Constantine I
Greece- Early Life and Education
- Military Service
- Reign as King (1913-1917)
- Restoration and Abdication (1920-1922)
- Exile and Death
Early Life and Education
Constantine I, born on August 2, 1868, in Athens, was the son of King George I and Queen Olga. As the first Greek-born monarch of the House of Glücksburg, his birth was celebrated with great enthusiasm. Prominent university professors educated him, and in 1882, he joined the Hellenic Military Academy. Continuing his military education in Germany, he studied at the University of Heidelberg and the University of Leipzig.
Military Service
In 1890, Constantine became a Major General and assumed command of the Third Army's headquarters in Athens. He commanded the Greek army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led Greek troops to victory in the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, expanding Greece's territory and population.
Reign as King (1913-1917)
Constantine I ascended to the throne on March 18, 1913, after the assassination of his father. His disagreements with Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos over Greece's involvement in World War I led to the National Schism. Constantine was not pro-German but opposed Greece's participation due to its economic fragility. He was forced to leave Greece in 1917, and his second son, Alexander, became king.
Restoration and Abdication (1920-1922)
After Alexander's untimely death from sepsis, Venizelos lost the 1920 election, and Constantine I was recalled. He abdicated for the second and final time in 1922 after Greece's defeat in the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922. His eldest son, George II, succeeded him.
Exile and Death
Constantine I spent the last four months of his life in exile in Sicily, where he died on January 11, 1923, at the age of 54. His wife, Queen Sophia, was never allowed to return to Greece. Despite initial expectations of a flourishing reign, Constantine I's life and reign culminated in the decline of the monarchy and the worsening economic and military situation in Greece.
