Pantelis Papaioannou

Pantelis Papaioannou or Grekos was a Greek chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle known by the nom de guerre Kapetan Nikotsaras (Καπετάν Νικοτσάρας).

Early life Papaioannou was born in the 1880s in Kolešino, then Ottoman Empire (now Republic of North Macedonia). He was a Slavophone Patriarchist with strong Greek consciousness. He was the first cousin of fellow Makedonomachos Charalambos Boufidis.

Macedonian Struggle

He initially worked as a secretary of Boris Sarafov until 1903, but after realizing the real purposes of IMRO towards the Greek population, he travelled to Athens where he received military training. He then returned to his homeland joining the Greek Struggle for Macedonia, setting up a small armed group of Greeks from Strumica which initially acted near the Giannitsa Lake against the Bulgarian komitadjis. He cooperated with many chieftains, including Gonos Yiotas and Theocharis Kougas from Gidas.

Pantelis Papaioannou was buried in his home village of Kolešino.

Legacy His death led to a surge in local Greeks of his home region to join the struggle.

The central street of Kilkis is named "Kapetan Nikotsaras" in his honour.

There is also a bust of him in a park in Kilkis.

The Bulgarians consider him a Grecoman renegade.