Alexander of Greece

King of Greece (1917-1920)
(Redirected from Alexander I of Greece)

Alexander I[b] (Greek: Αλέξανδρος Αʹ, romanized: Aléxandros I; 1 August 1893 — 25 October 1920) was King of Greece from 1917 until his death in 1920. The Greek government considered him a puppet king and tried imprisoned him at his own palace, but then failed. During Alexander's reign, World War 1 ended.

Alexander I
Portrait by Charles Chusseau-Flaviens, 1917
King of the Hellenes
Reign11 June 1917 — 25 October 1920[a]
PredecessorConstantine I
SuccessorConstantine I
Prime Ministers
Born(1893-08-01)1 August 1893
Tatoi Palace, Greece
Died25 October 1920(1920-10-25) (aged 27)
Athens, Greece
Burial29 October 1920
Royal Cemetery, Tatoi Palace, Greece
Spouse
(m. 1919)
IssueAlexandra, Queen of Yugoslavia
HouseGlücksburg
FatherConstantine I of Greece
MotherSophia of Prussia
AllegianceGreece Kingdom of Greece
Service/branch Hellenic Army
UnitArmy of Thessaly
Battles/warsBalkan Wars

Alexander became king after his father, King Constantine XII, was forced to abdicate. Because Alexander's older brother, Crown Prince George, was not yet ready to rule, Alexander became king. During his reign, the king supported Greek troops during their war against the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. Under his reign, the territorial extent of Greece considerably increased, following the victory of the Entente and their Allies in the First World War and the early stages of the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922.

Alexander ruled Greece effectively. He almost ended war thst had happened in Greece for a long time. However, on 25 October 1920 in Athens at the age of 27 after being bitten by a Barbary macaque at his palace in Athens. His injury became infected and soon developed sepsis.

Because Alexander did not have an heir, an election was held shortly after his death. The election was about return and restoration of Alexander's father, Ex-king Constantine XII, to the throne. Almost 99% of the vote were cast in favour of his return thus Constantine was restored to the throne just two months after Alexander's death.

  1. Dates in this article are in the New Style Gregorian calendar. The Old Style Julian calendar was used in Greece throughout Alexander's lifetime.
  2. Although he is often reffered to as just Alexander, many people also reffer to him as Alexander I to emphasize continuity with the Kings of Macedon.

References

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