Constantine I of Greece
A king whose reign was defined by disastrous neutrality in World War I, leading to his dramatic exile and a fatal divide in modern Greece.
1868–1923 (age 55)·King of Greece (r. 1913–17; 1920–22)·Birthday: August 2·The Gilded Age
Biography
Constantine I's life was a Greek tragedy of throne and nation. Crowned in 1913 after his father's assassination, he began with immense popularity as a victorious general in the Balkan Wars. His deep German ties—he was married to Kaiser Wilhelm II's sister and educated in Germany—collided catastrophically with World War I. Against the pro-Allied government of Eleftherios Venizelos, Constantine insisted on neutrality, believing Germany would win. This 'National Schism' tore Greece in two, with rival governments forming. Allied pressure forced his abdication and exile in 1917, with his second son Alexander taking the throne. Alexander's sudden death brought a plebiscite that restored Constantine, but it was a poisoned chalice. The disastrous Greco-Turkish War that followed the Great War ended in catastrophe at Smyrna in 1922. The military revolt that ensued held him responsible, and he abdicated a second and final time, dying in exile just months later. His reign encapsulated the violent struggle between monarchy and democracy, and between Germanic and Anglo-French influence, that shaped modern Greece.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Constantine was born in 1868, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Constantine Was Born
The biggest hits of 1868
Constantine's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1868Born
President: Andrew Johnson
1873Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1881Became a teenager
President: Chester A. Arthur
1884Could drive
President: Chester A. Arthur
1886Could vote
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1889Turned 21
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1898Turned 30
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1908Turned 40
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1918Turned 50
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Died at 55
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
Key Achievements
- Served as Commander-in-Chief of the Greek Army during the victorious Balkan Wars (1912-1913), earning the popular title 'Constantine XII' as a liberator.
- His insistence on Greek neutrality during World War I created the profound 'National Schism' that defined the country's political landscape for decades.
- Restored to the throne by a popular plebiscite in 1920 after his first period of exile.
Did You Know?
He won a gold medal in the 1896 Summer Olympics in fencing as a prince, competing for Greece.
He was the first cousin of both Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and King George V of the United Kingdom.
His son, George II, and grandson, Constantine II, would both also be kings of Greece who faced exile.
“My duty is to Greece, but my blood ties have been my curse.”
