Andreas Miaoulis

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Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, commonly known as Miaoulis (1765–1835), was a Greek trader, naval leader, and later politician who commanded Greek ships in the War of Independence (1821–1829).

He was born on the island of Hydra in 1765 into an Arvanite family with origins from Fylla, Euboea. Before the war, he made his fortune as a corn trader and merchant captain.

In 1822 he was named navarch, the admiral of the rebel fleet. He helped organize Greek naval forces and led important actions against the Ottoman fleet. From 1825 to 1826 he won several battles off Modon, Cape Matapan, Suda, and Cape Papas. In 1824 his forces fought to slow the Egyptian fleet, though the cost was high in ships and men. He also contributed to the defense of Missolonghi, which was besieged several times.

Miaoulis remained the Greek naval chief until 1827, when the British officer Thomas Cochrane joined the Greek forces and took command. After independence, Miaoulis became involved in Greece’s internal politics and opposed the government of Kapodistrias. In 1831 he seized some of the fleet at Poros, an action tied to the tense political situation with the Russians.

King Otto invited him to help govern, and Otto promoted him to rear-admiral and then vice-admiral. Otto awarded him the Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer.

Miaoulis died in Athens on 24 June 1835 and was buried in Piraeus near Themistocles’ tomb. His heart is kept in an urn at the Ministry of the Navy. In 1879 the Hellenic Navy named a cruiser Navarchos Miaoulis in his honor. His son Athanasios later served as Prime Minister of Greece (1857–1862). Hydra still remembers him with the Miaoulute festival held near June 21 each year.

He remains a key figure in Greece’s struggle for independence and its early naval history.