Nikolas Plastiras, also known as the Black Rider, was a Greek Lieutenant, General, and Politician. His military action in the Balkan wars and in the Greco-Turkish war made him known all over Greece. Many people believe that he was one of the best warriors in Modern Greek history.

He was born in Karditsa in 1883 (back then Karditsa like Macedonia, Thrace and Epirus was still conquered by the Turks). When he was attending primary school in Karditsa he had a terrible fight with a Turkish bully and he was forced to escape in order not to be arrested. He completed primary school in Athens. In 1903 he enlisted in the Army and in 1907 he took part in the Macedonian revolution but suffered catastrophic difficulties. In 1908, he passed the exams at the non-commissioned officer school and became second lieutenant when he finished it. Then in 1912, he took part in the first Balkan war against the Ottomans, and he was distinct in the battles of Elassona, Giannitsa and Lahana and the soldiers gave him the nickname Black Rider. In the Second Balkan war (Greece and Serbia vs Bulgaria) he continued to make victories then against the Bulgarians, and because of his military and leading skills he became Captain.  

During the WWI the Greeks were in trouble, and there was a danger of starting a civil war between Greeks who supported the King and Greeks who supported the Prime Minister. The King wanted Greece to ally with the Central Powers (Germany, the Ottoman Empire etc.) and the Prime Minister wanted to make an alliance with the Entente (England, France etc.). Greece were separated in two parts, Northern Greece that fought against the Central Powers, and Southern Greece who fought against the Entente. Plastiras was with the Prime Minister so he fought against Central Powers and he made great wins. He became a lieutenant colonel in the battle of Skra. In 1917 the king was exiled, and the whole Greece supported the Entente.

After WW1, the Great forces gave Greece a part of Asia Minor and eastern Thrace, which was great, because a major part of the Greek population (except Greeks in Pontus, Constantinople, and Cyprus) were freed! Greece was the ruler of the Aegean Sea, but we made a huge mistake. In 1920 we started a war with the Turks. This war was called the Greco-Turkish war and took place between 1920-1922. Plastiras took part in it and made some victories but the Turks had a genius plan, they let us advance to Ankara with minimal defense on their part, and when the Greek army was exhausted, they attacked. Then the Turks committed two genocides against Greek civilians; the genocide of Pontus, with about 300.000 deaths, and what we Greeks perceive as the Asia Minor Catastrophe, with about 600.000 deaths.

After the Catastrophe in Asia Minor, the Greek population was angry with the king and the politicians who were considered the reason for the catastrophe. So, Plastiras along with other generals, made a coup to put those in charge under trial. When the crowds calmed down, the politicians responsible for the disaster were sentenced to death, and then he talked with Benizelos (the prime minister of Greece during the Balkan wars and WWI) and reinstated democracy. In 1944, after the German occupation, Plastiras became prime minister but only some months after the occupation in Greece had caused a civil war (Communists against Democrats) and he was fired. In 1953 he suddenly died.  He was a great personality and one of the best generals in modern Greek history.