Alexander I of Greece
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Alexander, King of the Hellenes (Greek: Αλέξανδρος, Βασιλεύς των Ελλήνων) (1 August 1893–25 October 1920) ruled Greece from 1917-1920.
He was born on 1 August 1893 (21 July O.S.) at Tatoi near Athens, the second son of Constantine I and his wife, Sophie of Prussia.
In 1917, Constantine I, known for his pro-German tendencies, insisted that Greece remain neutral in World War I, while Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos was determined to go to war in support of the Triple Entente. At Venizelos' invitation, French and British troops entered Greece and forced Constantine I and his first born son Crown Prince George into exile (see National Schism). Young Alexander, a proponent of the Megali Idea, was enthroned as King; in reality he had absolutely no power and was a rubber stamp for the Prime Minister, and his only real task was to visit the front frequently and rally the troops.
On one major issue, however, he did defy Venizelos: on 4 November 1919 he eloped with Aspasia Manos (1896-1972) (who was considered a commoner),[1] daughter of Colonel Petros Manos, causing a scandal and infuriating Venizelos, who had wanted the young king to marry Princess Mary, daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and his Queen consort Mary of Teck. Aspasia was forced to flee Athens until the crisis was resolved and the wedding was legalized without Aspasia being recognised as queen, she was to be known as "Madame Manos". Six months later, the young couple left for Paris, on condition that they neither travel nor appear at official functions together.[2]
Soon after, the Treaty of Sèvres was signed in August 1920. The Treaty was extremely favourable to Greece giving her large territories in Thrace and around Smyrna in modern-day Turkey. Alexander became King of a much-enlarged Greek state.[3]
On 25 October 1920 he died at Athens, of sepsis, after having been bitten by a pet monkey in the Royal Gardens three weeks previously.[4] Rumors at the time, possibly spread by those opposed to his father's return, claimed that he had been assassinated.[citation needed] After his death, his father Constantine I was permitted to return to Greece as King. Eventually King Constantine would lead the Greeks to engage in the Greco-Turkish War which resulted in Greece's defeat, a quarter of a million military and civilian casualties and the end of the Megali Idea. Winston Churchill would later write that "it was a monkey bite that caused the death of those 250,000 people."[5] The territory gained on the Turkish mainland during Alexander’s reign was lost.
King Alexander's only child, born after his death, was Princess Alexandra of Greece (1921-1993), who later married Peter II, King of Yugoslavia. Her mother, Madame Manos, was granted the style "Princess Alexander" by the restored King Constantine.[6]
The city of Alexandroupolis (formerly Dedeagatch), near the river Evros on the Greco-Turkish border, was renamed after him in 1920 on the occasion of his visit there. He was the first King of Greece to visit the city since its capture by the Hellenic Army during World War I and the official change of guard between Bulgarian and Greek officials on 14 May 1920.
Alexander is unusual among monarchs as he ruled in exception to standard primogeniture tradition. He assumed the throne upon the abdication of his father, though his older brother George still lived. In addition, his older brother would later become King of the Hellenes in his own right, providing a rare case where an older brother would succeed a younger one to the throne (though in this case not directly).
[edit] Sources
- Hindley, Geoffrey (2000). The Royal Families of Europe. New York: Caroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-0828-X.
- "Alexander (Greece)". Encyclopedia Britannica (15). (1990).
- Miroslav Marek. Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Genealogy.Eu. Retrieved on 30 June, 2005.
[edit] Footnotes and references
- ^ Aspasia was not a member of any Western European royal or princely house. However, she descended from, for example, several reigning princes of Moldavia and Wallachia. Alexander himself was descended from several Roman Emperors of Constantinople; see Byzantine descent of Danish royals of Greece.
- ^ John Van der Kiste, Kings of the Hellenes (Alan Sutton Publishing, Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, 1994) ISBN 0-7509-0525-5 p. 119
- ^ Van der Kiste, p.120
- ^ Van der Kiste, p.122
- ^ David Fromkin, A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East ) 2nd Rep edition (Owl Books, NY, 2001) ISBN 0-8050-6884-8
- ^ Van der Kiste, p. 132
[edit] External links
- The Fangs of Destiny at Google Video, experimental short film.
| House of Oldenburg (Glücksburg Branch) Born: 1 August 1893 Died: 25 October 1920 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Constantine I |
King of the Hellenes June 11, 1917– 25 October 1920 |
Succeeded by Constantine I |
| Heads of State of Greece |
|---|
|
 First Period of Monarchy (1832–1924): Otto | George I | Constantine I | Alexander | Constantine I | George II
Second Hellenic Republic (1924–1935): Pavlos Kountouriotis | Theodoros Pangalos† | Pavlos Kountouriotis | Alexandros Zaimis
Second Period of Monarchy (1935–1974): George II | Paul | Constantine II
 During the 1967-1974 junta, Greece was de facto led by Georgios Zoitakis† | Georgios Papadopoulos† | Phaedon Gizikis†
Third Hellenic Republic (1974–): Phaedon Gizikis | Michail Stasinopoulos | Konstantinos Tsatsos | Constantine Karamanlis | Ioannis Alevras | Christos Sartzetakis | Constantine Karamanlis | Costis Stephanopoulos | Karolos Papoulias†denotes military dictator |
