Project: Greece/People
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| Flag of Greece |
Current Head of State and Head of Government
| Notable | Born | Title | In Office | Photo | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Katerina Sakellaropoulou | 1956 | President | 2020 |  | Not Connected |
| Kyriakos Mitsotakis | 1968 | Prime Minister | 2023 |  | Connected |
The Greek Monarchy
The First Hellenic Republic was abolished by the London Conference of 1832, and the Kingdom of Greece was established. The Greek crown was originally offered to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, but he declined, later being elected the king of the Belgians. Instead, Prince Otto of Bavaria of the House of Wittelsbach was styled “His Majesty Otto I, King of Greece”, over which he reigned for 30 years until he was deposed in 1862. A referendum was then held, and the vast majority of the Greek population choosing Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, to be their new king. But he declined, as did every candidate until Prince Vilhelm of Denmark of the House of Glücksburg, who had received only six votes. Vilhelm was elected unanimously by the Greek Assembly, and became "His Majesty George I, King of the Hellenes".
In October 1923, after a failed royalist coup, King George II was exiled to Romania. Five months later, in March 1924, the monarchy was abolished and the Second Hellenic Republic was proclaimed. But just eleven years later, the Greek monarchy was restored, and King George II was returned to the throne.
On 13 Dec 1967, King Constantine II was forced to flee his country, following an unsuccessful countercoup against the ruling junta. Constantine formally remained Greece's head of state in exile until the June 1973, when the junta established the Third Hellenic Republic, abolishing the monarchy and restoring democracy to Greece. After living for several decades in London, Constantine was allowed to move back to Athens in 2013. He died there in 2023 following a stroke.
| Notable | Born | Died | Title | Reign | Photo | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King Constantine II | 1940 | 2023 | Last King of Greece | 1964-1973 |  | Connected |
Greek Notables
| Notable | Born | Died | Claim to Fame | Photo | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eleftherios Venizelos | 1864 | 1936 | The Maker of Modern Greece |  | Connected |
| Spyridon Louis | 1873 | 1940 | Winner of the first modern-day Olympic marathon |  | Not Connected |
| Nikos Kazantzakis | 1883 | 1957 | Author of Zorba the Greek, The Last Temptation of Christ |  | Not Connected |
| Georgio De_Chirico | 1888 | 1978 | Artist who influenced the Surrealists |  | Connected |
| Katina Paxinou | 1900 | 1973 | Academy Award Winning Actress |  | Not Connected |
| Odysseas Alepoudellis | 1911 | 1996 | Nobel Prize Winning Poet |  | Not Connected |
| Melina Mercouri | 1920 | 1994 | Academy Award Winning Actress and Cultural Minister |  | Connected |
| Mikis Theodorakis | 1925 | 2021 | Composer who scored Zorba the Greek, Z, and Serpico |  | Not Connected |
| Theo Angelopoulos | 1935 | 2012 | Internationally acclaimed Filmmaker |  | Not Connected |
| Vangelis | 1943 | 2022 | Film Composer: Chariots of Fire |  | Not Connected |
For additional Greek notables see: Category: Greece, Notables
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