He was born on 15 October 1873 (O.S.) in Athens. After studies at the Hellenic Army Academy, he was commissioned as an Artillery 2nd Lieutenant on 30 July 1895 (O.S.). He fought in the Greco-Turkish War (1897) as a section leader in the IV Mountain Artillery Battery. In the Balkan Wars of 1912–13 he commanded a field battery in the 2nd Infantry Division.