The monarchy of Greece ( el, Μοναρχία της Ελλάδας, Monarchía tis Elládas) or Greek monarchy ( el, Ελληνική Μοναρχία, Ellinikí Monarchía) was the government in which a hereditary monarch was the sovereign of the

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label=Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, wher ...

from 1832 to 1924 and 1935 to 1973.

History

The monarchy of Greece was created by the London Conference of 1832 at which the

First Hellenic Republic The First Hellenic Republic ( grc-gre, Αʹ Ελληνική Δημοκρατία) was the provisional Greek state during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire. From 1822 until 1827, it was known as the Provisional Administra ...

was abolished. The Greek crown was originally offered to

Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Prince Leopold Franz Julius of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Vienna, 31 January 1824 – Vienna, 20 May 1884) was a German prince of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry. Born ''Prince Leopold Franz Julius of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duke in Sax ...

but he declined, later being elected the

king of the Belgians Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary, and popular monarchy. The monarch is titled king or queen of the Belgians ( nl, Koning(in) der Belgen, french: Roi / Reine des Belges}, german: König(in) der Belgier) and serves as the country's h ...

. In 1832, Prince Otto of Bavaria of the

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate o ...

was styled "His Majesty Otto I, King of Greece", over which he reigned for 30 years until he was deposed in 1862. After Otto's deposition as king, the crown was offered to, amongst others, the novelist and former British colonial secretary

Edward Bulwer-Lytton Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, PC (25 May 180318 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secret ...

. A head of state referendum was held in 1862 to name a new king. Most of the Greek people wanted Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, to be the new king. He won the referendum by 230,016 against the

Duke of Leuchtenberg Duke of Leuchtenberg was a title created twice by the monarchs of Bavaria for their relatives. The first creation was awarded by Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria to his son Maximilian Philipp Hieronymus, upon whose death without children the land ...

. Alfred declined to be king, and so did every candidate until Prince Vilhelm of Denmark of the

House of Glücksburg The House of Glücksburg (also spelled ''Glücksborg'' or ''Lyksborg''), shortened from House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, is a collateral branch of the Germans, German House of Oldenburg, members of which have reigned at vari ...

, who had received six votes. Vilhelm was elected unanimously by the Greek Assembly, and became "His Majesty George I, King of the

Hellenes The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, other ...

". There was a referendum in 1920 to restore

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterrane ...

as monarch, but four years later the

Second Hellenic Republic The Second Hellenic Republic is a modern historiographical term used to refer to the Greek state during a period of republican governance between 1924 and 1935. To its contemporaries it was known officially as the Hellenic Republic ( el, Ἑλλ� ...

was established and the monarchy was abolished following a referendum in 1924. Then in 1935 the monarchy was restored after a referendum and maintained after a referendum in 1946. In July 1973 the

Greek military junta The Greek junta or Regime of the Colonels, . Also known within Greece as just the Junta ( el, η Χούντα, i Choúnta, links=no, ), the Dictatorship ( el, η Δικτατορία, i Diktatoría, links=no, ) or the Seven Years ( el, η Ε ...

called a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption o ...

, which abolished the monarchy for the second time in Greek history. Then in 1974, the democratically elected prime minister,

Konstantinos Karamanlis Konstantinos G. Karamanlis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Γ. Καραμανλής, ; 8 March 1907 – 23 April 1998), commonly anglicised to Constantine Karamanlis or just Caramanlis, was a four-time prime minister and twice as the president o ...

, called a

which legitimately confirmed the abolition.

Residences

Tatoi was the private residence and 10,000-acre estate outside of Athens originally bought by King George I in the 1870s. The property was seized by the Republic following the 1974 referendum and has long been a contentious issue between the former royal family and the Greek state. The Old Royal Palace ( el, Παλαιά Ανάκτορα, Palaiá Anáktora) is the first royal palace of modern Greece, completed in 1843. It has housed the Hellenic Parliament since 1934. The Old Palace is situated at the heart of modern Athens, facing onto Syntagma Square.

Kings of Greece

Royal consorts

Regents of Greece

Insignia

File:Royal Monogram of King Otto of Greece.svg, Monogram of Otto I File:Royal Monogram of King George I of Greece.svg, Monogram of George I File:Royal Monogram of King Constantine I of Greece.svg, Monogram of Constantine I File:Royal Monogram of King Alexander of Greece.svg, Monogram of Alexander I File:Royal Monogram of King George II of Greece.svg, Monogram of George II File:Royal Monogram of King Paul of Greece.svg, Monogram of Paul I File:Royal Monogram of King Constantine II of Greece.svg, Monogram of Constantine II

References

External links

{{Europe topic, prefix=Monarchy of * Political history of Greece 1832 establishments in Greece 1973 disestablishments in Greece