Studies and early career He was the son of the entrepreneur and benefactor
Christakis Zografos, from
Qestorat, (
Lunxhëri) in the
Gjirokastër prefecture. Christakis-Zografos studied law and political science at the
University of Paris and the
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. When he returned to Greece, he was involved in agricultural reforms especially according to the large fields his father possessed in
Thessaly. During this period he supported the concept that the large feudal estates (called cifliks during the
period) of the region should be expropriated and redistributed to those who owned no land. He sold to non-land owners much of his agricultural fields in extremely low prices. Through his father he was of
Albanian descent.
1905–1913 In 1905, he was elected to the
Greek Parliament for the
Karditsa prefecture. In 1909, he served as
Foreign Minister under
Dimitrios Rallis. After the
First Balkan War, he was appointed Governor General of newly liberated from the Greek Army
Epirus region. Christakis-Zografos served as Governor General of Epirus from March 29 (March 16 OS), 1913 until December 31 (December 18 OS) of the same year.
Head of the Provisional Government of Northern Epirus When the Great Powers decided to award Northern Epirus to
Albania, local Greeks formed a provisional government under Christakis-Zografos on February 28, 1914, and declared their autonomy the following day in Gjirokastër. Zografos sent a note to each of the representatives of the Great Powers explaining the eminent situation: Under these conditions and in the absence of a solution that would suffice to safeguard Epirus, a solution would have been otherwise so easy to discover, the Epirote populace is forced to declare to the Powers that it cannot submit to their decision. It will declare its independence and will struggle for its existence, its traditions and its rights. But, before it executes this last decision, Epirus turns for the last time to face its judges and pleads with them to modify their decision by which a whole people is condemned.This people hopes that the Powers will be pleased to make known to it, the sole interested party, their final decision May Christian and civilized Europe, by this decision, escape the heavy responsibility for the horror of a ruthless struggle. After a three months period of armed conflicts, the European Powers intervened and asked for negotiations on a new basis. On May 17 the state of Northern Epirus was internationally recognized by the
Protocol of Corfu, as an autonomous region inside the borders of Albania. However, this state was short lived and on October 27, when
World War I broke out and the Albanian government collapsed, the Greek army re-entered the area with the sanction of the Great Powers.
1914–1920 Christakis-Zografos after the second Greek administration in the area, returned to Greece and was elected at the following elections. He resigned his office at December 1914. A little while later he became executive of the
National Bank of Greece, position he retained until September 1917, with a short-term interval (February 25-August 10, 1915) when he became for second time Minister of Foreign Affairs under the cabinet of
Dimitrios Gounaris. He supported the entrance Greece on the side of the
Triple Entente during World War I, foreseeing that this strategic move could offer to the country several advantages. He retired in 1917 and died three years later from a longtime heart ailment. ==Legacy==