Antonios Kriezis

Prime Minister of Greece

1796 Troezen, Greece

1 April 1865 Athens, Greece

12 December 1849 – 16 May 1854

Antonios Kriezis (Greek: Αντώνιος Κριεζής , 1796–1865) was a captain of the Hellenic navy during the Greek War of Independence and a Prime Minister of Greece from 1849 to 1854. Kriezis was born in Troezen in 1796. The Kriezis family were Arvanite. Their first known ancestor was a prisoner in Venetian Crete who became involved in shipbuilding in Venetian navies and settled in Hydra in 1650. In July 1821, he took part in the Greek expedition to Samos, and in 1822 participated in the naval battle of Spetses. In 1825, he and Konstantinos Kanaris failed in their attempt to destroy the Egyptian navy inside the port of Alexandria. In 1828, John Capodistria placed him in command of a naval squadron. The following year, he captured Vonitsa from the Ottomans. In 1836, under King Otto , he became Minister of Naval Affairs. He served as Prime Minister of Greece from December 24, 1849, until May 28, 1854. He was succeeded by Konstantinos Kanaris. He died in Athens in 1865. His older son, Dimitrios Kriezis, became a naval officer and served as the aide-de-camp to King George I of Greece and as Minister for Naval Affairs, while his younger son, Epameinondas Kriezis, also became a naval officer and politician. Honours Two ships of the Hellenic Navy have been named Kriezis in his honour.