Kingdom of Greece
Greece, 1832–1973. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Kingdom of Greece was the Greek state established in 1832 by the Treaty of Constantinople, which formally recognised Greece as an independent state and established it as a monarchy, following the Greek War of Independence. The country remained a kingdom until 1924, when the Second Hellenic Republic was proclaimed. The monarchy was restored in 1935, after a referendum, and continued until its final abolition by the Regime of the Colonels in 1973. For much of its existence, the Kingdom's main ideological goal was the Megali Idea, which sought to annex lands with predominantly Greek populations.
Seat of power: Athens
Rulers
Otto of Greece
King of the Hellenes, 1832–1862
Upon reaching his majority, Otto removed the regents when they proved unpopular with the people, and he ruled as an absolute monarch. Eventually, his subjects' demands for a constitution proved overwhelming, and in the face of an armed (but bloodless) insurrection, Otto granted a constitution in 1843.
Portrait of Otto of Greece: Friedrich Dürck, Public domain, file
George I of Greece
King of the Hellenes, 1863–1913
George's reign of almost 50 years (the longest in modern Greek history) was characterized by territorial gains as Greece established its place in pre-World War I Europe. Britain ceded the Ionian Islands peacefully in 1864, while Thessaly was annexed from the Ottoman Empire after the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878).
Portrait of George I of Greece: Unknown photographer, Public domain, file
Constantine I of Greece
King of the Hellenes, 1913–1917
Later and under the leadership of Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, he led successfully the Greek forces in the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece expanded, doubling in area and population. Constantine unconstitutionally dismissed his Prime Minister, causing the National Schism.
Portrait of Constantine I of Greece: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Alexander of Greece
King of the Hellenes, 1917–1920
Having no real political experience, the new king was stripped of his powers by the Venizelists and effectively imprisoned in his own palace. Venizelos, as prime minister, was the effective ruler with the support of the Entente.
Portrait of Alexander of Greece: Charles Chusseau-Flaviens, Public domain, file
Constantine I of Greece
King of the Hellenes, 1920–1922
Constantine was restored to the throne in 1920 after Alexander's death, but was forced to abdicate two years later in the aftermath of the Greco-Turkish War.
Portrait of Constantine I of Greece: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
George II of Greece
King of the Hellenes, 1922–1924
George acceded to the Greek throne, but after a failed royalist coup in October 1923 he was exiled to Romania. Greece was proclaimed a republic in March 1924 and George was formally deposed and stripped of Greek nationality.
Portrait of George II of Greece: United States Office of War Information, Overseas Picture Division, Washington Division., Public domain, file
George II of Greece
King of the Hellenes, 1935–1947
He remained in exile until the Greek monarchy was restored in 1935, following a rigged referendum, upon which he resumed his royal duties. The king supported Ioannis Metaxas's 1936 self-coup, which established an authoritarian, nationalist and anti-communist dictatorship known as 4th of August Regime. Greece was overrun following a German invasion in April 1941, forcing George into his third exile.
Portrait of George II of Greece: United States Office of War Information, Overseas Picture Division, Washington Division., Public domain, file
Paul of Greece
King of the Hellenes, 1947–1964
Paul succeeded to the throne on 1 April 1947 upon the death of his childless elder brother, George II, during the Greek Civil War.
Portrait of Paul of Greece: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Constantine II of Greece
King of the Hellenes, 1964–1973
Constantine acceded as king following his father's death in 1964. Although the accession of the young monarch was initially regarded auspiciously, his reign saw political instability that culminated in the Colonels' Coup of 21 April 1967. On 13 December 1967, Constantine was forced to flee the country, following an unsuccessful countercoup against the junta.
Portrait of Constantine II of Greece: T.M._Constantine_&_Anne-Marie_of_Greece_Allan_Warren.jpg: Allan warren derivative work: Daffy123 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Culture
- King Otto ruled as an absolute monarch from 1835 until the 3 September 1843 Revolution, which transformed Greece into a constitutional monarchy, with the creation of the Prime Minister as head of government, universal male suffrage and a constitution.
- The Greek National Assembly's election of George I in 1863 brought the transfer of the Ionian Islands from British rule in 1864.
- The Goudi coup in 1909 brought Eleftherios Venizelos to power and brought sweeping reforms, culminating in the Hellenic Army's victory in the Balkan Wars.
- A failed counter-coup by King Constantine II on 13 December 1967 forced him into exile, and the Monarchy was dissolved in 1973, a decision that was reaffirmed by a democratic referendum in 1974.
Picture
The Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble, hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896.
Image: Mister No, CC BY 3.0, file
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Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.