List of heads of state of Greece
This is a list of the heads of state of Greece, from the foundation of the modern nation state until the present.
First Hellenic Republic/Governorate (1828-1833)
| Governor[1] | Picture | Life | Term of office | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ioannis Kapodistrias | File:Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776-1831)..JPG | 1776-1831 | 24 January 1828- 9 October 1831 |
Assassinated in 1831. |
| Augustinos Kapodistrias | 1778-1857 | 9 October 1831- 9 April 1832 |
President of the Provisional Government Commission. | |
| Governing Council | 9 April 1832- 2 February 1833 |
Collective leadership pending the establishment of a stable government. |
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Kingdom of Greece (1833-1924)
House of Wittelsbach (1832-1862)
| King[2] | Picture | Life | Term of office | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otto |  |
1815-1867 | 6 February 1833- 23 October 1862 |
Until 13 June 1835 with a regency council[3], deposed in 1862. |
| Regency council | 23 October 1862- 30 March 1863 |
Collective regency pending the election of a new king. |
House of Glücksburg (1863-1924)
| King[4] | Picture | Life | Term of office | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George I |  |
1845-1913 | 30 March 1863- 18 March 1913 |
Assassinated in 1913. |
| Constantine I |  |
1868-1923 | 18 March 1913- 11 June 1917 |
Went into exile and abdicated in 1917 in favour of his second son Alexander. |
| Alexander | File:Alexander I of Greece.png | 1893-1920 | 11 June 1917- 25 October 1920 |
Died in office. |
After the death of Alexander the succession proved problematic, as the Venizelist government at first favoured Alexander's younger brother Paul. As Paul refused to pass by his father Constantine and his elder brother George, the government favoured a republican government and established a regency pending a decision on the matter.
| Regent | Picture | Life | Term of office | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis |
File:Kountouriotis.jpg | 1855-1935 | 25 October 1920- 17 November 1920 |
Resigned after the electoral defeat of the Venizelists. |
| Queen Mother Olga |
 |
1851-1926 | 17 November 1920- 19 December 1920 |
The new government held a plebiscite, which resulted in an overwhelming majority for the return of King Constantine I.
| King[4] | Picture | Life | Term of office | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constantine I | |
1868-1923 | 19 December 1920- 27 September 1922 |
Abdicated again in 1922 after the Asia Minor Disaster. |
| George II |  |
1890-1947 | 27 September 1922- 25 March 1924 |
Exiled on 19 December 1923, deposed on 25 March 1924. |
Second Hellenic Republic (1924-1935)
| President | Picture | Life | Term of office | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis |
File:Kountouriotis.jpg | 1855-1935 | 25 March 1924- 15 March 1926 |
Elected by Parliament, resigned over General Pangalos' dictatorship. |
| General Theodoros Pangalos |
|
1855-1936 | 15 March 1926- 24 August 1926 |
Military dictator, self-appointed President, overthrown by minister Georgios Kondylis. |
| Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis |
File:Kountouriotis.jpg | 1855-1935 | 24 August 1926- 9 December 1929 |
Restored to office by Kondylis, re-elected in 1929, resigned due to ill health. |
| Alexandros Zaimis |  |
1855-1936 | 9 December 1929- 10 October 1935 |
Overthrown by military revolt. |
Kingdom of Greece (1935-1973)
| Regent | Picture | Life | Term of office | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgios Kondylis | 1855-1936 | 10 October 1935- 25 November 1935 |
Appointed himself Regent pending the return of King George II. |
House of Sonderburg-Glücksburg (1935-1973)
| King[4] | Picture | Life | Term of office | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George II | |
1890-1947 | 3 November 1935- 1 April 1947 |
Died childless and was succeeded by his younger brother Paul. |
| Paul | 1901-1964 | 1 April 1947- 6 March 1964 |
||
| Constantine II | 1940- | 6 March 1964- 1 June 1973 |
Went into exile on 13 December 1967 after a failed counter-coup against the military regime ruling since 21 April 1967. |
Military Dictatorship (1967-1974)
The regime of the colonels was established in a military coup led by Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos on 21 April 1967. When King Constantine II went into exile on 13 December, his constitutional role was assumed by regents appointed by the military junta.
| Regent | Picture | Life | Term of office | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Georgios Zoitakis |
1910-1996 | 13 December 1967- 21 March 1972 |
||
| Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos |
1919-1999 | 21 March 1972- 1 June 1973 |
On 1 June 1973 the junta abolished the monarchy and replaced it with a presidential republic.
| President | Picture | Life | Term of office | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos |
1919-1999 | 1 June 1973- 25 November 1973 |
||
| General Phaedon Gizikis |
1917-1999 | 25 November 1973- 18 December 1974 |
appointed after a coup led by Brigadier Dimitrios Ioannides, remained transitional President after the fall of the regime. |
Third Hellenic Republic (since 1974)
In 1974, the military junta was overthrown and democracy restored. A second referendum, held on 8 December 1974, confirmed the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the current parliamentary republic, with the President of the Republic as the head of state.
| President | Picture | Life | Term of office | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michail Stasinopoulos |
1903-2002 | 18 December 1974- 19 June 1975 |
President pro tempore | |
| Constantine Tsatsos (New Democracy) |
1899-1987 | 19 June 1975- 15 May 1980 |
||
| Constantine Karamanlis (New Democracy) |
1907-1998 | 15 May 1980- 10 March 1985 |
1st term | |
| Ioannis Alevras (PASOK) |
1912-1995 | 10 March 1985- 30 March 1985 |
Speaker of Parliament acting as President pro tempore | |
| Christos Sartzetakis | 1929- | 30 March 1985- 4 May 1990 |
||
| Constantine Karamanlis (New Democracy) |
1907-1998 | 4 May 1990- 10 March 1995 |
2nd term | |
| Konstantinos Stephanopoulos (New Democracy) |
 |
1926- | 10 March 1995- 12 March 2005 |
Two consecutive terms |
| Karolos Papoulias (PASOK) |
File:Karolos Papoulia11-01-20060.jpg | 1929- | 12 March 2005- |
incumbent |
Notes
- ^ Greek: Κυβερνήτης.
- ^ The formal title was "King of Greece", Greek: Βασιλεύς της Ελλάδος.
- ^ The regency council consisted of ministers Josef Ludwig von Armansperg, Karl von Abel and Georg Ludwig von Maurer.
- ^ a b c The formal title was "King of the Hellenes", Greek: Βασιλεύς των Ελλήνων.