This is a timeline of modern Greek history.
Greek War of Independence (1821–1828)
*1821, 21 February: Revolt of
Greek War of Independence from the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
declared by
Alexandros Ypsilantis in Wallachia (Iaşi).
*1821, 25 March: According to tradition, Metropolitan
Germanos of Patras blesses a big Greek flag at the Monastery of Agia Lavra in Peloponnesia and proclaims to people assembled the beginning of a Greek Revolution.
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
declares its independence. Beginning of the
Greek War of Independence.
*1821, 10 April,
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
Monday:
Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople
Gregory V ( el, , born , ''Georgios Angelopoulos''; 1746) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1797 to 1798, from 1806 to 1808, and from 1818 to 1821. He was responsible for much restoration work to the Patriarchal Cathedral of St ...
Alyssa central outside portal of the Patriarchate by the Turks. The door has remained shut and out of use ever since
*1821, 17 April: Former Ecumenical Patriarch Cyril VI is hanged in the gate of the
Adrianople's cathedral
*1821, 4 April: Constantine
Mourousis, Dimitrios Paparigopoulos and Antonios Tsouras are decapitated by the Ottomans in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
*1821, 5 April: The
Phanariotes
Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots ( el, Φαναριώτες, ro, Fanarioți, tr, Fenerliler) were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumeni ...
Petros Tsigris, Dimitrios Skanavis and Manuel Hotzeris are decapitated by the Turks, while Georgios
Mavrocordatos
The House of Mavrocordatos (also Mavrocordato, Mavrokordatos, Mavrocordat, Mavrogordato or Maurogordato; el, Μαυροκορδάτος) is the name of a family of Phanariot Greeks originally from Chios, a branch of which was distinguished in the ...
is hanged by the Sultan forces in Constantinople
*1821, 23–24 April:
Battle of Alamana. After the Greek defeat,
Athanasios Diakos
Athanasios Nikolaos Massavetas ( el, Αθανάσιος Νικόλαος Μασσαβέτας; 1788 – 24 April 1821) also known as Athanasios Diakos ( el, Αθανάσιος Διάκος) was a Greek military commander during the Greek War of ...
is impaled on a spit.
*1821, 4 May: Metropolitans Gregorios of Derkon, Dorotheos of Adrianople, Ioannikios of
Tyrnavos
Tyrnavos ( el, Τύρναβος) is a municipality in the Larissa regional unit, of the Thessaly region of Greece. It is the second-largest town of the Larissa regional unit, after Larissa. The town is near the mountains and the Thessalian Plain ...
, Joseph of
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
, and the
Phanariote
Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots ( el, Φαναριώτες, ro, Fanarioți, tr, Fenerliler) were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumenic ...
Georgios
Callimachi and Nikolaos
Mourousis are decapitated on Sultan's orders in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
*1821, May: The Turkish governor Yusuf Bey orders his men to kill every Greek in
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
that they find. The killings last for days, with the metropolitan and major notables among the victims
*1821, 2 June: Destruction of
Kydonies in
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
by the Ottoman army. Tens of thousands of Greek inhabitants become refugees
*1821, 24 June: The massacre of
Heraklion
Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...
or 'the great ravage' occurs against the Greek community in
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
. Among the victims are the metropolitan of Crete and bishops
*1821, 9 July: The chief of the
Cypriot Orthodox Church
The Church of Cyprus ( el, Ἐκκλησία τῆς Κύπρου, translit=Ekklisia tis Kyprou; tr, Kıbrıs Kilisesi) is one of the autocephalous Greek Orthodox churches that together with other Eastern Orthodox churches form the communion ...
Archbishop
Kyprianos
Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus ( el, Αρχιεπίσκοπος Κύπρου Κυπριανός) was the head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church in the early 19th century at the time that the Greek War of Independence broke out.
Kyprianos was born i ...
, along with 486 prominent Greek Cypriots, amongst them the Metropolitans Chrysanthos of
Paphos
Paphos ( el, Πάφος ; tr, Baf) is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos.
The current city of Pap ...
, Meletios of
Kition
Kition ( Egyptian: ; Phoenician: , , or , ; Ancient Greek: , ; Latin: ) was a city-kingdom on the southern coast of Cyprus (in present-day Larnaca). According to the text on the plaque closest to the excavation pit of the Kathari site (as of ...
and Lavrentios of
Kyrenia
Kyrenia ( el, Κερύνεια ; tr, Girne ) is a city on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbour and castle. It is under the ''de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus.
While there is evidence showing that the wider region ...
, are executed by beheading or hanging by the Turks in
Nicosia
*1821, July: Küçük Mehmet carries out several days of massacres of Greek Cypriots in Cyprus since July 9 and continues on for forty days, despite the Vizier's command to end the plundering since 20 July 1821
*1821, 11 September:
Tripolitsa captured by the Greeks, who proceed to eliminate the Turkish garrison, officials and civilians. A total of about 30,000 people perish.
*1821, 15 October: Turkish Cypriot mobs hang most of the Greek Cypriots in
Larnaca
Larnaca ( el, Λάρνακα ; tr, Larnaka) is a city on the south east coast of Cyprus and the capital of the district of the same name. It is the third-largest city in the country, after Nicosia and Limassol, with a metro population of 1 ...
and other towns, among them an archbishop, five bishops, thirty six ecclesiastics
*1822, 9 April: After a month's resistance, the city of
Naousa is captured by Abdul Abud, devastating the city and massacring its Greek population. Ending of the Greek revolution in Macedonia.
*1822: The
Chios massacre
The Chios massacre (in el, Η σφαγή της Χίου, ) was a catastrophe that resulted to the death, enslavement, and refuging of about four-fifths of the total population of Greeks on the island of Chios by Ottoman troops, during the ...
occurs. A total of about 100,000 people perish, mostly Greeks.
*1822, 26 July,
Battle at Dervenakia. A decisive victory of the Greeks which saved the revolution.
*1823, 18 January:
Nafplio
Nafplio ( ell, Ναύπλιο) is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece and it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important touristic destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the ...
becomes the site of the Revolutionary Government.
*1823, March: The
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was a sovereign state in the British Isles that existed between 1801 and 1922, when it included all of Ireland. It was established by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Grea ...
, represented by
George Canning, recognizes the Greeks as a ''nation at war'', thus recognizing ''de facto'' the Greek Independence.
*1824, 7–8 June: The civilization of the island of
Kasos is
completely destroyed by the Turkish-Egyptian forces of
Hussein Rushdi Pasha
Hussein, Pasha Roshdy (1863–1928) ( ar, حسين رشدي باشا) was an Egyptian political figure of Turkish origin
who served as Prime Minister of Egypt between 1914 and 1919.
Biography
Born in family origins of which are in Kavala. His ...
. About 7,000 people perish.
*1824, 21 June: More than 15,000 Greeks of
Psara
Psara ( el, Ψαρά, , ; known in ancient times as /, /) is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Together with the small island of Antipsara (Population 4) it forms the municipality of Psara. It is part of the Chios regional unit, which is part of ...
are slaughtered by the forces of
Koca Hüsrev Mehmed Pasha
Koca Hüsrev Mehmed Pasha (also known as Koca Hüsrev Pasha; sometimes known in Western sources as just Husrev Pasha or Khosrew Pasha;Inalcık, Halil. Trans. by Gibb, H.A.R. ''The Encyclopaedia of Islam'', New Ed., Vol. V, Fascicules 79–80, p ...
.
*1824: The
First Siege of Missolonghi occurs.
*1825, 22 May:
Laskarina Bouboulina
Laskarina Bouboulina ( el, Λασκαρίνα Μπουμπουλίνα; 1771 – 22 May 1825) was a Greek naval commander, heroine of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, and considered the first woman to attain the rank of admiral.
She was b ...
is assassinated in
Spetses
Spetses ( el, Σπέτσες, grc, Πιτυούσσα "Pityussa", Arvanitika: Πετσε̱) is an upscale affluent island in Attica, Greece. It is included as one of the Saronic Islands. Until 1948, it was part of the old prefecture of Argolis ...
.
*1825, 5 June:
Odysseas Androutsos
Odysseas Androutsos ( el, Οδυσσέας Ανδρούτσος; 1788 – 1825; born Odysseas Verousis el, Οδυσσέας Βερούσης) was a Greek military and political commander in eastern mainland Greece and a prominent figure of the ...
is assassinated in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
.
*1825, 22 June: Ibrahim Pasha retakes
Tripoli, kills the Greek population and destroys the city and its walls.
*1825, 6 November: Beginning of the
Third Siege of Missolonghi.
*1826, 10–11 April: The
Sortie of Missolonghi occurs. Approximately 8,000 Greek soldiers and civilians perish.
*1826, 24 June:
Battle of Vergas
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
.
*1826, 11 November: Prime Minister Andreas Zaimis transfers the site of the government to
Aegina
Aegina (; el, Αίγινα, ''Aígina'' ; grc, Αἴγῑνα) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina, the mother of the hero Aeacus, who was born on the island and ...
.
*1827, 22–24 April:
Battle of Phaleron.
Georgios Karaiskakis
Georgios Karaiskakis ( el, Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης), born Georgios Karaiskos ( el, Γεώργιος Καραΐσκος; 1782 – 1827), was a famous Greece, Greek military commander and a leader of the Greek War of Independence.
...
is killed in action.
*1827, July 6: Signing of the
Treaty of London.
*1827, 20 October:
Battle of Navarino.
*1828, 24 January:
John Capodistria
Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (10 or 11 February 1776 – 9 October 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias ( el, Κόμης Ιωάννης Αντώνιος Καποδίστριας, Komis Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias; russian: ...
is elected Governor of Greece.
*1828, 31 January:
Alexander Ypsilantis
Alexandros Ypsilantis ( el, Αλέξανδρος Υψηλάντης, Aléxandros Ypsilántis, ; ro, Alexandru Ipsilanti; russian: Александр Константинович Ипсиланти, Aleksandr Konstantinovich Ipsilanti; 12 Dece ...
dies in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
First Hellenic Republic (1828–1832)
The First Hellenic Republic (Greek: Αʹ Ελληνική Δημοκρατία) is a historiographic term used for a series of councils and "Provisional Governments" during the Greek War of Independence. During the first stages of the rebellion, various areas elected their own regional governing councils. These were replaced by the united administration at the First National Assembly of Epidaurus during early 1822, which also adopted the first Greek Constitution. A series of National Assemblies ensued, while Greece was threatened with collapse due to civil war and the victories of Ibrahim Pasha. In 1827, the Third National Assembly at Troezen selected Count
Ioannis Kapodistrias
Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (10 or 11 February 1776 – 9 October 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias ( el, Κόμης Ιωάννης Αντώνιος Καποδίστριας, Komis Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias; russian: ...
as Governor of Greece for seven years. He arrived in 1828 and established the Hellenic State, commanding with quasi-dictatorial powers. He was assassinated by political rivals in 1831 and was succeeded by his brother,
Augustinos Kapodistrias
Count Augustinos Ioannis Maria Kapodistrias ( el, Αυγουστίνος Ιωάννης Μαρία Καποδίστριας, 1778–1857) was a Greek soldier and politician. He was born in Corfu.Otto
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', '' Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorded f ...
to be its king.
Kingdom of Greece (1832–1924)
Reign of King Otto (1832–1862)
*1843, 3 September:
Military coup and revolution caused by the King's refusal to grant a constitution. King Otto agrees to convene a
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
to prepare a constitution.
*1843, 15 September:
Andreas Metaxas
Andreas Metaxas ( el, Ανδρέας Μεταξάς; 179019 September 1860) was a Greek politician, fighter of the Greek War of Independence and diplomat from Cephalonia. He was prime minister of Greece from 3 September 1843 to 16 February 1844. ...
becomes the first Constitutional Prime Minister of Greece.
*1844, March 18: The
Greek Constitution of 1844
The first constitution of the Kingdom of Greece was the Greek Constitution of 1844. On 3 September 1843, the military garrison of Athens, with the help of citizens, rebelled and demanded from King Otto the concession of a Constitution.
The ...
is voted into effect.
*1850, 4 January:
Pacifico incident. Blockade of the port of Piraeus by the British fleet.
*1854, 14 May: Anglo-French occupation of Piraeus to ensure Greek neutrality during the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...
, although a Greek volunteer battalion participates in the
Siege of Sevastopol.
Cholera epidemic begins in the capital, transmitted by the foreign troops.
*1861: Assassination attempt against
Queen Amalia.
*1862, 10 October:
Military coup
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
. Otto leaves the throne and the country.
Reign of King George I (1863–1913)
*1863:
Prince William of Denmark becomes the new King of the Hellenes, as George I.
*1864, 2 May: Britain donates the
Ionian Islands to Greece, as coronation gift to King George I.
*1864: Assassination attempt against
Alexandros Koumoundouros.
*1864, 7 August: Greece has a
new constitution which establishes a
Constitutional Monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
.
*1864, 28 November: New constitution, unicameral assembly and constitutional monarchy created.
*1866: Beginning of the
Great Cretan Revolution (1866–1869). The exiled King Otto donates most of his fortune for the cause.
*1877, 2 September: Hero of the War of Independence and current Prime Minister
Konstantinos Kanaris
Konstantinos Kanaris ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Κανάρης, ; c. 17901877), also anglicised as Constantine Kanaris or Canaris, was a Greek admiral, Prime Minister, and a hero of the Greek War of Independence.Woodhouse, p. 129.
Biog ...
dies.
*1878, 13 June: Beginning of the
Treaty of Berlin.
Eastern Rumelia
Eastern Rumelia ( bg, Източна Румелия, Iztochna Rumeliya; ota, , Rumeli-i Şarkî; el, Ανατολική Ρωμυλία, Anatoliki Romylia) was an autonomous province (''oblast'' in Bulgarian, '' vilayet'' in Turkish) in the Ott ...
becomes autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire.
*1878, Summer: Cretan rebellion, halted speedily by British intervention.
*1880–1920: Approximately 400,000 Greeks emigrate to America due to widespread unemployment and economic problems.
[C. Moskos. ''"The Greeks in the United States."'' In: R. Clogg (cd.). The Greek Diaspora in the Twentieth Century. St. Martin's Press, New York, 1999. p.105.]
*1881, 3 April:
Earthquake strikes Chios. 3,550 people are reported dead.
*1881:
Thessaly
Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, The ...
becomes part of Greece.
*1882, 3 March: Prime Minister
Alexandros Koumoundouros resigns.
*1885, May: Prime Minister
Theodoros Deligiannis
Theodoros Deligiannis () was a Greek politician, minister and member of the Greek Parliament, who served as Prime Minister of Greece five times from 1885 to 1905.
He led the Nationalist Party, which, alongside the New Party led by his prima ...
mobilizes the Greek Army in accordance with the Bulgarian revolt. Fearing modification of the Treaty of Berlin, the British Royal Navy blockades Greece.
*1885, 6 September: Bloodless revolution in Eastern Rumelia and unification of the province with Bulgaria.
*1893: Completion of the
Corinth Canal
The Corinth Canal ( el, Διώρυγα της Κορίνθου, translit=Dhioryga tis Korinthou) is an artificial canal in Greece, that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the ...
.
*1894, 27 April:
Earthquakes occur in
Atalanti. 255 people are dead.
*1896, 6 April: Opening ceremonies of the
first modern Olympic Games in Athens.
*1897, January: Cretan Rebellion. Greece refuses a Turkish offer of an autonomous administration in Crete and mobilizes for war.
*1897, 25 February: Greece refuses to withdraw the Greek volunteers from Crete. The Great Powers announce a blockade of Greece.
*1897, 17 April: The Ottoman Empire declares war against Greece.
Greco-Turkish War (1897)
The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 or the Ottoman-Greek War of 1897 ( or ), also called the Thirty Days' War and known in Greece as the Black '97 (, ''Mauro '97'') or the Unfortunate War ( el, Ατυχής πόλεμος, Atychis polemos), was a w ...
.
*1897, 27 April: Greece loses the war, agrees to surrender Crete to international administration, to make minor territorial concessions in Thessaly in favor of the Turks and to pay a large indemnity.
*1898: Creation of the
Cretan State
The Cretan State ( el, Κρητική Πολιτεία, Kritiki Politeia; ota, كريد دولتى, Girid Devleti) was established in 1898, following the intervention by the Great Powers (United Kingdom, France, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Germany ...
.
*1904: Beginning of the
Greek Struggle for Macedonia
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
.
*1904, 13 October:
Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas ( el, Παύλος Μελάς, ''Pávlos Melás''; March 29, 1870 – October 13, 1904) was a Greek revolutionary and artillery officer of the Hellenic Army. He participated in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and was amongst the first ...
is killed in
Macedonia.
*1905, 13 June: Assassination of Prime Minister Theodoros Deligiannis.
*1908: Cretan deputies declare unilateral union with Greece.
*1910, January: The
Military League
The Goudi coup ( el, κίνημα στο Γουδί) was a military coup d'état that took place in Greece on the night of , starting at the barracks in Goudi, a neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Athens. The coup was a pivotal event in mod ...
forces Parliament and
King George I to summon a National Assembly to revise the Constitution of Greece.
*1910, March 6: A protest in
by the serfs of
Thessaly
Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, The ...
for agricultural reform is violently suppressed by the Army.
*1910, 2 October:
Eleftherios Venizelos becomes Prime Minister of Greece.
First Balkan War
*1912, 8 October: The members states of the
Balkan League
The League of the Balkans was a quadruple alliance formed by a series of bilateral treaties concluded in 1912 between the Eastern Orthodox kingdoms of Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro, and directed against the Ottoman Empire, which at the ...
, after issuing ultimata, declare war on Turkey. Beginning of the
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...
.
*1912, 22 October: Greek victory at the
Battle of Sarantaporo.
*1912, 1 November: Greek victory at the
Battle of Giannitsa
The Battle of Yenidje, also transliterated as Yenice ( el, Μάχη των Γιαννιτσών, Battle of Giannitsa), was a major battle between Greek forces under Crown Prince Constantine and Ottoman forces under General Hasan Tahsin Pasha ...
.
*1912, 6–12 November: Greek victory at the
Battle of Pente Pigadia
The Battle of Pente Pigadia or Battle of Beshpinar ( el, Μάχη των Πέντε Πηγαδιών; "Battle of the Five Wells", tr, Beşpınar Muharebesi), took place on 24–30 October ( O.S.), 1912. It was a battle fought between Greek forc ...
.
*1912, 9 November: The Greek army enters
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
. Most of southern
Macedonia is occupied by Greece.
*1912, 15 November: A Greek division marching towards
Monastir is thrown back at the
Battle of Vevi.
*1912, 16 December: Greek victory at the
Naval Battle of Elli
The Battle of Elli ( el, Ναυμαχία της Έλλης, tr, İmroz Deniz Muharebesi) or the Battle of the Dardanelles took place near the mouth of the Dardanelles on as part of the First Balkan War between the fleets of the Kingdom of G ...
.
*1913, 18 January: Greek victory at the
Naval Battle of Lemnos
The Second Battle of Lemnos ( el, Ναυμαχία της Λήμνου, tr, Mondros Deniz Muharebesi), fought on , was a naval battle during the First Balkan War, in which the Greeks defeated the second and last attempt of the Ottoman Empire ...
.
*1913, 20–21 February: After overcoming Ottoman defenses in the
Battle of Bizani, the Greek army enters
Ioannina.
Epirus
sq, Epiri rup, Epiru
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = Historical region
, image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinri ...
is liberated.
*1913, 18 March: King George I is assassinated in Thessaloniki.
*1913, 30 May: Signing of the
Treaty of London. End of the First Balkan War.
Second Balkan War
*1913, 16 June: Bulgarian forces attack Greece and Serbia. Beginning of the
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies r ...
.
*1913, 19–21 June: Greek victory at the
Battle of Kilkis-Lahanas
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
.
*1913, 22–23 June: Greek victory at the Battle of Doiran.
*1913, 8–18 July: Greeks and Bulgarians fight to a bloody stalemate at the
Battle of Kresna Gorge
The Battle of Kresna Gorge was fought in 1913 between the Greeks and the Bulgarians during the Second Balkan War. The battle was fought over an eleven day period, between 8–18 July, over a front of 20 km, in a maze of forests and mountai ...
.
*1913, 10 August: Signing of the
Treaty of Bucharest. End of the Second Balkan War. Much of Macedonia is transferred from Bulgaria to Greece.
National Schism
*1914: According to the
Protocol of Corfu
The Protocol of Corfu ( el, Πρωτόκολλο της Κέρκυρας, sq, Protokolli i Korfuzit), signed on May 17, 1914, was an agreement between the representatives of the Albanian Government and the Provisional Government of Northern Epi ...
,
Northern Epirus
sq, Epiri i Veriut rup, Epiru di Nsusu
, type = Part of the wider historic region of Epirus
, image_blank_emblem =
, blank_emblem_type =
, image_map = Epirus across Greece Albania4.svg
, map_caption ...
is granted
autonomy within Albania. Beginning of the
Greek genocide
The Greek genocide (, ''Genoktonia ton Ellinon''), which included the Pontic genocide, was the systematic killing of the Christian Ottoman Greek population of Anatolia which was carried out mainly during World War I and its aftermath (1914 ...
.
*1915, January:
King Constantine I
Constantine I ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Αʹ, ''Konstantínos I''; – 11 January 1923) was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army ...
forces Venizelos to resign. The
National Schism
The National Schism ( el, Εθνικός Διχασμός, Ethnikós Dichasmós), also sometimes called The Great Division, was a series of disagreements between King Constantine I and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos regarding the foreig ...
begins.
*1915, October: French and British forces land in Thessaloniki, establishing the
Salonika front
The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of German ...
.
*1915, December: Constantine I forces Venizelos to resign for a second time and dissolves the Liberal-dominated parliament. Venizelos leaves Athens.
*1916, April: The autonomy of Northern Epirus is revoked by the Albanian government, in violation of the Protocol of Corfu.
*1916, August:
*1916, 30 August: Successful anti-royalist coup by the
Movement of National Defence
The Provisional Government of National Defence (), also known as the State of Thessaloniki (Κράτος της Θεσσαλονίκης), was a parallel administration, set up in the city of Thessaloniki by former Prime Minister Eleftherios Ven ...
. Venizelos returns to the Greek mainland. Henceforth, Greece has two governments: the royalist government in Athens commanded by the King and the "Temporary Government of National Defence" commanded by Venizelos in Thessaloniki.
*1916, 18 November: The "
Noemvriana
The ''Noemvriana'' ( el, Νοεμβριανά, "November Events") of , or the Greek Vespers, was a political dispute which led to an armed confrontation in Athens between the royalist government of Greece and the forces of the Allies over th ...
" (November events). Royalist paramilitary units, named the "League of Reservists", target the Venizelists. Armed clashes between Reservists and French marines in Athens. The Allies institute a naval blockade of Greece. French and British forces land in
Thessaly
Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, The ...
and enter the regional capital of
Larissa.
*1916, 21 November: ''
HMHS Britannic
''Britannic'' () was the third and final vessel of the White Star Line's of steamships and the second White Star ship to bear the name ''Britannic''. She was the youngest sister of the and the and was intended to enter service as a tran ...
'', British merchant ship, sinks by a mine near
Kea
The kea (; ; ''Nestor notabilis'') is a species of large parrot in the family Nestoridae found in the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About long, it is mostly olive-green with a brilliant orange under its wing ...
. 30 people die.
*1917, June: French and British forces occupy Piraeus, bombard Athens and force the Greek fleet to surrender. Constantine I resigns and leaves the country. His second son
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
becomes King Alexander I and Venizelos is restored as Prime Minister in Athens.
*1917, 19 August: The
Great Fire of Thessaloniki
250px, The fire as seen from the quay in 1917.
250px, The fire as seen from the Thermaic Gulf.
The Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 ( el, Μεγάλη Πυρκαγιά της Θεσσαλονίκης, 1917) destroyed two thirds of the city of T ...
destroys most of the city.
World War I
*1917, July: Greece officially declares war on the
Central Powers
The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...
.
*1918, 29–31 May:
Battle of Skra-di-Legen ends in Greek victory.
*1918, 2–5 August:
1918 Toronto anti-Greek riot
The 1918 Toronto anti-Greek riot was a three-day race riot in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, targeting Greek immigrants during August 2–4, 1918. (Some sources indicate the date range August 1–5, to include the event that triggered the violence an ...
*1918, 30 October: Signing of the
Armistice of Mudros
Concluded on 30 October 1918 and taking effect at noon the next day, the Armistice of Mudros ( tr, Mondros Mütarekesi) ended hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies of World War I. It was signed by th ...
, which ended World War I in the Near East.
Greco-Turkish War
*1918–1923 Allied
Occupation of Constantinople
The occupation of Istanbul ( tr, İstanbul'un İşgali; 12 November 1918 – 4 October 1923), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, by British, French, Italian, and Greek forces, took place in accordance with the Armistice of Mudros, which ended Ot ...
.
*1919, 15 May: The Greek army lands in Smyrna (now called
İzmir
İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...
). Beginning of the
Greco-Turkish War.
*1919, 27 June-4 July:
Battle of Aydın.
*1919, 27 November: Signing of the
Treaty of Neuilly
The Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine (french: Traité de Neuilly-sur-Seine) required Bulgaria to cede various territories, after Bulgaria had been one of the Central Powers defeated in World War I. The treaty was signed on 27 November 1919 at Neuilly ...
. Greece acquires
Western Thrace
Western Thrace or West Thrace ( el, υτικήΘράκη, '' ytikíThráki'' ; tr, Batı Trakya; bg, Западна/Беломорска Тракия, ''Zapadna/Belomorska Trakiya''), also known as Greek Thrace, is a geographic and histori ...
.
*1920, 10 August: Signing of the
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres (french: Traité de Sèvres) was a 1920 treaty signed between the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire. The treaty ceded large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, Greece and Italy, as well ...
. Greece acquires
Eastern Thrace
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
*Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
*Eastern Air Li ...
and is assigned administration of the area of Izmir for 5 years.
*1920, 12 August: First assassination attempt against Venizelos in the
Gare de Lyon
The Gare de Lyon, officially Paris-Gare-de-Lyon, is one of the six large mainline railway stations in Paris, France. It handles about 148.1 million passengers annually according to the estimates of the SNCF in 2018, with SNCF railways and RER ...
railway station in Paris.
*1920, 13 August: Assassination of prominent royalist
Ion Dragoumis
Ion Dragoumis (; 14 September 1878 – 31 July 1920) was a Greek diplomat, philosopher, writer and revolutionary.
Biography
Born in Athens, Dragoumis was the son of Stephanos Dragoumis who was foreign minister under Charilaos Trikoupis. The ...
in Athens.
*1920, November: Despite his achievements, Venizelos is defeated in the 1920 General Elections.
*1920, 25 October: King Alexander I dies suddenly of infection caused by the bite of a monkey of the Royal Gardens.
*1920, 17 November: After the death of her grandson,
Queen Olga becomes regent of Greece, until the return of her son.
*1920, 19 December: Constantine I returns as King, following a
plebiscite
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 of ...
.
*1921, 9–12 January:
First Battle of İnönü
The First Battle of İnönü ( tr, Birinci İnönü Muharebesi) took place between 6 and 11 January 1921 near İnönü in Hüdavendigâr Vilayet (present-day Eskişehir Province, Turkey) during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22), also known as ...
.
*1921, 26–31 March:
Second Battle of İnönü
The Second Battle of İnönü ( tr, İkinci İnönü Muharebesi) was a battle fought between March 23 and April 1, 1921 near İnönü in present-day Eskişehir Province, Turkey during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22), also known as the weste ...
.
*1921: Assassination attempt against
George Papandreou
George Andreas Papandreou ( el, Γεώργιος Ανδρέας Παπανδρέου, , shortened to ''Giorgos'' () to distinguish him from his grandfather; born 16 June 1952) is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece from ...
.
*1921, 26 August-13 September:
Battle of Sakarya
The Battle of the Sakarya ( tr, Sakarya Meydan Muharebesi, lit=Sakarya Field Battle), also known as the Battle of the Sangarios ( el, Μάχη του Σαγγαρίου, Máchi tou Sangaríou), was an important engagement in the Greco-Turkish W ...
.
*1922, 26–30 August:
Battle of Dumlupınar
The Battle of Dumlupınar ( el, Μάχη του Τουμλού Μπουνάρ, translit=Máchi tou Toumloú Bounár, tr, Dumlupınar (Meydan) Muharebesi, lit=Dumlupınar (Field) Battle), or known as Field Battle of the Commander-in-Chief ( t ...
.
*1922, 9 September: The Turkish army enters Izmir. Metropolitan
Chrysostomos of Smyrna
Chrysostomos Kalafatis ( el, Χρυσόστομος Καλαφάτης; 8 January 1867 – 10 September 1922) known as Saint Chrysostomos of Smyrna, Chrysostomos of Smyrna and Metropolitan Chrysostom, was the Greek Orthodox metropolitan bishop o ...
, is lynched by the angry people.
*1922, 13 September:
Izmir is set on fire. Approximately 100,000 Greeks perish.
*1922, September: The Greek Army, Navy and people revolt. The government is deposed and the King forced to resign. Venizelos returns in Greece.
*1922, 27 September:
George II George II or 2 may refer to:
People
* George II of Antioch (seventh century AD)
* George II of Armenia (late ninth century)
* George II of Abkhazia (916–960)
* Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051)
* George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...
becomes King of Greece.
*1922, 28 November: According to the verdict of the
Trial of the Six
The Trial of the Six ( el, Δίκη των Έξι, ''Díki ton Éxi'') or the Execution of the Six was the trial for treason, in late 1922, of the Anti-Venizelist officials held responsible for the Greek military defeat in Asia Minor. The tria ...
, the former Prime Minister
Dimitrios Gounaris
Dimitrios Gounaris (; 5 January 1867 – 28 November 1922) was a Greek politician who served as the Prime Minister of Greece from 25 February to 10 August 1915 and 26 March 1921 to 3 May 1922. Leader of the People's Party, he was the main ri ...
, the Commander in Chief of the Greek Armies
Georgios Hatzianestis and four other politicians are executed as responsible for the Asia Minor Catastrophe.
*1923, 24 July: Signing of the
Treaty of Lausanne. The Greeks of Istanbul, Imbros and Tenedos (about 279,788 in Istanbul alone the next year) are excluded from the
population exchange
Population transfer or resettlement is a type of mass migration, often imposed by state policy or international authority and most frequently on the basis of ethnicity or religion but also due to economic development. Banishment or exile is a ...
. The islands of
Imbros
Imbros or İmroz Adası, officially Gökçeada (lit. ''Heavenly Island'') since 29 July 1970,Alexis Alexandris, "The Identity Issue of The Minorities in Greece And Turkey", in Hirschon, Renée (ed.), ''Crossing the Aegean: An Appraisal of the 1 ...
and
Tenedos
Tenedos (, ''Tenedhos'', ), or Bozcaada in Turkish, is an island of Turkey in the northeastern part of the Aegean Sea. Administratively, the island constitutes the Bozcaada district of Çanakkale Province. With an area of it is the third l ...
are granted autonomy, by article 14, which was never implemented.
Restoration of stability
*1923: Greece has an enormous refugee problem with the arrival of approximately 1.5 million Greeks from Asia Minor (according to the
population exchange agreement of the Treaty of Lausanne. The population of the bankrupt Greece increased by 1/3 in a period of a few months. The fate of the rest 1 million Greeks of Asia Minor (according to the Ottoman census) remains unknown.
*1923, 31 August: The
Corfu incident
The Corfu Incident was a 1923 diplomatic and military crisis between Greece and Italy. It was triggered when an Italian general heading a commission to resolve a border dispute between Albania and Greece was murdered in Greek territory along w ...
.
Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
's forces bombard and briefly occupy the Greek island of
Corfu.
*1923, October:
Failed anti-Venizelist military coup, begun out of fear for the upcoming elections' result.
*1923, 16 December: Venizelos's
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
wins the elections.
*1923, 19 December: King George II is "asked" to leave the country. Admiral
Pavlos Kountouriotis
Pavlos Kountouriotis ( el, Παύλος Κουντουριώτης; 9 April 1855 – 22 August 1935) was a Greek rear admiral during the Balkan Wars, regent, and the first President of the Second Hellenic Republic. In total he served four times ...
is named Regent.
Second Hellenic Republic (1924–1935)
*1924, 25 March: Greece is proclaimed a
republic.
Pavlos Kountouriotis
Pavlos Kountouriotis ( el, Παύλος Κουντουριώτης; 9 April 1855 – 22 August 1935) was a Greek rear admiral during the Balkan Wars, regent, and the first President of the Second Hellenic Republic. In total he served four times ...
becomes the first President of Greece.
*1924, 13 April: A
plebiscite
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 of ...
condones the change of constitution.
*1924, 7 October: Failed military coup.
*1925, 15 March: Successful coup directed by General
Theodoros Pangalos. President Pavlos Kountouriotis resigns.
*1925, 22 October: The brief
War of the Stray Dog with Bulgaria. Greece is imposed a fine, but is able to stop the attacks by the
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; bg, Вътрешна Македонска Революционна Организация (ВМРО), translit=Vatrešna Makedonska Revoljucionna Organizacija (VMRO); mk, Внатр ...
(IMRO) ''komitadjis'' into
Greek Macedonia
Macedonia (; el, Μακεδονία, Makedonía ) is a geographic and former administrative region of Greece, in the southern Balkans. Macedonia is the largest and Greek geographic region, with a population of 2.36 million in 2020. It is ...
.
*1926, 23 August: General Pangalos is overthrown after a coup.
Caretaker government of
Georgios Kondylis
Georgios Kondylis DSO (; 14 August 1878 – 1 February 1936) was a Greek general, politician and prime minister of Greece. He was nicknamed ''Keravnos'', Greek for "thunder" or " thunderbolt".
Military career
Kondylis was born in Prouss ...
.
*1928: Venizelos returns from exile and his Liberals win power again.
*1932, 26 September: The village of Ierissos in
Chalcidice is destroyed by a
powerful earthquake. 161 people are reported dead.
*1933, March: Failed pro-Venezelist coup.
*1933, 23 April:
Kos
Kos or Cos (; el, Κως ) is a Greek island, part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese by area, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 36,986 (2021 census), ...
is struck by an earthquake. 200 people die.
*1933, 6 June: Second assassination attempt against Venizelos in Athens.
*1935, March:
Failed coup directed by Venizelos and
Nikolaos Plastiras. Venizelos flees in France and dies in Paris the next year, the armed forces are purged of Venizelist and Republican officers.
*1935, 10 October: Coup directed by
Georgios Kondylis
Georgios Kondylis DSO (; 14 August 1878 – 1 February 1936) was a Greek general, politician and prime minister of Greece. He was nicknamed ''Keravnos'', Greek for "thunder" or " thunderbolt".
Military career
Kondylis was born in Prouss ...
abolishes the Republic, confirmed by a rigged
plebiscite
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 of ...
later the same year.
Kingdom of Greece restored (1935–1967)
*1935, 3 November: George II is restored to the throne.
4 August Regime (1936–1940)
*1936, 4 August: Coup by General
Ioannis Metaxas
Ioannis Metaxas (; el, Ιωάννης Μεταξάς; 12th April 187129th January 1941) was a Greek military officer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941. He governed constitutionally for t ...
, who declares a
state of emergency, decrees
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
, annuls various articles of the Constitution and establishes a crisis cabinet to end the increasing riots and to restore social order.
*1937, 15 December: Mass NKVD operation against Greeks in the USSR begins, based on Joseph Stalin's Directive 50125 of Dec. 1937, resulting in the loss of 38,000 Soviet citizens of Hellenic descent at the Gulags of Siberia.
*1939:
Hatay
Hatay Province ( tr, Hatay ili, ) is the southernmost province of Turkey. It is situated almost entirely outside Anatolia, along the eastern coast of the Levantine Sea. The province borders Syria to its south and east, the Turkish province of ...
is annexed by Turkey. The immigration of the
Antiochian Greeks
Antiochian Greek Christians (also known as Antiochian Rūm) are a Levantine Arabic-speaking ethnoreligious Eastern Christian group residing in the Levant region. They are either members of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch or the Melkite Greek ...
reaches its maximum.
*1940, 15 August:
Torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...
ing and sinking of the Greek light cruiser ''
Elli
In Norse mythology (a subset of Germanic mythology), Elli (Old Norse: , "old age"Orchard (1997:38).) is a personification of old age who, in the ''Prose Edda'' book ''Gylfaginning'', defeats Thor in a wrestling match.Graeme Davis (2013). ''Thor: ...
'' in
Tinos
Tinos ( el, Τήνος ) is a Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea. It is located in the Cyclades archipelago. The closest islands are Andros, Delos, and Mykonos. It has a land area of and a 2011 census population of 8,636 inhabitants.
Tinos ...
harbor on 15 August 1940 (a
national religious holiday), by an Italian submarine. The Greek government announced that the attack had been performed by a submarine of "unknown nationality", in an attempt to keep Greece neutral.
World War II (1940–1944)
Greco-Italian War and Battle of Greece (1940–1941)
*1940, 28 October: After Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas
rejects an Italian
ultimatum
An ultimatum (; ) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance (open loop). An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series ...
demanding the occupation of Greek territory, Italian forces invade Greece. Beginning of the
Greco-Italian War
The Greco-Italian War (Greek: Ελληνοϊταλικός Πόλεμος, ''Ellinoïtalikós Pólemos''), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian Campaign in Greece, and the War of '40 in Greece, took place between the kingdoms of Italy and G ...
.
*1940, 13 November: The
Battle of Pindus
The Battle of Pindus ( el, Μάχη της Πίνδου) took place in the Pindus Mountains in Epirus and West Macedonia, Greece, from 28 October–13 November 1940. The battle was fought between the Greek and the Italian armies during the first ...
ends in a complete Greek victory.
*1940, 14 November: The Greek forces enter Albanian territory.
*1940, 24 December: The Greek army controls practically all of
Northern Epirus
sq, Epiri i Veriut rup, Epiru di Nsusu
, type = Part of the wider historic region of Epirus
, image_blank_emblem =
, blank_emblem_type =
, image_map = Epirus across Greece Albania4.svg
, map_caption ...
.
*1941: Turkey mobilizes all Greeks between 18 and 45 years of age and deports them to
labour battalion
Labour battalions have been a form of alternative service or unfree labour in various countries in lieu of or resembling regular military service. In some cases they were the result of some kind of discriminative segregation of the population, wh ...
s in central
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...
.
*1941, 29 January: Ioannis Metaxas dies in Athens.
*1941, 1 March: Earthquake occurs in
Larissa leaving 40 people dead and thousands homeless.
*1941, 9–20 March: The Italian Spring Offensive fails to dislocate the Greek forces.
*1941, 6 April: The German Army
invades Greece.
*1941, 11–12 April:
Battle of Vevi.
*1941, 18 April: The German Army advances towards Athens. Prime Minister
Alexandros Koryzis
Alexandros Koryzis ( el, Αλέξανδρος Κορυζής; 1885 – 18 April 1941) was a Greek politician who served briefly as the prime minister of Greece in 1941.
Career
Koryzis assumed this role on 29 January 1941, when his predecessor, ...
commits suicide.
*1941, 20 April: The Greek First Army surrenders to the Germans.
*1941, 21 April: The German forces manage to go through the
Metaxas Line
The Metaxas Line (, ''Grammi Metaxa'') was a chain of fortifications constructed along the line of the Greco-Bulgarian border, designed to protect Greece in case of a Bulgarian invasion after the rearmament of Bulgaria. It was named after Ioann ...
.
*1941, 22 April: The King, the Royal family and the Government flee Athens and go to
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
.
*1941, 27 April: The German Army enters Athens. Greek writer
Penelope Delta commits suicide. The
Nazi flag
The flag of Nazi Germany, officially the flag of the German Reich, featured a red background with a black swastika on a white disc. This flag came into use initially as the banner of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) after its foundation. Following the ap ...
is raised on
Acropolis;
Evzone
The Evzones or Evzonoi ( el, Εύζωνες, Εύζωνοι, ) were several historical elite light infantry and mountain units of the Greek Army. Today, they are the members of the Presidential Guard ( el, Προεδρική Φρουρά , transl ...
soldier on guard duty jumps off the Acropolis wrapped in the
Greek flag
The national flag of Greece, popularly referred to as the "blue and white one" ( el, Γαλανόλευκη, ) or the "sky blue and white" (, ), is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has nine equal horizontal strip ...
.
*1941, May: The Allied forces impose a naval blockade of Greece, ending off all imports, including foods.
*1941, 4 May: Out of respect for the Greek nation,
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
orders the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
not to take Greek war prisoners and allows them to carry weapons.
*1941, 20 May: Beginning of the
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island ...
.
*1941, 22 May: The King, the Royal family and the Government are evacuated to
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
.
*1941, 1 June: The remaining defenders at
Sphakia
Sfakiá ( el, Σφακιά) is a mountainous area in the southwestern part of the island of Crete, in the Chania regional unit. It is considered to be one of the few places in Greece that have never been fully occupied by foreign powers. With a ...
surrender to the German Army.
Axis occupation and Resistance (1941–1944)
*1941, 30 May: The first resistance act occur in Athens. Two law students tear down the
Flag of Nazi Germany
The flag of Nazi Germany, officially the flag of the German Reich, featured a red background with a black swastika on a white disc. This flag came into use initially as the banner of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) after its foundation. Following the ap ...
from the Acropolis.
*1941, 27 September: The
National Liberation Front (EAM), the largest resistance group, is initiated.
*1941, 28–29 September: A spontaneous rebellion in
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
is repressed by the Bulgarian occupation forces with a death toll of 3,000.
*1941, 17 October: Executions of the male population and burning of the village Kerdyllia by the Nazis, with a death toll of 235.
*1941, 23–28 October: Massive executions of the inhabitants of the villages Mesovouno, Cleisto, Kidonia and Ambelofito by the Nazis.
*1941–1942, Winter:
The Great Famine. An estimated 300,000 Greeks perish during the period of occupation, with mortality reaching a maximum during that winter.
*1942: The Fortune Tax (''
Varlık Vergisi
The Varlık Vergisi (, "wealth tax" or "capital tax") was a tax mostly levied on non-Muslim citizens in Turkey in 1942, with the stated aim of raising funds for the country's defense in case of an eventual entry into World War II. The underlying re ...
'') is imposed on the
Greeks in Turkey (as well as on others, mostly non-Muslims), resulting in their financial ruination.
*1942, June: The
Greek People's Liberation Army
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
begins operating in the mountains.
*1942, Summer: The great suffering and the pressure of the exiled Greek government eventually forces the British partially to lift the blockade. The
International Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
is able to distribute food supplies in sufficient quantities.
*1942, 25 November: The
Gorgopotamos
Gorgopotamos ( el, Γοργοπόταμος) is a village and a former municipality in Phthiotis, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lamia, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an are ...
bridge is blown up in a common operation between the Greek militants and British saboteurs (
Operation Harling
Operation Harling, also known as the Battle of Gorgopotamos ( el, Μάχη του Γοργοποτάμου) in Greece, was a World War II mission by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), in cooperation with the Greek Resistance groups ...
). This successful operation disrupted the German transportation of ammunition via Greece to the Nazi
Africa Corps
The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (, }; DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the ...
commanded by
Rommel
Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...
.
*1943, 27 February: Poet
Kostis Palamas
Kostis Palamas ( el, Κωστής Παλαμάς; – 27 February 1943) was a Greek poet who wrote the words to the Olympic Hymn. He was a central figure of the Greek literary generation of the 1880s and one of the cofounders of the so-called Ne ...
dies. His funeral becomes a public show of defiance to the occupation authorities.
*1943, March: The Germans began mass deportations of the Jews of Thessaloniki to Auschwitz. By the end of the war, an estimated 60,000 Greek Jews were murdered.
*1943, 16 August: 317 inhabitants of
Kommeno
Kommeno ( el, Κομμένο) is a village and a former community in the Arta regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nikolaos Skoufas, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal u ...
are murdered and the village is burned by the Nazis.
*1943, September: The Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jews of Athens fails, thanks to the combined efforts of
Archbishop Damaskinos
Archbishop Damaskinos Papandreou ( el, Αρχιεπίσκοπος Δαμασκηνός Παπανδρέου), born Dimitrios Papandreou ( el, Δημήτριος Παπανδρέου; 3 March 1891 – 20 May 1949) was the archbishop of Athen ...
, Greek resistance groups and some of the Greek people.
*1943, 13 September: More than 5,000 Italian soldiers are
executed
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
by the Nazis in
Cephallonia
Kefalonia or Cephalonia ( el, Κεφαλονιά), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallenia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It ...
or perish in the sea, during the German takeover of the Italian occupation areas.
*1943, 26 September-16 November:
Battle of Leros
The Battle of Leros was the central event of the Dodecanese campaign of the Second World War, and is widely used as an alternate name for the whole campaign. After the Armistice of Cassibile the Italian garrison on the Greek island Leros was str ...
, the culmination of the
Dodecanese Campaign.
*1943, 13 December: The
Massacre of Kalavryta
The Kalavryta massacre ( el, Σφαγή των Καλαβρύτων), or the Holocaust of Kalavryta (), was the near-extermination of the male population and the total destruction of the town of Kalavryta, Axis-occupied Greece, by the 117th ...
occurs.
*1944, 10 March: the EAM-controlled
Political Committee of National Liberation
The Political Committee of National Liberation ( el, Πολιτική Επιτροπή Εθνικής Απελευθέρωσης, ''Politiki Epitropi Ethnikis Apeleftherosis'', PEEA), commonly known as the "Mountain Government" ( el, Κυβέρ ...
is established.
*1944, 10 June: The
Distomo massacre
The Distomo massacre ( el, Σφαγή του Διστόμου; german: Massaker von Distomo or ''Distomo-Massaker'') was a Nazi Germany, Nazi war crime perpetrated by members of the Waffen-SS in the village of Distomo, Greece, in 1944, during the ...
. 218 civilians are murdered and the village is looted and burnt.
Restoration of the Greek Government
*1944, 14 October: Athens is liberated and the Greek government-in-exile returns, with George Papandreou as Premier.
*1944, 18 October: Premier
George Papandreou
George Andreas Papandreou ( el, Γεώργιος Ανδρέας Παπανδρέου, , shortened to ''Giorgos'' () to distinguish him from his grandfather; born 16 June 1952) is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece from ...
and his national unity government repatriate.
*1944, 3 December: "
Dekemvriana
The ''Dekemvriana'' ( el, Δεκεμβριανά, "December events") refers to a series of clashes fought during World War II in Athens from 3 December 1944 to 11 January 1945. The conflict was the culmination of months of tension between the c ...
" (December events). 28 people are killed by British troops and policemen in Athens.
*1944, 4 December: George Papandreou attempts to resign.
*1944, 12 December:
ELAS
The Greek People's Liberation Army ( el, Ελληνικός Λαϊκός Απελευθερωτικός Στρατός (ΕΛΑΣ), ''Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Stratós'' (ELAS) was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberat ...
controls most of Athens and its environs.
*1945 12 February: EAM and the Greek Government sign a
peace agreement
A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surrend ...
to end fighting.
*1945, 16 June: Former ELAS leader
Aris Velouchiotis
Athanasios Klaras ( el, Αθανάσιος Κλάρας; August 27, 1905 – June 15, 1945), better known by the ''nom de guerre'' Aris Velouchiotis ( el, Άρης Βελουχιώτης), was a Greek journalist, politician, member of the Commun ...
is killed or commits suicide.
*1945, 17 October:
Archbishop Damaskinos
Archbishop Damaskinos Papandreou ( el, Αρχιεπίσκοπος Δαμασκηνός Παπανδρέου), born Dimitrios Papandreou ( el, Δημήτριος Παπανδρέου; 3 March 1891 – 20 May 1949) was the archbishop of Athen ...
assumes as regent in an attempt to stabilize the country.
*1945, 24 October: Greece is one of the founding members of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
.
Civil War (1946–1949)
*1946, March: Fighting resumes between the Government and the Communists.
*1946, 28 September: A
national referendum favours constitutional monarchy.
*1946: King George II returns to Greece.
*1947, 20 January: The deadliest shipwreck of modern Greek history occurs when ''Himara'' sinks in the
South Evian Gulf, resulting in 391 deaths. It remains unknown if the cause was the bad weather, a mine or sabotage.
*1947, 1 April: King George II dies of sudden heart failure in the Palace in Athens. Some Greeks do not believe the announcement,
considering it a joke. He is succeeded by his younger brother
Paul
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
.
*1947, December: Approximately 1,200 Communist militants are killed in a battle near
Konitsa
Konitsa ( el, Κόνιτσα; see also names in other languages) is a town of Ioannina in Epirus, Greece. It is located north of the capital Ioannina and near the Albanian border. Northeast of Konitsa lies a group of villages known as the Zagor ...
*1948: The Communists reach the maximum of their power.
*1949, August: General
Alexander Papagos
Alexandros Papagos ( el, Αλέξανδρος Παπάγος; 9 December 1883 – 4 October 1955) was a Greek army officer who led the Hellenic Army in World War II and the later stages of the subsequent Greek Civil War. The only Greek career of ...
begins a major counter-offensive against Communist forces in northern Greece, pushing them into Albania.
*1949, 16 October:
Nikolaos Zachariadis
Nikos Zachariadis ( el, Νίκος Ζαχαριάδης; 27 April 1903 – 1 August 1973) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) from 1931 to 1956, and one of the most important personalities in the Greek Civil War.
Ear ...
, commander of the Communist guerillas, announces a ceasefire that ends the Greek Civil War.
Postwar Greece (1950–1967)
*1950, 10 January: The eruption of the
Thera
Santorini ( el, Σαντορίνη, ), officially Thira (Greek: Θήρα ) and classical Greek Thera (English pronunciation ), is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from the Greek mainland. It is the ...
volcano for the fourth time in the century, causes the evacuation of the island.
*1950, 9 December: Greece
participates with the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
in favor of
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
. By the end of the war during 1953, 194 Greek soldiers will be killed.
*1952, 18 February: Greece and Turkey become members of
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
.
*1953, August: The 7.2
Ionian earthquake shakes the southern
Ionian Islands with a maximum
Mercalli intensity
The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the eff ...
of X (''Extreme''). Between 445 and 800 people were killed.
*1954, 30 April:
Sofades
Sofades ( el, Σοφάδες) is a town and municipality in Thessaly, central Greece belonging to the regional unit of Karditsa. Its 2011 census population was 6,056 people and 18,864 for the municipality, including a large Romani community. Its el ...
is struck by an . 25 people die.
*1955, 6–7 September: The
Istanbul Pogrom, directed primarily against the city's 100,000-strong Greek minority, occurs. A total of 16 Greeks are killed, while many others are severely wounded, raped and circumcised by mobs. Thousands of Greek-owned buildings are badly damaged or destroyed, accelerating emigration of ethnic Greeks from the city.
*1956: Failed coup against
King Paul I by a group of colonels.
*1956, 9 July: The 7.7
Amorgos earthquake shakes the
Cyclades
The Cyclades (; el, Κυκλάδες, ) are an island group in the Aegean Sea, southeast of mainland Greece and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name ...
island group in the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
with a maximum
Mercalli intensity
The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the eff ...
of IX (''Violent''). The shaking and the destructive tsunami that followed left fifty-three people dead. A damaging M7.2 aftershock occurred minutes after the mainshock.
*1959:
The Merten affair challenges Greek politics.
*1963, 27 May: Assassination of politician
Gregoris Lambrakis.
*1963, 17 June:
Constantine Karamanlis
Konstantinos G. Karamanlis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Γ. Καραμανλής, ; 8 March 1907 – 23 April 1998), commonly Anglicisation, anglicised to Constantine Karamanlis or just Caramanlis, was a four-time prime minister and List of he ...
resigns the premiership after a disagreement with King Paul.
*1963, November: The
Center Union
The Centre Union ( el, Ἕνωσις Κέντρου ''Énōsis Kéntrou'', abbreviated ΕΚ) was a major centrist political party in Greece, created in 1961 by Georgios Papandreou.Clogg, 1987, pp. 39–40
History
The Centre Union was a politic ...
party under George Papandreou wins the elections. Karamanlis is self-exiled in Paris.
*1964, 6 March: The
royal government announces the death of
King Paul. Rumors circulate in Athens that in fact he had died several days earlier. He is succeeded by his son
Constantine II.
*1964: The Ankara government reneges on the 1930 Greco-Turkish Ankara Convention. Deported with two day's notice, the Greek community of Istanbul shrunk from 100,000 persons in 1955 to only 48,000 in 1965.
*1965, 15 July: Royal Coup, involving King Constantine II and a group of politicians, known as
Apostasia of 1965
The terms ''Apostasia'' ( el, Αποστασία, " Apostasy") or ''Iouliana'' ( el, Ιουλιανά, "July events") or the Royal Coup ( el, Το Βασιλικό Πραξικόπημα ''To Vasiliko Praxikopima'') are used to describe the politic ...
. Premier
George Papandreou
George Andreas Papandreou ( el, Γεώργιος Ανδρέας Παπανδρέου, , shortened to ''Giorgos'' () to distinguish him from his grandfather; born 16 June 1952) is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece from ...
is forced to resign.
*1966, 7 December: Ferry
SS Heraklion sinks in the
Mirtoon Sea
The Myrtoan Sea (also Mirtoan Sea; el, Mυρτώο Πέλαγος, ''Myrtoo Pelagos'' ) is a subdivision of the Mediterranean Sea that lies between the Cyclades and Peloponnese. It is described as the part of the Aegean Sea south of Euboea, Atti ...
. 247 people lose their lives in the worst shipwreck of postwar Greece.
*1966–1980: About 160,000 Greeks emigrated to the USA.
Military dictatorship (1967–1974)
*1967, 21 April: Successful coup d'état led by a group of colonels.
*1968: Counter-coup organized by
King Constantine II
Constantine II ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Βʹ, ''Konstantínos II''; 2 June 1940) reigned as the last King of Greece, from 6 March 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy on 1 June 1973.
Constantine is the only son of King Paul an ...
fails. Constantine II leaves the country.
*1968, 13 August: Assassination attempt against Dictator Papadopoulos by
Alexandros Panagoulis
Alexandros Panagoulis ( el, Αλέξανδρος Παναγούλης; 2 July 1939 – 1 May 1976) was a Greek politician and poet. He took an active role in the fight against the Regime of the Colonels (1967–1974) in Greece. He became fa ...
.
*1968, 1 November: George Papandreou dies. His funeral becomes the occasion for a large anti-dictatorship demonstration.
*1971:
Halki seminary
The Halki seminary, formally the Theological School of Halki ( el, Θεολογική Σχολή Χάλκης and tr, Ortodoks Ruhban Okulu), was founded on 1 October 1844 on the island of Halki ( Turkish: Heybeliada), the second-largest of the ...
,
Orthodoxy's most prominent theological school, is closed by the Turkish government. Despite international pressure for its reopening, it remains closed ever since.
*1972, 2 March:
Ecclesiastical coup in Cyprus fails to remove Makarios from the Presidency.
*1973, 1 June: Dictator
George Papadopoulos
George Demetrios Papadopoulos (; born August 19, 1987) is an author and former member of the foreign policy advisory panel to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. On October 5, 2017, Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to a felony charge of maki ...
declares Greece a republic and himself President.
*1973, 17 November: End of the
Athens Polytechnic uprising. A total of 24 civilians and students are killed.
*1973, 25 November: Military coup by General
Dimitrios Ioannides
Dimitrios Ioannidis ( el, Δημήτριος Ιωαννίδης ; 13 March 1923 – 16 August 2010), also known as Dimitris Ioannidis and as The Invisible Dictator, was a Greek military officer and one of the leading figures in the junta that r ...
ousts Papadopoulos. Military law is reinstated.
*1974, 15 July: The Greek regime sponsors a coup d'état in
Nicosia, replacing President
Makarios III with
Nikos Sampson
Nikos Sampson (born Nikos Georgiadis, el, Νίκος Γεωργιάδης; 16 December 1935 – 9 May 2001) was the ''de facto'' president of Cyprus who succeeded Archbishop Makarios, appointed as the president of Cyprus by the Greek military ...
.
*1974, 20 July: Turkey
invades Cyprus.
*1974, 23 July: Nikos Sampson is removed from office and replaced with
Glafkos Klerides. The coup regime ends. A general ceasefire is declared.
*1974, 23 July: Junta-appointed President
Phaedon Gizikis
Phaedon Gizikis ( el, Φαίδων Γκιζίκης ; 16 June 1917 – 26 July 1999) was a Greek army general, and the second and last President of Greece under the Junta, from 1973 to 1974.
Early life and military career
Born in Volos, ...
calls a meeting of old guard politicians with the participation of the commanders of the armed forces. Konstantinos Karamanlis is chosen to assume the premiership.
Third Hellenic Republic (1974–today)
*1974, 24 July: Constantine Karamanlis returns with the French Presidential jet. Democracy in Athens is restored.
*1974, 14 August: Second phase of the Attila Operation in Cyprus. The Turkish forces advance capturing the 37% of the island. A total of about 3,000 are killed or missing. Another 200,000 become refugees.
*1974, 14 August: Greece withdraws its forces from
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
's military command structure, as a result of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
*1974, 8 September:
TWA Flight 841 crashes into the
Ionian Sea. All 79 passengers and 9 crew members are killed.
*1974, 1 October: Death of
Spyridon Marinatos
Spyridon Nikolaou Marinatos ( el, Σπυρίδων Νικολάου Μαρινάτος; November 4, 1901 – October 1, 1974) was a Greek archaeologist, best known for leading excavations at Akrotiri on Santorini (1967–74), where he died and i ...
, one of the premier Greek archaeologists of the 20th century.
*1974: Makarios returns as President in Cyprus.
*1974, 13 December: With a national referendum, monarchy is abolished and parliamentary republic established.
*1974, 18 December: President
pro tempore Phaedon Gizikis is replaced by
Michail Stasinopoulos
Michail Stasinopoulos ( el, Μιχαήλ Στασινόπουλος; 27 July 1903 – 31 October 2002) was a Greek jurist and politician who served as President of Greece from 18 December 1974 to 19 July 1975. A member of New Democracy, he was the ...
, the first duly elected President of the Third Hellenic Republic.
*1975, August:
Greek Junta Trials
The Greek junta trials ( el, Οι Δίκες της Χούντας translated as: The Τrials of the Junta) were the trials involving members of the military junta that ruled Greece from 21 April 1967 to 23 July 1974. These trials involved the ins ...
.
*1977, 3 August: Cypriot President Makarios dies unexpectedly of heart failure.
*1978, 20 June: The 6.2
Thessaloniki earthquake shakes
Northern Greece
Northern Greece ( el, Βόρεια Ελλάδα, Voreia Ellada) is used to refer to the northern parts of Greece, and can have various definitions.
Administrative regions of Greece
Administrative term
The term "Northern Greece" is widely used ...
with a maximum
Mercalli intensity
The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the eff ...
of IX (''Violent''). Fifty people were killed.
*1980: Greek forces are readmitted in NATO.
*1981, 1 January: Greece joins the
European Community
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...
.
*1981, 24 February: A strong earthquake strikes Athens and
Corinth
Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government refor ...
, resulting in 20 deaths.
*1981, 21 October:
Andreas Papandreou
Andreas Georgiou Papandreou ( el, Ανδρέας Γεωργίου Παπανδρέου, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist, politician and a dominant figure in Greek politics, known for founding the political party PASOK, ...
becomes Greece's first socialist Premier.
*1986, 2 April:
TWA Flight 840 is bombed on the way to Athens, sucking out 4 people aboard; the plane lands safely.
*1986, 13 September: The
Kalamata earthquake causes much damage and kills 20 people.
*1987: The
Sismik incident. Premier Andreas Papandreou orders the ship to be sunk if found within Greek waters.
*1989: Political crisis after a series of elections in which no party secured a substantial percentage of popular vote, nor was willing to participate with a coalition.
*1989, 3 August: Flight 330 of the
Olympic Airways
Olympic Airlines ( el, Ολυμπιακές Αερογραμμές, ''Olympiakés Aerogrammés'' – OA), formerly named Olympic Airways for at least four decades, was the flag carrier airline of Greece. The airline's head office was located ...
from
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
to
Samos
Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greece, Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a se ...
crashes in the
Kerketeus range
Range may refer to:
Geography
* Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra)
** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands
* Range, a term used to i ...
of
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...
s. All 34 people aboard are killed.
*1989, 26 September: Greek liberal politician
Pavlos Bakoyannis is assassinated by the terrorist group
N17 (November 17).
*1989, 23 November:
Xenophon Zolotas
Xenophon Euthymiou Zolotas ( el, Ξενοφών Ζολώτας, 26 April 1904 – 10 June 2004) was a Greek economist and served as an interim non-party Prime Minister of Greece.
Life and career
Born in Athens on 26 April 1904. He graduated fro ...
agrees to serve as interim non-party Premier, until new elections can be instituted.
*1990, 11 April:
Constantine Mitsotakis
Constantine most often refers to:
* Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I
*Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria
Constantine may also refer to:
People
* Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...
becomes Prime Minister, after his
New Democracy
New Democracy, or the New Democratic Revolution, is a concept based on Mao Zedong's Bloc of Four Social Classes theory in post-revolutionary China which argued originally that democracy in China would take a path that was decisively distinc ...
party wins the elections.
*1991, 5 February: The worst accident in the history of the
Hellenic Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 8 November
, equipment =
, equipment_label ...
. Lockheed C-130H Hercules 748 crashes into
Mount Othrys
Mount Othrys ( el, όρος Όθρυς – ''oros Othrys'', also Όθρη – ''Othri'') is a mountain range of central Greece, in the northeastern part of Phthiotis and southern part of Magnesia. Its highest summit, ''Gerakovouni'', situated on ...
. 63 people are reported killed.
*1991, 8 September: The
Macedonia naming dispute
The use of the country name "Macedonia (terminology), Macedonia" was disputed between Greece and the North Macedonia, Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia) between 1991 and 2019. The dispute was a source of instability in the Balkans#W ...
arises, after the declaration of independence of the
Republic of Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
.
*1992, January: After a "special court" trial, Andreas Papandreou is cleared of the charges resulting from the
Bank of Crete scandal.
*1992, 3 July: The adoption of a
flag incorporating the
Vergina Sun
The Vergina Sun ( el, Ήλιος της Βεργίνας, Ilios tis Vergínas, Sun of Vergina), also known as the Star of Vergina, Vergina Star or Argead Star, is a rayed solar symbol first appearing in ancient Greek art of the period between th ...
by the Republic of Macedonia, increases tensions between the two countries.
*1993, 13 October: Andreas Papandreou's Panhellenic Socialist Movement (
PASOK
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement ( el, Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellínio Sosialistikó Kínima, ), known mostly by its acronym PASOK, (; , ) is a social-democratic political party in Greece. Until 2012, it ...
) wins the general elections.
*1994, 16 February: Greece imposes an
embargo
Economic sanctions are commercial and financial penalties applied by one or more countries against a targeted self-governing state, group, or individual. Economic sanctions are not necessarily imposed because of economic circumstances—they m ...
on the Republic of Macedonia.
*1994, 6 March: Greek actress, singer, political activist of the anti-dictatoric struggle and Minister of Culture
Melina Mercouri dies of cancer. She receives an elaborate state funeral, which is attended by hundreds of thousands of people.
*1995, 13 May:
Grevena
Grevena ( el, Γρεβενά, ''Grevená'', , rup, Grebini) is a town and municipality in Western Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the Grevena regional unit. The town's current population is 13,374 citizens (2011). It lies about from Ath ...
and
Kozani
Kozani ( el, Κοζάνη, ) is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of Western Macedonia. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley. The city lies above sea ...
are struck by an earthquake. Several villages are destroyed and hundreds of people are left homeless.
*1995, 15 June: An earthquake shatters
Aigio
Aigio, also written as ''Aeghion, Aegion, Aegio, Egio'' ( el, Αίγιο, Aígio, ; la, Aegium), is a town and a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, on the Peloponnese. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipal ...
. 26 people are reported dead.
*1995, November: Greece ends the embargo that had imposed on the Republic of Macedonia, after the later's decision to change its flag and controversial articles of its constitution.
*1996, 16 January: Andreas Papandreou, hospitalized with advanced heart disease and kidney failure since November 1995, retires from office.
*1996, 18 January:
Costas Simitis
Konstantinos G. Simitis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Γ. Σημίτης; born 23 June 1936), usually referred to as Costas Simitis or Kostas Simitis (Κώστας Σημίτης), is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece a ...
is elected Premier.
*1996, 31 January: The
Imia/Kardak crisis. Greece and Turkey are brought to the brink of war. A Greek military helicopter crashes in the area, killing the three pilots aboard. Later a Turkish F-16 was shot down by a Greek mirage-2000 over the Aegean, killing its pilot Nail Erdogan and the co-pilot bailing out.
*1996, 23 June: Andreas Papandreou dies. His funeral procession produces a great outpouring of public emotion.
*1996, 23 July: Greece's ''national actress''
Aliki Vougiouklaki
Aliki Stamatina Vougiouklaki (Greek: Αλίκη Σταματίνα Βουγιουκλάκη Greek pronunciation: ˈlici stamaˈtina vuʝuˈklaci 20 July 1934 – 23 July 1996) was a Greek cinema and theater actress, singer and theatrical producer ...
dies after short illness. Her funeral is attended by hundreds of thousands of people.
*1996, 11, 14 August: During demonstrations in Cyprus, activists
Tassos Isaac and
Solomos Solomou are murdered by members of the
Grey Wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...
.
*1997, 17 December: Yakovlev Yak-42 of the
Aerosvit Airlines
AeroSvit Airlines private stock company ( uk, italic=yes, Приватне акціонерне товариство «Авіакомпанія АероСвіт»), operating as AeroSvit — Ukrainian Airlines / АероСвіт, was a Uk ...
crashes into the Pierian mountains in
Central Macedonia
Central Macedonia ( el, Κεντρική Μακεδονία, Kentrikí Makedonía, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, consisting of the central part of the geographical and historical region of Macedonia. With a populat ...
. The exact spot of the crash was discovered 3 days later, because of the bad weather conditions and the mountainous landscape. 70 people are killed.
*1997, 20 December: Lockheed Hercules C-130 of the Hellenic Air Force crashes into Pastra Mountain near Tanagra, cause of bad weather conditions, killing 5 people. The military aircraft was due to transfer soldiers from
Tanagra
Tanagra ( el, Τανάγρα) is a town and a municipality north of Athens in Boeotia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Schimatari. It is not far from Thebes, and it was noted in antiquity for the figurines named after it. The ...
to Pieria, in order to participate with the operations for the discovery of the Ukrainian plane which had crashed 3 days earlier.
*1999, 17 August: Powerful
earthquakes strike the Turkish city of İzmit. Greece is the first foreign country to pledge aid to Turkey.
*1999, 7 September: Athens is struck by the most devastating earthquake in Greece of the past 20 years. A total of 145 people die. The Turkish aid is the first to arrive. The two earthquakes initiate the
Greek–Turkish earthquake diplomacy.
*2000, 26 September: Passenger ferry
Express Samina
MS ''Express Samina'' ( el, Εξπρές Σάμινα) was a French-built RoPax ferry that struck the charted Portes Islets rocks in the Bay of Parikia off the coast of Paros island in the central Aegean Sea on 26 September 2000. The accident r ...
sinks near the island of
Paros
Paros (; el, Πάρος; Venetian: ''Paro'') is a Greek island in the central Aegean Sea. One of the Cyclades island group, it lies to the west of Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about wide. It lies approximately south-east of ...
. 80 of the over 500 passengers are lost at sea.
*2001, 4 May:
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
visits Athens and makes apologies for the sins of the
Crusader attack on Constantinople in 1204.
*2001, 11 September: 33
Greek American
Greek Americans ( el, Ελληνοαμερικανοί ''Ellinoamerikanoí'' ''Ellinoamerikánoi'' ) are Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry. The lowest estimate is that 1.2 million Americans are of Greek descent while the highest e ...
s lose their lives in the
September 11, 2001 attacks. The
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, officially the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, is a church and shrine in the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is administered by the Greek Orthodox Archdi ...
is completely buried by the collapse of the
South Tower.
*2002, December: Murder attempt against
Dora Bakoyannis
Theodora "Dora" Bakoyanni ( el, Θεοδώρα "Ντόρα" Μπακογιάννη; ; ''née'' Mitsotakis; el, Μητσοτάκη, links=no; born May 6, 1954) is a Greek politician. From 2006 to 2009 she was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece ...
.
*2004, 24 April: In 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 of a ...
, Greek Cypriots reject the
Annan Plan whereas Turkish Cypriots accept it.
*2004, 1 May:
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
becomes a member of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
.
*2004, 4 July:
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
wins the UEFA Euro Cup in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
*2004, 13–29 August: Athens hosts the
2004 Summer Olympics.
*2004, 11 September: The helicopter carrying
Patriarch Peter VII of Alexandria
Petros VII (September 3, 1949 – September 11, 2004) was the Greek Orthodox Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa from 1997 to 2004. During his reign, Petros VII was credited with reviving the Greek Orthodox churches in Africa by i ...
along with 16 others (including journalists and three other bishops of the
Church of Alexandria
The Church of Alexandria in Egypt is the Christian Church headed by the Patriarch of Alexandria. It is one of the original Apostolic Sees of Christianity, alongside Rome, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem.
Tradition holds that the Church ...
) crashes into the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
while en route to the monastic community of
Mount Athos, arguably after an explosion. None survived. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
*2005, 14 August: After fears that it could crash in Athens' center,
Helios Airways Flight 522
Helios Airways Flight 522 was a scheduled passenger flight from Larnaca, Cyprus, to Prague, Czech Republic, with a stopover in Athens, Greece. Shortly after take-off on 14 August 2005, air traffic control (ATC) lost contact with the aircraf ...
crashes in
Grammatiko
Grammatiko ( el, Γραμματικό) is a village in East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Marathon, of which it is a municipal unit. It is part of Athens metropolitan area.
Geography
Gramm ...
, killing all 121 people aboard. This was the deadliest aviation accident in the history of Greece.
*2006, 18–20 May: Athens hosts the
Eurovision Song Contest 2006.
*2006, 7 July: Death of
Roger Milliex, great
philhellene
Philhellenism ("the love of Greek culture") was an intellectual movement prominent mostly at the turn of the 19th century. It contributed to the sentiments that led Europeans such as Lord Byron and Charles Nicolas Fabvier to advocate for Greek i ...
, academic, author, former Director of the French Institute of Athens and avid supporter of
Greek-French relations.
*2007, June through September: Western Peloponnese and southern Euboea are ravaged by lethal
infernos.
*2008, December
riots and protest begin.
*2009, 29 April: Greek Foreign Minister
Dora Bakoyannis
Theodora "Dora" Bakoyanni ( el, Θεοδώρα "Ντόρα" Μπακογιάννη; ; ''née'' Mitsotakis; el, Μητσοτάκη, links=no; born May 6, 1954) is a Greek politician. From 2006 to 2009 she was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece ...
presented a timely book entitled '
The Macedonian Issue and Bulgaria – Classified Documents 1950–1967,'' published jointly by the Thessaloniki-based Macedonian Studies Society and the
State Archives of Bulgaria, during an event at the
War Museum in Athens.
*2009, August:
Attica
Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean S ...
is ravaged by
wildfires
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...
.
*2010:
2010 European sovereign debt crisis
The European debt crisis, often also referred to as the eurozone crisis or the European sovereign debt crisis, is a multi-year debt crisis that took place in the European Union (EU) from 2009 until the mid to late 2010s. Several eurozone me ...
; the country's stability has been interrupted; many demonstrations occur in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
(
May 2010 Greek protests) while many workers went on strike; the country is on the verge of a new wave of
emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanent ...
, with young college graduates at the forefront.
*2010, 14–15 May: The Prime Minister of Turkey,
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, visits Greece along with 10
ministers
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...
; 21 agreements – memoranda of cooperation between the two countries' ministries were signed.
See also
*
History of modern Greece
The history of modern Greece covers the history of Greece from the recognition by the Great Powers — Britain, France and Russia — of its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1828 to the present day.
Background
The Byzantine Empire had ...
*
Years in Greece
*
Timeline of Orthodoxy in Greece
*
Timeline of ancient Greece
This is a timeline of ancient Greece from its emergence around 800 BC to its subjection to the Roman Empire in 146 BC.
For earlier times, see Greek Dark Ages, Aegean civilizations and Mycenaean Greece. For later times see Roman Greece, Byzanti ...
*
Timeline of Indo-Greek Kingdoms
*
Timeline of Athens
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Athens, Greece.
Prior to 15th century
* 630 BCE – Temple of Athena Polias built (approximate date).
* 594 BCE – Solonian law established.
* 575 BCE – Coins in use (approximate da ...
Notes
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Timeline Of Modern Greek History
Modern Greek history
The history of modern Greece covers the history of Greece from the recognition by the Great Powers — Britain, France and Russia — of its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1828 to the present day.
Background
The Byzantine Empire had ...