He distinguished himself with his participation in the Macedonian Struggle under the nom de guerre Kapetan Rouvas (Καπετάν Ρούβας) in 1904–1905.

Under the pseudonym of "Kapetan Rouvas", he led an armed band in the regions of Grevena, Kastoria and Monastir.

From there he participated in the Venizelist National Defence uprising in August 1916, that led to the establishment of a parallel, pro-Entente government in northern Greece under Eleftherios Venizelos.

[2] Following the end of the First World War, in 1919 he was sent to Constantinople as head of the Greek military delegation there, a post he held until he was dismissed from the army, with the rank of major general, following the electoral victory of the anti-Venizelist royalist parties in November 1920.

[2] He served as Minister for Military Affairs in the short-lived Themistoklis Sofoulis cabinet (25 July – 7 October 1924).