Paul of Greece
| Paul Παύλος |
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| Reign | 1 April 1947 – 6 March 1964 |
| Predecessor | George II |
| Successor | Constantine II |
| Prime Ministers | See list |
| Spouse | Frederika of Hanover |
| Issue | |
| Sophia, Queen of Spain Constantine II of Greece Princess Irene |
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| House | House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg |
| Father | Constantine I of Greece |
| Mother | Sophia of Prussia |
| Born | 14 December 1901 Athens, Greece |
| Died | 6 March 1964 (aged 62) Athens, Greece |
| Burial | Royal Cemetery, Tatoi Palace, Greece |
| Signature |  |
| Religion | Greek Orthodox |
| House of Oldenburg (Glücksburg branch) |
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| Paul |
Paul (Greek: Παῦλος, Βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων, Pávlos, Vasiléfs ton Ellínon; 14 December 1901 – 6 March 1964) reigned as King of Greece from 1947 to 1964.
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[edit] Family and early life
Paul was born in Athens, the third son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He was trained as a naval officer.
On 9 January 1938, Paul married Frederika of Hanover at Athens. They had three children:
- Sophia, Queen of Spain (born 1938)
- Constantine II, King of the Hellenes (born 1940)
- Irene, Princess of Greece and Denmark (born 1942)
Before his marriage he is alleged to have invited the homosexual literary muse, Denham Fouts, on a cruise of the Aegean Sea, perhaps because they were lovers.[1] However, Fouts's friend John B. L. Goodwin said Fouts often made up stories about his life,[2] and literary critic Katherine Bucknell thought many of the tales about him were myth.[3]
From 1917 to 1920, Paul lived in exile with his father, Constantine I. From 1923 to 1935, and again from 1941 to 1946, he lived in exile again, this time with his brother, George II. During most of World War II, when Greece was under German occupation, he was with the Greek government-in-exile in London and Cairo. From Cairo, he broadcast messages to the Greek people.
[edit] Reign
Paul returned to Greece in 1946. He succeeded to the throne in 1947, on the death of his childless elder brother, King George II, during the Greek Civil War (between Greek Communists and the non-communist Greek government). In 1947 he was unable to attend the wedding of his first cousin, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh to the future Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom as he was suffering from typhoid fever.[4]
By 1949 the Civil War was effectively over, with the Communist insurgents ceasing the majority of their operations, and the task of rebuilding the shattered north of the country began.[5]
In the 1950s Greece recovered economically, and diplomatic and trade links were strengthened by Paul’s state visits abroad. He became the first Greek Monarch to visit a Turkish Head of State. However, links with Britain became strained over Cyprus, where the majority Greek population favored union with Greece, which Britain, as the colonial power, would not endorse. Eventually, Cyprus became an independent state in 1960.[6]
In December 1959 Prince Maximillian of Bavaria presented the coronation regalia of King Otto of Greece to the King. It had been almost a century since they were last in Greece.
Meanwhile, republican sentiment was growing in Greece. Both Paul and Frederika attracted criticism for their interference in politics,[7] frequent foreign travels, and the cost of maintaining the Royal Family. Paul responded by economising and donated his private estate at Polidendri to the State.[8]
In 1959, he had an operation for a cataract, and in 1963 an emergency operation for appendicitis. In late February 1964, he underwent a further operation for stomach cancer, and died about a week later in Athens.[9]
[edit] Ancestry
| Monarchical styles of King Paul of The Hellenes |
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| Reference style | His Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
| Alternative style | Sir |
[edit] References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Paul I of Greece |
- ^ Leddick, David: Intimate Companions: A Triography of George Platt Lynes, Paul Cadmus, St. Martin's Press, New York 2000, p. 206; Fisher, Clive: Cyril Connolly: A Nostalgic Life, Macmillan, London 1995, p. 186
- ^ Clarke, Gerald (1988). Capote: A Biography. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN 0-241-12549-9 p. 172
- ^ Bucknell, Katherine (1996). Christopher Isherwood Diaries: Volume One 1939–1960 London: Methuen. ISBN 0-413-69680-4 p. 941
- ^ Van der Kiste, John (1994). Kings of the Hellenes. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Alan Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-0525-5 p.177
- ^ Van der Kiste, p.179
- ^ Van der Kiste, p.180
- ^ Woodhouse, C.M. Modern Greece: A Short History, Mackays of Chatham, Kent 1998, p.283, Clogg, Richard: A Concise History of Greece, Cambridge University Press, 1992, p.153
- ^ Van der Kiste, p.182–183
- ^ Van der Kiste, p.183-184
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Paul of Greece
Cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg
Born: 14 December 1901 Died: 6 March 1964 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by George II |
King of the Hellenes 1 April 1947 – 6 March 1964 |
Succeeded by Constantine II |
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- 1901 births
- 1964 deaths
- People from Athens
- Greek princes
- Danish princes
- Field Marshals of Greece
- House of Glücksburg (Greece)
- Knights of the Golden Fleece
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav
- Bailiffs Grand Cross of the Order of St John
- Order of George I
- Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Orthodox monarchs
- Burials at Tatoi Palace Royal Cemetery
- Order of Saints George and Constantine
- Kings of Greece
- Knights of the Order of the Rajamitrabhorn
- Extra Knights Companion of the Garter
- Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
- Grand Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog
- Commander's Crosses of the Cross of Valour (Greece)
