George II of Greece

George II of Greece
United States Office of War Information, Overseas Picture Division, Washington D · Public domain · source
Name	George II
Title	King of the Hellenes
Reign	27 September 1922 – 25 March 1924
Predecessor	Constantine I
Successor	Republic proclaimed, Paul (as King)
Reign1	3 November 1935 – 1 April 1947
Predecessor1	Republic abolished
Successor1	Paul
Birth date	19 July 1890
Birth place	Tatoi Palace, Kingdom of Greece
Death date	1 April 1947
Death place	Athens, Kingdom of Greece
Spouse	Elisabeth of Romania (m. 1921; div. 1935)
House	Glücksburg
Father	Constantine I
Mother	Sophia of Prussia
Religion	Greek Orthodox

George II of Greece was the eldest son of King Constantine I and Sophia of Prussia. His reign was marked by profound political instability, encompassing two separate periods on the throne interrupted by exile and the establishment of the Second Hellenic Republic. His second reign oversaw the tumultuous periods of the Metaxas Regime, the Greco-Italian War, the Axis occupation of Greece, and the early stages of the Greek Civil War.

Early life and family

Born at the Tatoi Palace, he was a grandson of George I of Greece and a great-grandson of Christian IX of Denmark. His maternal lineage connected him to the German Empire, as his mother was a sister of Kaiser Wilhelm II. He was educated at the Hellenic Military Academy and saw service in the Balkan Wars as a junior officer in the Hellenic Army. In 1921, he married his second cousin, Elisabeth of Romania, the daughter of Ferdinand I of Romania and Marie of Edinburgh; the union, which produced no children, was unhappy and ended in divorce in 1935. His siblings included future kings Alexander and Paul.

First reign and exile

He ascended the throne on 27 September 1922 following the abdication of his father in the aftermath of the Asia Minor Disaster and the Trial of the Six conducted by the revolutionary government. His first reign was a mere formality, as real power lay with the military reformers and politicians like Nikolaos Plastiras and Stylianos Gonatas. Facing intense republican sentiment and a failed royalist coup, he was forced into exile on 19 December 1923. A plebiscite in 1924 abolished the monarchy, establishing the Second Hellenic Republic. He spent his exile primarily in Bucharest with his wife's family and later in London.

Restoration and second reign

The monarchy was restored following a controversial plebiscite in 1935, engineered by royalist military figures. He returned to Athens, but facing continued political chaos, he soon sanctioned the establishment of a dictatorship in 1936 by Ioannis Metaxas, who became Prime Minister of Greece. The 4th of August Regime suppressed political parties and dissolved the Hellenic Parliament. During the Greco-Italian War, he and the government relocated to Crete and then, following the Battle of Crete, into exile again, establishing a government-in-exile first in Cairo and later in London. He returned to a liberated but devastated Greece in September 1946, after a disputed referendum confirmed the monarchy during the opening stages of the Greek Civil War.

Death and legacy

He died suddenly of arteriosclerosis at the Royal Palace in Athens on 1 April 1947. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Paul. His reign is viewed as a period of national crisis, where the crown became a polarizing symbol in the bitter conflict between Venizelists and royalists, and later between communist and anti-communist forces. He left no direct heirs, and his personal estate, including the renovated Tatoi Palace, became a matter of legal contention. His legacy is inextricably linked to the Axis occupation of Greece, the subsequent civil conflict, and the enduring political divisions of 20th-century Greece.

Category:Kings of Greece Category:1947 deaths Category:1890 births