List of heads of state of Greece

This is a list of the heads of state of the modern Greek state, from its establishment during the Greek Revolution to the present day.

First Hellenic Republic (1822–1832)

The so-called "First Hellenic Republic" is a conventional historiographical term used by some researchers for the provisional revolutionary Greek administration during the War for Independence against the Ottoman rule.

Hellenic State (1827–1832)

Governor Term of office Political party
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Ioannis Kapodistrias
Ιωάννης Καποδίστριας
(1776–1831)
26 January 1828 27 September 1831
(Assassinated)
3 years, 216 days Russian Party
2 Augustinos Kapodistrias
Αυγουστίνος Καποδίστριας
(1778–1857)
15 March 1832 28 March 1832
(Resigned)
13 days Russian Party

Kingdom of Greece (1832–1924)

House of Wittelsbach (1832–1862)

The London Conference of 1832 was an international conference convened to establish a stable government in Greece. Negotiations between the three Great Powers (United Kingdom, France and Russia) resulted in the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece under a Bavarian Prince. The decisions were ratified in the Treaty of Constantinople later that year.

The convention offered the throne to the Bavarian Prince, Otto. They also established the line of succession which would pass the crown to Otto's descendants, or his younger brothers should he have no issue. It was also decided that in no case there would be a personal union of the crowns of Greece and Bavaria. Otto went on to rule Greece until he was exiled in the 23 October 1862 Revolution.

King Reign Claim
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Reign start Reign end Duration
1 Otto
Όθων
(1815–1867)
27 July 1832
[1]
10 October 1862
(Deposed)
30 years, 149 days Ascended to the throne following the 1832 London Conference

House of Glücksburg (1863–1924)

In October 1862, King Otto was deposed in a popular revolt, but while the Greek people rejected Otto, they did not seem averse to the concept of monarchy per se. Many Greeks, seeking closer ties to the pre-eminent world power, Great Britain, rallied around the idea that Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, could become the next King. British Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston believed that the Greeks were "panting for increase in territory", hoping that the election of Alfred as King would also result in the incorporation of the Ionian Islands, which were then a British protectorate, into an enlarged Greek state.

The London Conference of 1832, however, had prohibited any of the Great Powers' ruling families from accepting the crown of Greece, and in any event, Queen Victoria was adamantly opposed to the idea. Nevertheless, the Greeks insisted on holding a referendum on the issue of the head of state in November 1862. It was the first referendum ever held in Greece.

Prince Alfred turned down the Kingship and Prince William of Denmark, son of Prince Christian of Denmark, was elected by the National Assembly to become King George I of the Hellenes.

  Denotes Regent
King Reign Claim
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Reign start Reign end Duration
2 George I
Γεώργιος A΄
(1845–1913)
30 March 1863 18 March 1913
(Assassinated)
49 years, 353 days Ascended to the throne following the 19 November 1862 referendum
3 Constantine I
Κωνσταντίνος A΄
(1868–1923)
18 March 1913 11 June 1917
(Abdicated)
4 years, 85 days Son of George I
4 Alexander
Αλέξανδρος
(1893–1920)
11 June 1917 12 October 1920 3 years, 136 days Second son of Constantine I
Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis
Παύλος Κουντουριώτης
(1855–1935)
15 October 1920 4 November 1920
(Resigned)
20 days Regent
Queen Olga
Βασίλισσα Όλγα
(1851–1926)
4 November 1920 6 December 1920 32 days Regent
Widow of George I
Mother of Constantine I
(3) Constantine I
Κωνσταντίνος A΄
(1868–1923)
6 December 1920 27 September 1922
(Abdicated)
1 year, 282 days Restored to the throne following the 22 November 1920 referendum
5 George II
Γεώργιος Β΄
(1890–1947)
27 September 1922 25 March 1924
(Deposed)
1 year, 180 days Eldest son of Constantine I

Second Hellenic Republic (1924–1935)

The Second Hellenic Republic was a parliamentary republic which was proclaimed on 25 March 1924 and a referendum was held to abolish the Monarchy. The Second Republic was abolished after the 1935 monarchy referendum.

Status
  Denotes Acting President
President Term of office Political party
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Elected Took office Left office Time in office
1 Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis
Παύλος Κουντουριώτης
(1855–1935)
1924 25 March 1924 15 March 1926
(Resigned)
2 years, 12 days Military
2 Lt. General Theodoros Pangalos
Θεόδωρος Πάγκαλος
(1878–1952)
15 April 1926 18 April 1926 138 days Military
1926 18 April 1926 22 August 1926
(Deposed)
(1) Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis
Παύλος Κουντουριώτης
(1855–1935)
22 August 1926 24 August 1926 3 years, 108 days Military
24 August 1926 9 December 1929
(Resigned)
3 Alexandros Zaimis
Αλέξανδρος Ζαΐμης
(1855–1936)
9 December 1929 14 December 1929 5 years, 304 days Independent
1929
1933
14 December 1929 10 October 1935
(Deposed)

Kingdom of Greece (1935–1973)

House of Glücksburg (1935–1973)

  Denotes Regent
King Reign Claim
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Reign start Reign end Duration
Lt. General Georgios Kondylis
Γεώργιος Κονδύλης
(1878–1936)
10 October 1935 25 November 1935 46 days Regent
(Took power in the 10 October 1935 coup, abolished the republic, and declared himself regent)
(5) George II
Γεώργιος Β΄
(1890–1947)
25 November 1935 31 December 1944 9 years, 36 days Restored to the throne following the 3 November 1935 referendum
Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens
Δαμασκηνός
(1891–1949)
31 December 1944 27 September 1946 1 year, 270 days Regent
(Named regent after the Liberation of Greece, until the conclusion of a referendum on the monarchy)
(5) George II
Γεώργιος Β΄
(1890–1947)
27 September 1946 1 April 1947 186 days Restored to the throne following the 1 September 1946 plebiscite on the monarchy
6 Paul
Παύλος
(1901–1964)
1 April 1947 6 March 1964 16 years, 340 days Third son of Constantine I
Brother of George II
7 Constantine II
Κωνσταντίνος Β΄
(born 1940)
6 March 1964 1 June 1973
(Deposed)
9 years, 87 days Son of Paul
Lt. General Georgios Zoitakis
Γεώργιος Ζωιτάκης
(1910–1996)
13 December 1967 21 March 1972 4 years, 99 days Regent
For Constantine II
(Appointed by the military junta following the failed royal counter-coup of 13 December 1967 and the King's flight to Italy)
Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos
Γεώργιος Παπαδόπουλος
(1919–1999)
21 March 1972 31 May 1973 1 year, 71 days Regent
For Constantine II
(Strongman of the military junta, declared himself regent)

Republic under the Military Junta (1973–1974)

On 1 June 1973 the junta abolished the monarchy and replaced it with a presidential republic. The abolition of the monarchy was approved by a referendum held on 29 July 1973.

President Term of office Political party
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Colonel Georgios Papadopoulos
Γεώργιος Παπαδόπουλος
(1919–1999)
1 June 1973 25 November 1973
(Deposed)
177 days Military
2 Lt. General Phaedon Gizikis
Φαίδων Γκιζίκης
(1917–1999)
25 November 1973 17 December 1974 1 year, 22 days Military

Third Hellenic Republic (1974–present)

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.

Status
  Denotes Acting President
President Term of office Political party Prime Minister(s)
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Elected Took office Left office Time in office
1 Michail Stasinopoulos
Μιχαήλ Στασινόπουλος
(1903–2002)
1974 18 December 1974 19 July 1975 213 days New Democracy Karamanlis
2 Konstantinos Tsatsos
Κωνσταντίνος Τσάτσος
(1899–1987)
1975 19 July 1975 10 May 1980 4 years, 296 days New Democracy Karamanlis
3 Konstantinos Karamanlis
Κωνσταντίνος Καραμανλής
(1907–1998)
1980 10 May 1980 10 March 1985
(Resigned)
4 years, 304 days New Democracy Papandreou
Ioannis Alevras
Ιωάννης Αλευράς
(1912–1995)
10 March 1985 30 March 1985 20 days Panhellenic Socialist Movement Papandreou
4 Christos Sartzetakis
Χρήστος Σαρτζετάκης
(born 1929)
1985 30 March 1985 4 May 1990 5 years, 35 days Independent Papandreou

Tzannetakis

Grivas

Zolotas

(3) Konstantinos Karamanlis
Κωνσταντίνος Καραμανλής
(1907–1998)
1990 5 May 1990 10 March 1995 4 years, 310 days New Democracy Mitsotakis

Papandreou

5 Konstantinos Stephanopoulos
Κωνσταντίνος Στεφανόπουλος
(1926–2016)
1995
2000
10 March 1995 12 March 2005 10 years, 2 days Independent Papandreou

Simitis

6 Karolos Papoulias
Κάρολος Παπούλιας
(born 1929)
2005
2010
12 March 2005 13 March 2015 10 years, 1 day Panhellenic Socialist Movement Karamanlis

Papandreou

Papademos

Pikrammenos

Samaras

Tsipras

7 Prokopis Pavlopoulos
Προκόπης Παυλόπουλος
(born 1950)
2014–15 13 March 2015 13 March 2020 5 years New Democracy Tsipras

Thanou

Tsipras

Mitsotakis

8 Katerina Sakellaropoulou
Κατερίνα Σακελλαροπούλου
(born 1956)
2020 14 March 2020 Incumbent 331 days Independent Mitsotakis

Living former heads of state

There are three living former Greek Presidents and one living former King of the Hellenes:

Head of state titles

State Years Title
First Hellenic Republic 1827–1832 Governor
Kingdom of Greece
(Under Wittelsbach dynasty)
1832–1862 King of Greece
Kingdom of Greece
(Under Glücksburg dynasty)
1863–1924 King of the Hellenes
Second Hellenic Republic 1924–1935 President of the Republic
Kingdom of Greece
(Restored Glücksburg dynasty)
1935–1973 King of the Hellenes
Hellenic Republic
(Military Junta)
1973–1974 President of the Republic
Third Hellenic Republic 1974–present President of the Republic

See also

Notes

  1. Protocol signed in 1832 but landed in Greece on 6 February 1833.
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