Alexandros Mazarakis-Ainian

Balkan Wars and World War I After returning from Macedonia, he came first in a contest for further studies in the École Supérieure de Guerre in France. In the Balkan Wars he served as a staff officer in the 7th Infantry Division. In 1914, he was promoted to major and became chief of staff of the 5th Infantry Division at Drama. In September 1916, he joined the Venizelist Movement of National Defence in Thessaloniki. Promoted to lieutenant colonel and full colonel, he served in various General Staff departments during World War I. He then accompanied Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos as a military expert to the Paris Peace Conference, and prepared ethnological and military studies to support the Greek claims. and in September 1928 he was elected a member of the Academy of Athens for his historical studies. He was appointed as Inspector General of Military Schools in March 1929 and soon after again as Chief of the Army General Staff, occupying the post until June 1931. In 1935, following the outbreak of a pro-Venizelist coup attempt, he was suspended from active service, and finally retired in 1937 due to the age limit. In the same year, he served as president of the Academy of Athens.

Later life Following the suicide of Prime Minister Alexandros Koryzis on 18 April 1941, amidst the German invasion of Greece, King George II of Greece gave Mazarakis the mandate to form a new government. The latter refused to formally accept before being briefed on the military situation in Epirus, and on the 20th returned the mandate to the King, both due to the rapid German advance, as well as due to his refusal to form a government with the widely loathed security minister of the Metaxas Regime, Konstantinos Maniadakis.

Mazarakis died in Athens in 1943. He was married but childless.