Kings of the Hellenes (Paperback)

When the Greeks deposed their unpopular King Otho in 1862, their choice for the vacant throne eventually fell on William, a prince from Denmark. Taking the regnal name King George, he proved an effective monarch. Part of his prestige was due to family connections: his eldest sister, Alexandra, married the future King Edward VII of Britain; and another sister, Dagmar, married the future Tsar Alexander III of Russia. After his assassination, King George was succeeded by his eldest son, Constantine, a brother-in-law of William II, German Emperor. King Constantine endeavoured to remain neutral during the First World War, but pressure from both sides and from his government forced him to abdicate in favour of his second son, Alexander. The latter’s sudden death three years later led to King Constantine’s recall, but a disastrous war with Turkey led to his second abdication and death in exile. His son George II, who abdicated after two years when Greece became a republic, was subsequently recalled to reign for another eleven troubled years. His successors, Paul and the latter's son Constantine II, followed him but the latter's reign was marked by the rise of military rule and final abolition of the monarchy in 1974.