George I Of Greece

George I Of Greece Birthday Highlights

Birth Name

Prince William of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Place Of Birth

Copenhagen, Denmark

Age

177 years old

Birth Date

December 24 1845

George I Of Greece Facts

Child Star?

no

Occupation

King

Education & Qualifications

Current Partner

Olga Constantinovna of Russia

Parents

Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel, Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Siblings

Frederick VIII of Denmark, Alexandra of Denmark, Maria Feodorovna, Princess Thyra of Denmark, Prince Valdemar of Denmark

George I of Greece was born Prince William of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg on December 24, 1845 in Yellow Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark and was elected to rule Greece at the age of 17.

King George was born into a royal family and was raised in Denmark. He did many great things for Greece, such as expanding borders and acquiring land, among other political achievements.

King George was a revered king. He came to power after the first monarch, King Otto I, was overthrown for his autocratic nature. George became the first monarch of a new Greek dynasty. He took to heart the Greek constitution, and unlike his predecessor, he put himself up to learn the language. This won the hearts of many Greeks. He ruled the nation for almost five decades. He had decided to leave the throne in October 1913 but was assassinated in March of the same year. Stay tuned to learn more exciting facts about this memorable king!

George I was called Prince William. He was a Danish prince and was set to join the Royal Danish Navy. At 17, he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly and the Great Powers, which consisted of the Russian Empire, the Second French Empire, and Great Britain. He succeeded King Otto, who was from Bavaria, Germany.

Who was George I of Greece's family?

He was born on December 24, 1845 in Copenhagen in the Yellow Palace. He was the second son and one of six children born to Prince Christian IX and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kessel. His siblings were Frederick VIII of Denmark, Alexandra, Dagmar, or Empress, Maria Feodorovna, Thyra, and Valdemar. Although they were royalty, they lived a simple life. They only became princes and princesses after the death of the childless king, Frederick VII of Denmark.

Who was George I of Greece's partner?

He married the Grand Duchess of Russia, Olga Constantinovna, on October 27, 1867 in Saint Petersburg. They had eight children. Their names were Constantine I of Greece, Prince George, Princess Alexandra, Prince Nicholas, Princess Maria, Princess Olga (who passed away at seven months), Prince Andrew, and Prince Christopher.

George was the grandfather of Prince Philip, the late husband of Queen Elizabeth II.

Best Known For…

With political confusion in Greece, the Greeks initially wanted Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria, to take the Greek throne. But she was not in favor of this, and the London Conference of 1832 did not allow the royal families of the Great Powers to take this position. So, the Greek National Assembly elected Prins Vilhelm in 1863, and the Great Powers supported this decision. He was only 17, yet he was given the reigning name of George I.

George became king on March 30, 1863. After the ceremony, he went on a tour of Paris, London, and left for Athens on October 22, and arrived there on October 30.

As a gift, the British handed the Ionian Islands, which were under conflict as many of the citizens belonged to Greece. This was the first time in history that a region was willingly decolonized.

George I learned the local language. He also accepted their constitution and appointed advisors from the nation. He was also casual and could often be seen roaming the street unprotected.

During George's reign, he tried to take over many lands, but most of the wars ended in their failure. In 1910, through elections, Eleftherios Venizelos was elected as the prime minister. With the help of the French and British, they strengthened their army and their navy, for they could not afford to lose wars.

In 1912, Greece joined forces with the Kingdom of Montenegro, Serbia, and Bulgaria in the First Balkan War to overthrow the Ottoman Empire. The Turks lost, and Greece gained Crete. This was a massive win for the country as they'd been trying to take the island over for years before.

King George decided to abdicate in November 1913 after celebrating his golden jubilee to make way for the Crown Prince Constantine. As he walked the streets of Thessaloniki unprotected on March 18, 1913, he was shot in the chest by a member of the socialist party. His name was Alexandros Schinas, and he said that he killed King George because he didn't give him money.

King George's body was brought back to the capital city and was kept for three days in the Metropolitan Cathedral. They later put him in a tomb in Tatoi at his palace.

What awards had George I of Greece won?

King George had numerous titles and awards to his name.

He was the Prince of Denmark, then His Majesty the King of the Hellenes.

He was awarded the Knight of the Elephant, Knight of the Seraphim, Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, and Knight of the Rue Crown, among numerous others. He received these accolades from various countries.

In 1915, in honor of his father, Crown Prince Constantine created the Badge of the Order of George I.

• His Majesty was well-read in four languages: French, German, and his mother tongue Danish and English. He added a fifth language to that by learning Greek as well.
• George became the king of Greece before his father became the king. His father got the position only in November of 1963.
• The royal yacht was called Amphitrite, which was used later to carry his body to Athens and was escorted by the navy.
• He went on a honeymoon to Tsarkoye Selo.
• The tsar of Russia gifted the married couple the islands in the Petalioi Gulf.
• In his estate of Tatoi, he had cows taken care of by Danes. Although he didn't show that he missed his country, a visit to the royal summer palace would have been evidence of this.
• George built a summer villa on Corfu called Mon Repos.
• The first Summer Olympics took place in Athens in 1896 when George was king. There are paintings of fencing taking place as George I of Greece watches the match.
• He was the second-longest reigning monarch in all of Europe, only preceded by Queen Victoria.
• He was also the longest to be in the power of the Greek throne of 50 years in Greece's history.

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