Greece, though the land that gave birth to democracy, is rich in history about kings.

*The Entry of King Otto of Greece in Athens (1839), Peter von Hess*

Since the years of the newly founded Greek state, there have been two houses that ruled the country: the House of Wittelsbach and the House of Gluecksburg. Three years after the London Conference in 1830, the Great Powers of the time, England, France and Russia, having recognized the political independence of the Greek state, handed over the crown of Greece to the young Bavarian Prince Otto in 1833. This is the beginning of the history of the monarchy in the newly formed Greek state. The monarchy in Greece ended definitively - until now - with the referendum of 1974, while until then it was either in the foreground as Absolute Monarchy, or as Constitutional Monarchy, or as the Reigning Republic, or waiting in the background for its return with the appropriate referenda.

The House of Wittelsbach, ended in Greece on 10/11 October 1862 with the nation's resolution to abolish Otto's rule. The country was ruled by the Governing House and on March 18, 1863, he proclaimed George from the Holstein-Soderburg -Gluecksburg house as "Constitutional King of the Greeks" (historical sources state that this house descended from John Paul II, son of Constantine "Christian", who a few days before the fall of Constantinople, had with the help of his mother to Italy). Through a series of events such as territorial annexations, financial bankruptcy, Macedonian Struggle, uprisings, movements, Balkan wars, World Wars I and II, the destruction of Smyrni(Izmir), coups and dictatorships, 1924-1935 (Second Hellenic Republic), 1941-1944 (occupation), 1967-1974 (dictatorship of April 21), the House of Gluecksburg played the main role in Greek history.

*King Constantine I during the Second Balkan War*

After 50 years of reign and following his assassination on March 13, 1913, Constantine I succeeded him on the Greek throne. With the outbreak of the First World War, the king's first conflicts with Venizelos occur. Konstantinos remained on the throne through a chain of wars and political conflicts until he was forced to resign (May 30, 1917) by the three great powers - England, France, Russia - and his second son, Alexander, ascended the throne. Alexander's reign ends with his death (12 October 1920), while an illegitimate referendum on 22 November 1920 decides 99% in favor of the return of Konstantinos, who leaves the throne on 14 September 1920 in favor of his son George II in September 1920. After the Trial of the Six and the elections of 16 December 1923, from which Venizelos emerges victorious, George II is forced to leave Greece (19 December 1923).

*King of Greece George II and Ioannis Metaxas*

There follows the period of the Second Hellenic Republic (1924-1935), which ends on 1 October 1935 with the military coup of G. Kondylis and another illegitimate referendum (3 November 1935) in favor of the monarchy. On 25 November 1935, George II returns to Greece and then leaves it after the occupation of the country, by the Axis Powers, in April 1941. The post-war elections of 31 March 1946, followed by another referendum on 1 September 1946, decides the return of George II to end his reign with his death on 1 April 1947 and Paul takes the throne.

The third period of Reigning Democracy, in a turbulent political scene, finds Paul on the throne until March 1964, when he is succeeded by Konstantinos II, who, after his political skirmishes with Papandreou and the unstable political scene that takes place after the resignation of the latter gives fertile ground for a group of colonels to impose a dictatorial regime on April 21. Konstantinos leaves Greece (along with the then Prime Minister Konstantinos Kollias) on 13 December 1967, after a failed counter-movement against the junta of colonels, and on 1 June 1973, the monarchy is abolished by a drafting law of the Council of Ministers.