Evangelos Zappas

Evangelos Zappas
An 1860 portrait of Zappas
Native name	Ευάγγελος Ζάππας
Nickname(s)	Evangelis (Ευαγγέλης)
Born	(1800-08-23)23 August 1800 Labovo, Pashalik of Yanina, Ottoman Empire[1] in present-day Albania
Died	19 June 1865(1865-06-19) (aged 64) Broșteni, United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia in present-day Romania
Buried	Romania (initially) Labovo (body) Zappeion (skull)
Allegiance	First Hellenic Republic
Service / branch	Hellenic Army
Known for	Namesake and benefactor of the Zappeion One of the founders of the Modern Olympic Games
Battles / wars	Greek War of Independence First Siege of Missolonghi Battle of Peta
Relations	Konstantinos Zappas (cousin)
Other work	Member of the Filiki Etaireia Financier of the Romanian Academy

Evangelos or Evangelis Zappas (23 August 1800 – 19 June 1865; Greek: Ευάγγελος or Ευαγγέλης Ζάππας; Romanian: Evanghelie Zappa) was a Greek patriot, philanthropist and businessman who spent most of his life in Romania.^[2][3] He is recognized today as one of the founders of the modern Olympic Games, which were held in 1859, 1870, 1875, and 1888 and preceded the Olympic Games that came under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee.^[1][4] These Games, known at the time simply as Olympics (Greek: Ολύμπια), came before the founding of the International Olympic Committee itself. The legacy of Zappas, as well as the legacy of his cousin Konstantinos, was also used to fund the Olympic Games of 1896.^[5]

During his youth, Zappas joined the Greek War of Independence (1821–1832), achieving the rank of Major and fighting in several significant battles. Following Greek independence, he moved to Wallachia where he had a successful career as a businessman, becoming one of the richest men of that time in Eastern Europe. Aside from being the only major sponsor of the Olympic revival at that time, Zappas's philanthropy also included contributions toward the foundation of several Greek institutions and schools as well as sports and exhibition facilities.