Theodoros Manousis

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Theodoros Manousis (1793–1858) was a Greek historian, judge, archaeologist and benefactor. He was the first professor of history at the University of Athens.

He was born in 1793 in Siatista, then part of the Ottoman Empire. His father, a wealthy merchant, sent him to study at Leipzig University and later at the University of Göttingen in Germany. He worked with Theoklitos Farmakidis and briefly led the Hermes o Logios magazine. He was imprisoned by Austrian authorities for revolutionary activities. In 1828 he continued his studies in Italy in history and archaeology and returned to Greece in 1830.

He served as a judge on the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece and as royal commissioner of the Church of Greece from 1835 to 1843. When the University of Athens was founded, he became a professor of history in 1840 and taught there for about 18 years. He was rector in 1845–1846 and dean of the Philosophical School in 1849–1850.

Manousis died in Athens in 1858, leaving much of his fortune to charities and to the University of Athens. The university later created the Manousios Library in his hometown Siatista, which houses more than 5,000 books.