Eleftherios Venizelos is born in Mournies, Chania. His parents, merchant Kyriakos Venizelos and Styliani Ploumidaki came from Therissos.
After the outbreak of the great Cretan Revolution (1866-1869), with the holocaust of Arkadi Monastery as its leading event, Venizelos family flees to free Greece. Initially they live in Kythira and later they settle in Syros for 6 years, where Eleftherios enrolls in the primary school.
Venizelos family returns to Crete. Eleftherios continues his schooling in Chania and during the following years, he attends Antoniadou Lyceum (in Athens) and Syros High School.
The construction of his paternal house in Chalepa, an up-and-coming suburb of Chania, home to the consulates of Greece and the Great Powers, command center of international troops, location of international clubs, inhabited by wealthy residents of Chania, is completed.
Venizelos attends the Law School of the University of Athens, in spite of his father’s initial objections, who intended him to be his successor in commerce.
After the death of Kyriakos Venizelos, Eleftherios is actively involved in the family business, but he does not abandon his studies.
At the revolutionary gathering of Christians in Boutsounaria, 20-year-old Venizelos draws up a declaration requesting the implementation of the provisions of the Pact of Chalepa.
In Athens, as a member of a committee of Cretan students, he meets the eminent British politician Joseph Chamberlain, to whom he presents the Cretan issue.
Venizelos participates in the editorial board of the “Lefka Ori” newspaper. His articles under the pseudonym “Lefkoreitis” cause a sensation in the Cretan public opinion.
Venizelos is elected as a member of the Cretan Assembly with the liberal party (also called barefoot party). An unsuccessful rebellion led by the rival conservative party (karavanades, military) causes the revocation of privileges granted to the Christians by the Pact of Chalepa (1878). Venizelos with three liberal politicians escapes to Athens, where they meet Prime Minister Charilaos Trikoupis.
Venizelos returns to Chania after a grant of amnesty by the Ottoman administration.
Venizelos marries his beloved Maria, daughter of Sophocles Katelouzos.
Their second son, Sophocles, is born. Maria dies of a postpartum infection following the childbirth. Venizelos, heartbroken, wears black clothes and acquires his characteristic beard according to Cretan customs.
Venizelos participates in the Revolutionary Assembly of the Cretans (Post-political Revolution).
A revolution follows the burning of the island’s cities and massacres of Christians. Venizelos participates in the administrative committee of the revolutionary camp in Akrotiri. With the encouragement of the Greek government, the Union is declared and the revolution spreads throughout the entire island. The fleet of the Great Powers bombards the rebels (February 9), and the administrative committee protests to the admirals by a memorandum drawn up by Venizelos. Venizelos is elected president of the revolutionary assembly in Archanes of Heraklion where he is attacked by assassins.
Venizelos participates in the five-member Executive Committee. In Heraklion, Christian residents of the city and English soldiers are massacred by the Turks (August 25); cruel reprisals by the English follow. After an ultimatum by the Great Powers, the Ottoman army leaves Crete. The period of the autonomous Cretan State begins; Prince George, second son of King George of Greece, is appointed High Commissioner of the Great Powers and arrives in Souda (December 9).
Venizelos is elected as proxy in the Constituent Assembly and plays a leading role in the preparation of the Cretan Constitution. He is appointed councilor (minister) for Justice in the prince’s government and generates important achievements.
A conflict ensued with Prince George due to the high commissioner’s unsuccessful handling of the Cretan issue and his authoritarian rule. George dismissed Venizelos from minister and Venizelos published the newspaper “Kyrix” to defend himself from the attacks of the prince’s followers.
Venizelos is sentenced to a few days in prison for insulting and he serves his sentence in Izzeddin Fortress, following a lawsuit by the Metropolitan Bishop of Crete, Eumenios, who had sided with the prince.
Venizelos leads the revolutionary movement of Therissos (March 10, Venizelos-Foumis-Manos triad) against the Prince which provokes intense reactions by the Great Powers. The commission uses Russian forces against the rebels. During the following year George is forced to leave Crete and he is replaced by Alexandros Zaimis.
The international occupation troops leave Crete (July 13). A movement breaks out in Athens (Goudi) organized by the Military League, which invites Venizelos to Athens.
In Crete, Venizelos is elected president of the Assembly and he takes over as Prime Minister of the Cretan State. Later on, he is elected as the first Member of Parliament from the region of Attikoviotia. In October he is sworn in as Prime Minister of Greece. The old parties do not participate in the new elections, and the liberals triumph, led by Venizelos, (November 28).
Venizelos’ government proceeds with major reforms as well as with the economic and military reorganization of the country. A new Constitution is passed, the Rule of Law is established and a large scale legislative project develops.
Venizelos is re-elected as Prime Minister. The First Balkan War breaks out (October 5, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro against the Ottoman Empire). Important victories of the Greek army occur, Thessaloniki is liberated, and the Greek fleet defeats the Turkish fleet in the naval battle of Elli.
Liberation of Ioannina (February 21). Assassination of King George in Thessaloniki (March 5). The London Peace Treaty is signed (May 17).
Bulgaria is defeated in the Second Balkan War (June 13, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro against Bulgaria). Venizelos signs the Treaty of Bucharest (July 28). The Greek State doubles its territory and its population. Crete is united with Greece (December 1).
Venizelos disagrees with King Constantine about Greece’s participation in World War I, which had began the previous year: he foresees the victory of the Entente powers (England, France, Russia, Italy), whereas the king supports a pro-German neutrality. Venizelos is forced to resign, elections are announced in which the liberals prevail and he forms a government again. A new serious conflict with the king ensues, regarding Greece’s obligations towards Serbia, and a second resignation by Venizelos occurs. Following his invitation, English and French forces land in Thessaloniki. New elections take place with abstinence from Venizelos’ supporters.
The royal government tolerates the expansionist tendencies of the Germans and Bulgarians, to whom Fort Roupel is surrendered. The National Defence Movement breaks out in Thessaloniki and Venizelos settles down in the city (September 26), where a revolutionary government (Government of Thessaloniki) is formed including the territory of Northern Greece, Crete and the Eastern Aegean islands. In Athens, clashes take place between English and French troops and troops loyal to King Constantine plus violent episodes against Venizelos’ supporters by royalists (“November events”). Blockade of Athens by the allies.
Under pressure by the Great Powers, Constantine resigns and his son Alexander takes over. Venizelos returns to Athens, the state is reunified and he takes over as Prime Minister.
Venizelos participates in the Paris Conference after the end of the War (Armistice of Mudros, October 1918), where Greece is on the winning side. His contribution to the Allied victory is internationally recognized. It is decided to disembark Greek army forces in Smyrna.
Venizelos signs the Treaty of Sèvres (July 28); Eastern and Western Thrace, as well as the Smyrna governorship, become part of Greece. Greece of two continents and five seas is created. Two days later, at the Paris train station, an assassination attempt was made against Venizelos by two cashiered royalist officers. The liberals are defeated in the elections, Venizelos is not even elected as Member of Parliament, so he goes to Paris, self-exiled.
Venizelos marries Elena Skylitsi in London in his second marriage and they travel to America together, where they are triumphantly received by the expatriates. When he returns to Paris, he undertakes the translation of Thucydides.
After Venizelos’ defeat in the elections of 1920, his opponents take over; they restore Constantine, who is a “red flag” for the Entente Powers, to the throne (the Entente Powers had warned that in such an event they would abandon Greece) and they continue their campaign in Asia Minor, advancing inland towards Ankara. After a series of tragic mistakes, without a plan and military preparation, with criminal ignorance of the real conditions in the field while Kemal’s forces were reinforced, the disaster was inevitable. About 1,200,000 Greeks were forced to leave their age-old homes in Asia Minor and seek refuge in Greece as refugees.
Venizelos leads the Greek delegation at the Lausanne negotiations. He signs the population exchange treaty between Greece and Turkey (January 17) and the Treaty of Lausanne (July 24), which specifies the new borders with Turkey. He, who had come so close to the realization of the Great Idea, now had the sad task to negotiate its final burial and, finally, he managed to save whatever could be saved.
Venizelos forms a short-lived government, which lasted only 25 days. He is forced to resign after a disagreement with a group of liberal politicians about the state. He returns to Paris and concentrates more seriously on the translation of Thucydides.
Venizelos returns to Chania where he settles down for a few months, personally supervising the renovation of his father’s house in Chalepa.
Venizelos energetically returns to the political scene. He triumphs in the elections and begins a four-year period during which a multidimensional project is carried out. Among others, the Bank of Greece, the Agricultural Bank, the Council of State, and the National Theater are founded, 3,000 schools are built, important infrastructure projects are carried out, the legislation is innovated, and the national economy grows. In foreign policy, Venizelos signs pacts of friendship and cooperation with Italy, Yugoslavia and Turkey.
The last short-lived Venizelos government is formed. The liberals are defeated in the elections again. An assassination attempt is made against Venizelos in Athens (Kifisias Avenue), where a man of his personal security team is fatally injured and his wife Elena is slightly injured. Venizelos and Elena find refuge in Chania.
A military movement of officers loyal to Venizelos breaks out to prevent the restoration of monarchy, but it is suppressed and Venizelos is forced to leave Greece and settle down in Paris once again.
Venizelos dies in Paris at the age of 72. His body is transported to Chania and buried in Akrotiri.