated Greece mourned the death of  their national hero.  Out of his death was born the desire throughout Greece that at all costs Macedonia must be liberated and united with Greece.  Within ten years Paulos Melas's dream came to a reality and Macedonia was finally unified with its mother Greece nearly one hundred years after Greece's liberation from Turkish occupation.

 

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The Balkan Wars · During these wars that occurred in the early 20th century Greece managed to double its' territory and population.