Nicola Matushi
Encyclopedia
Nicola Matushi was an Aromanian lawyer, politician and Regent of Pindus.
Nicola Matushi was born in Samarina in the Pindus
mountains. He was a devoted Aromanian nationalist and from 1923 he was the general secretary of the communist group in Trikala. However in 1926 he was excluded by the party. Then he went to Larissa where he was active in Yannis Sofianopoulou's Rural Party. He practiced law in Larissa
before joining the Roman Legion of his compatriot, Alchiviad Diamandi di Samarina. In 1941 he was appointed prime minister of the Principality of Pindus. In June 1942, after Diamandi's abdication Matushi became Regent of the autonomous state. Then he went to Athens, but he was obliged to run to Romania
like Diamandi the next year when he was substituted by a Hungarian adventurer, Count Gyula Cseszneky, Baron of Milvány.
Matushi was sentenced in Communist Romania for 20 years in prison on a Danube
island.
In 1964 he appeared in Greece where for the suggestion of prime minister Georgios Papandreu
he was declared innocent of war crimes. In 1976 his civil rights were completely restored by a Greek court. Matushi claimed that his intentions during 1941-1942 had been to avoid the Bulgarian occupation of Saloniki. Up to 1981 he lived in Athens where he was an honoured member of the local lawyers' chamber.
Nicola Matushi was born in Samarina in the Pindus
Pindus
The Pindus mountain range is located in northern Greece and southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km long, with a maximum elevation of 2637 m . Because it runs along the border of Thessaly and Epirus, the Pindus range is often called the "spine of Greece"...
mountains. He was a devoted Aromanian nationalist and from 1923 he was the general secretary of the communist group in Trikala. However in 1926 he was excluded by the party. Then he went to Larissa where he was active in Yannis Sofianopoulou's Rural Party. He practiced law in Larissa
Larissa
Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
before joining the Roman Legion of his compatriot, Alchiviad Diamandi di Samarina. In 1941 he was appointed prime minister of the Principality of Pindus. In June 1942, after Diamandi's abdication Matushi became Regent of the autonomous state. Then he went to Athens, but he was obliged to run to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
like Diamandi the next year when he was substituted by a Hungarian adventurer, Count Gyula Cseszneky, Baron of Milvány.
Matushi was sentenced in Communist Romania for 20 years in prison on a Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
island.
In 1964 he appeared in Greece where for the suggestion of prime minister Georgios Papandreu
George Papandreou (senior)
Georgios Papandreou was a Greek politician, the founder of the Papandreou political dynasty. He served three terms as Prime Minister of Greece...
he was declared innocent of war crimes. In 1976 his civil rights were completely restored by a Greek court. Matushi claimed that his intentions during 1941-1942 had been to avoid the Bulgarian occupation of Saloniki. Up to 1981 he lived in Athens where he was an honoured member of the local lawyers' chamber.