Kingdom of Greece (multiple restorations)

Kingdom of Greece (multiple restorations)
Name	Kingdom of Greece (multiple restorations)
Native name	Βασίλειο της Ελλάδος
Established	1832
Abolished	1973
Capital	Athens
Common languages	Greek language
Religion	Greek Orthodox Church
Government	Monarchy
Leader title	Monarch

Kingdom of Greece (multiple restorations) was the dynastic state established under the London Conference and the Treaty of Constantinople, ruled by the Bavarian Otto and later by the Glücksburg line including George I, Constantine I, Alexander, Paul, Constantine II and other monarchs. The polity experienced multiple restorations, foreign interventions, constitutional changes, revolts such as the Greek War of Independence aftermath, the National Schism, the Asia Minor Campaign, occupation by the Axis powers, the Greek Civil War, and a final abolition after the 1973 Greek republic referendum and the 1974 Greek legislative election.

Background and Establishment

Following the Greek War of Independence and the Treaty of Constantinople, the Great Powers—United Kingdom, France, and Russia—installed Otto from the House of Wittelsbach as monarch. Diplomacy at the Congress of Vienna era, the influence of Ioannis Kapodistrias, and the assassination of Kapodistrias led to the selection of a foreign prince to secure dynastic legitimacy and balance among Holy Alliance interests. The capital Athens and institutions such as the University of Athens became focal points for nation-building influenced by Philhellenism, Lord Byron, and expatriate communities in Venice and Trieste.

First Monarchy and Political Developments (1832–1862)

Otto’s early reign saw the establishment of administrative structures, the imposition of a Bavarian regency under Luitpold and advisers like Karl von Abel. Tensions with Greek elites including Kolokotronis survivors and plots involving Athenian captains culminated in the 1843 Revolution which forced a constitution influenced by constitutional models and prompted the accession of George I after the London Conference of 1863 and the 1862 Greek coup d'état. Reforms echoed debates in Naples, Madrid, and Berlin about monarchy, parliamentary representation, and territorial claims over Crete, Macedonia, and the Ionian Islands.

Restoration Periods and Constitutional Changes (1862–1924; 1935–1973)

The accession of George I inaugurated the House of Glücksburg and a constitutional expansion resembling models from Denmark and Norway. The period included the Cretan Revolt, the 1897 war, the Greece’s territorial expansion after the Balkan Wars, and the political oscillation during the National Schism between Eleftherios Venizelos and Constantine I. Following the Asia Minor Campaign collapse and the Treaty of Lausanne, the Second Hellenic Republic was proclaimed in 1924. The monarchy was restored in 1935 by a plebiscite engineered under figures including Ioannis Metaxas and Georgios Kondylis, and survived until the 1973 abolition proclaimed by Georgios Papadopoulos during the Regime of the Colonels; the 1974 restoration of democracy and Metapolitefsi affirmed the republic after 1974 Cyprus crisis and the 7th of August 1974 events.

Monarchy during Wars and Occupation (Balkan Wars, WWI, WWII)

Under George I of Greece, the kingdom achieved expansion in the First Balkan War and Second Balkan War acquiring Thessaloniki, Crete, and parts of Epirus. During World War I, the kingdom split in the National Schism between Eleftherios Venizelos’s Provisional Government of National Defence in Thessaloniki and Constantine I in Athens, leading to Allied intervention by the Entente and eventual exile of Constantine. In World War II, the monarchy faced invasion by Fascist Italy in the Greco-Italian War and later occupation by the Axis powers, the evacuation of the royal family to Crete and then Egypt, and resistance interactions with EAM-ELAS, EDES, and Security Battalions; postwar, the monarchy returned amid the Greek Civil War fought between Communist Party of Greece and pro-government forces supported by United States policy under the Truman Doctrine.

Political Crises, Coups, and the Military Junta

Throughout the 20th century the crown navigated military interventions including the Goudi coup (1909), the 1935 restoration supported by Georgios Kondylis, and the 1944 Dekemvriana clashes in Athens between ELAS and British Expeditionary Force units. The monarchy’s relationship with generals such as Nikolaos Plastiras, Theodoros Pangalos, and later Georgios Papadopoulos influenced politics culminating in the 1967 Greek coup d'état (1967), the Regime of the Colonels, and the controversial involvement of Constantine II in the failed counter-coup. The junta abolished many institutions, leading to international responses from NATO, EEC members, and protests by students at Athens Polytechnic.

End of the Monarchy and Abolition

After the fall of the junta in 1974 and the Cyprus crisis, Constantine II remained in exile; the military-appointed Konstantinos Karamanlis led restoration of parliamentary rule and oversaw the 1974 plebiscite which confirmed abolition of the monarchy. The Hellenic Parliament and public institutions transitioned under the Third Hellenic Republic with constitutional reforms culminating in the Metapolitefsi era and integration into EEC pathways, later European Union accession processes.

Legacy and Historical Assessment

Scholars debate the monarchy’s role in Greek nation-building, territorial expansion via the Balkan Wars, and setbacks during the Asia Minor Catastrophe and the National Schism. Analyses by historians referencing archival material from British Foreign Office, French archives, and Russian Imperial records consider monarchs like George I and Constantine I as pivotal figures, while republican movements traced lineage to Eleftherios Venizelos and resistance networks like EAM-ELAS. The monarchy’s complex legacy informs discussions on constitutional monarchy practices, civil-military relations exemplified by the 1967 coup, and Greece’s Europeanization, reflected in memorials in Athens and scholarship in institutions such as the National Library of Greece and the Benaki Museum.

Category:Former monarchies of Europe Category:Modern history of Greece