Athens in History

Founds the Duchy of Athens

Founds the Duchy of Athens

Rules under the Regency of 3 Bavarian advisers

Alexandros Mavrokordatos begins his first premiership under King Otto.

Athens is freed from Turkish rule & a Greek nation state is founded

The National Assembly elects Otto, 2nd son of the King of Bavaria, King of Greece

The National Assembly elects Otto, 2nd son of the King of Bavaria, King of Greece

The royal government designates Athens as the capital of Greece.

Otto reaches legal majority and assumes direct control from the regency.

Otto agrees to summon a National Assembly following the September uprising.

A military and popular uprising compels King Otto to accept constitutional government.

Kolettis forms a ministry under the new constitutional monarchy.

The National Assembly completes Greece's first constitution under the monarchy.

A provisional government assumes authority after the overthrow of King Otto.

Succeeds as King of Greece

The National Assembly elects Prince William of Denmark as King George I.

George I arrives in Athens to begin his reign.

George I promulgates a constitution restoring popular sovereignty and a unicameral parliament.

Antonios Kriezis dies in Athens in 1865.

Marries Olga, Grand Duchess & niece of the Tsar of Russia

Birth of Constantine I, eldest son of George I

Trikoupis forms his first government and promotes responsible parliamentary rule.

The Crown accepts that governments should command the confidence of Parliament.

Marries Sophia, sister of Kaiser William II

Birth of Alexander, 2nd son of Constantine & Sophia

Trikoupis acknowledges that the government cannot meet its debt obligations.

Birth of Helena, 3rd child of Constantine & Sophia

Rallis forms a government during the military and financial crisis of 1897.

Birth of Paul I, 4th child of Constantine & Sophia

Birth of Eirene, 5th child of Constantine & Sophia

The Military League invites Venizelos to advise on political and constitutional reform.

Venizelos persuades the Military League to pursue reform through constitutional politics.

Venizelos directs reforms that modernise the constitution and public administration.

Venizelos advocates revision of the constitution and election of a revisionary assembly.

Venizelos supports elections for a National Assembly to revise the constitutional system.

The Military League dissolves after accepting Venizelos's constitutional programme.

Venizelos forms his first national government after entering Greek politics.

The government completes reforms strengthening rights, courts, administration and compulsory education.

Venizelos wins an overwhelming parliamentary mandate for his reform programme.

Joins Bulgaria in a treaty against Ottoman power.

Supports alliance with Serbia against Bulgaria.

Settles peace terms with the Ottoman Empire.

Venizelos resigns after disagreement with Constantine I over participation in the war.

The Liberal Party wins elections while conflict with the monarchy continues.

Constantine dismisses Venizelos after renewed disagreement over Allied military operations.

Greek royalist troops attack an Allied landing party

The Allies occupy Athens to counter Constantines support for the Central Powers

Succeeds as King of Greece

Allied pressure forces Constantine to leave the throne and depart Greece.

Alexander succeeds his father as king during the National Schism.

Abdicates in favour of his younger son Alexander

The reunited government formally joins the Allied war effort.

Marries Aspasia Manos

Constantine I returns to Greece after the defeat of Venizrlos at the election

Constantine I returns to Greece after the defeat of Venizrlos at the election

Supports Greek participation in the postwar League system.

Succeeds as King of Greece, restored after a plebiscite

Succeeds as King of Greece, restored after a plebiscite

Succeeds as King of Greece, restored after a plebiscite

Refused the crown after the death of his brother Alexander

A referendum and political change restore Constantine I to the throne.

Marries King Carol of Romania

League agencies assist refugee settlement after the Asia Minor disaster.

Succeeds as King of Greece

Military officers establish a revolutionary committee after the Asia Minor defeat.

Abdicates for the 2nd time after the Greek defeat by Turkey

George II succeeds Constantine I during the revolutionary crisis.

Constantine abdicates following the military revolution and leaves Greece.

Spends the years 1923-35 in exile

Greek refugee settlement becomes a major League concern.

Gonatas's government accepts the settlement defining Greece's postwar frontiers.

Greece appeals after Italy occupies Corfu.

League-backed finance supports Greek refugee settlement.

The National Assembly abolishes the monarchy and proclaims the Second Hellenic Republic.

Pangalos seizes power and establishes a military dictatorship.

Greek troops enter Bulgaria after a border clash.

Pangalos is overthrown by forces led by Georgios Kondylis.

Kondylis leads the coup that removes Pangalos and restores parliamentary government.

The republic adopts a constitution establishing an elected president and parliamentary cabinet.

George II returns as king after restoration of the monarchy.

The Greek monarchy is restored when George II becomes King for a 2nd time

Kondylis removes the republican government and prepares restoration of the monarchy.

King George II appoints Metaxas Prime Minister after political deadlock.

King George II appoints Ioannis Metaxas to form a government.

Metaxas establishes an authoritarian regime with the support of King George II.

George II supports Metaxas's suspension of parliamentary government.

Metaxas suspends constitutional government and establishes the Fourth of August regime.

Marries Princess Frederica of Brunswick

Metaxas rejects Italy's ultimatum and Greece enters the Second World War.

Koryzis becomes Prime Minister after the death of Ioannis Metaxas.

Tsouderos forms a government as German forces advance into Greece.

Papandreou and the national government return after German withdrawal.

George II returns to Greece following a referendum on the monarchy.

Succeeds as King of Greece

Paul succeeds his brother George II as King of Greece.

The government announces the end of major organised communist resistance.

Plastiras forms a coalition government after an inconclusive election.

Papagos's government presides over Greece's accession to NATO.

Greece & Turkey are admitted to NATO

Papagos forms a majority government after the Greek Rally wins the election.

Karamanlis succeeds Papagos and forms a new government.

Karamanlis founds the conservative National Radical Union.

Karamanlis resigns after conflict with King Paul and leaves Greece.

Greece raises military preparedness during severe tension with Turkey over Cyprus.

Succeeds as King of Greece

Death of Paul I

Papandreou rejects direct bilateral talks while seeking an international settlement for Cyprus.

Papandreou's government supports diplomatic efforts to halt fighting in Cyprus.

Greece withdraws her units from NATO

Overthrown & arrested by a right wing coup

Constitutional rule is suspended

Helps a coup placing Brigadier General Styliano Patakos in power. Constitutional rule is suspended. Arrests George Papanreou & his son Andreas

Papandreou calls for international opposition to the Greek military regime.

The military regime releases Andreas Papandreou following international pressure.

Karamanlis founds the New Democracy political party.

Karamanlis returns from exile and forms a government of national unity.

Karamanlis withdraws Greece from NATO's integrated military command after the Cyprus crisis.

The new constitution establishes Greece as a presidential parliamentary republic.

Signs Greece's accession treaty as the minister responsible for national economic affairs.

Signs Greece's accession treaty as Foreign Minister alongside Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis.

Signs Greece's Treaty of Accession to the European Communities at the Zappeion in Athens.

Serves as Foreign Minister when Parliament approves Greece's accession treaty.

Leads the government when the Greek Parliament ratifies the accession treaty.

Greece becomes a member of the European Communities during Rallis's premiership.

Heads the government when Greece becomes the tenth member of the European Communities.

Serves as president when Greece enters the European Communities as their tenth member state.

Heads Greece when the accession treaty enters into force and the country becomes the tenth Community member.

Serves as Foreign Minister when Greece's membership of the European Communities formally begins.

Papandreou takes the Community chair as Greece assumes responsibility for its first six-month Council Presidency.

Hosts the European Council as leaders confront unresolved disputes over spending, agriculture and budget contributions.

Heads the Greek government when the Single European Act enters into force.

Serves as Foreign Minister when the Single European Act begins operating.

Greece returns to the Council chair under Papandreou, giving Athens responsibility for steering the Community agenda through December.

Andreas Papandreou goes on trial on corruption-related charges and is later acquitted.

Serves as Foreign Minister when Greece becomes a member of the newly established European Union.

Heads the Greek government when the Maastricht Treaty enters into force and the European Union is established.

Begins Greece's third rotating Council Presidency and its first under the European Union.

Papoulias coordinates ministerial diplomacy during Greece's 1994 Presidency, which culminates in the Corfu summit.

Papandreou resigns as Prime Minister because of serious illness.

Heads the government when the drachma enters the European Monetary System exchange-rate mechanism.

Oversees economic policy as the drachma joins the exchange-rate mechanism with a central rate of 357 per ECU.

Amsterdam's institutional reforms become legally effective while Simitis leads the Greek government.

Leads Greece as it requests removal of its monetary-union derogation and seeks entry into the euro area.

Greece enters the euro area under Simitis, becoming its twelfth participating state.

Parliament completes an extensive consensual revision of constitutional rights and institutions.

Greece introduces euro cash after joining the euro area.

Oversees the physical currency changeover from the drachma to euro notes and coins.

Heads the Greek government when euro banknotes and coins replace the drachma in everyday use.

Begins Greece's fourth rotating Council Presidency with enlargement and Balkan integration among its priorities.

Papandreou steers foreign-policy work during the 2003 Greek Presidency, including enlargement and Western Balkan priorities.

Participates as ten accession countries sign their treaties during the Greek Presidency.

Hosts an informal European Council during the Greek Presidency as leaders discuss the future of Europe.

Simitis hosts the Athens ceremony as Greece holds the Council Presidency during the historic enlargement agreement.

Karamanlis becomes Prime Minister after winning the parliamentary election.

Heads the Greek government when ten new member states join the European Union.

Papoulias takes office as President of the Hellenic Republic.

Parliament completes a limited revision of the constitution.

Papandreou becomes Prime Minister after PASOK wins the general election.

Lisbon's institutional reforms become binding across the Union while Papandreou serves as Greek prime minister.

Papademos forms a coalition government during the sovereign debt crisis.

Pikrammenos leads a caretaker government before the June election.

Samaras forms a coalition government after the second election of 2012.

Tsipras becomes Prime Minister after SYRIZA wins the January election.

Thanou becomes Greece's first female Prime Minister and leads a caretaker government.

Tsipras returns as Prime Minister after winning the September election.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis becomes Prime Minister after New Democracy wins the election.

Mitsotakis forms a New Democracy government after the July election.

Parliament elects Sakellaropoulou as Greece's first female head of state.

Sakellaropoulou takes office as President of the Hellenic Republic.

Mitsotakis's government imposes nationwide restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sarmas leads a caretaker government between the May and June elections.

Mitsotakis begins a second premiership after New Democracy wins the June election.

Parliament elects Tassoulas President of the Hellenic Republic.

Tassoulas assumes office as President of the Hellenic Republic.