Kingdom of Greece

Kingdom of Greece
Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος Vasíleion tīs Elládos
1832–1924 1935–1941 1944-1973
Flag (after 1822–1970) Coat of arms (1936–73)
Motto Elefthería ī́ Thánatos Ἐλευθερία ἢ Θάνατος "Freedom or Death"
Anthem Ýmnos eis tīn Eleftherían Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν "Hymn to Freedom"
The Kingdom of Greece in 1973.
Capital		Nafplio (1832–1834) Athens (1834–1973)
Languages		Greek (Katharevousa officially, Demotic Greek popularly)
Religion		Greek Orthodox
Government		Absolute monarchy (1832–1843) Parliamentary constitutional monarchy (1843–1924, 1944–1967) Authoritarian state (1936–1941)
King
•	1832–1862	Otto (first)
•	1964–1973	Constantine II (last)
Prime Minister
•	1833	Spyridon Trikoupis (first)
•	1967–1973	Georgios Papadopoulos (last)
Historical era		Modern
•	London Protocol	30 August 1832
•	Constitution granted	3 September 1843
•	Second Republic	25 March 1924
•	Monarchy restored	3 November 1935
•	Axis occupation	April 1941 October 1944
•	Military Junta	April 21, 1967 July 23, 1974
•	abolishment by Papadopoulos, 1973	1 July 1973
Area
•	1920	173,779 km² (67,096 sq mi)
•	1973	131,990 km² (50,962 sq mi)
Population
•	1920 est.	7,156,000
•	1971 est.	8,768,372
Currency		Greek drachma (₯)
Preceded by Succeeded by First Hellenic Republic United States of the Ionian Islands Principality of Samos Second Hellenic Republic Free State of Ikaria Cretan State Italian Islands of the Aegean Hellenic State (1941–44) Second Hellenic Republic Hellenic State (1941–44) Greek military junta of 1967–74

The Kingdom of Greece (Greek: Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος, Vasíleion tīs Elládos) was a state established in 1832 at the Convention of London by the Great Powers (the United Kingdom, France and the Russian Empire). It was internationally recognized by the Treaty of Constantinople, where it also secured full independence from the Ottoman Empire. This event also marked the birth of the first, fully independent, Greek state since the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottomans in the mid-15th century.

The Kingdom succeeded from the Greek provisional governments after the Greek War of Independence, and lasted until 1924. In 1924 the monarchy was abolished, and the Second Hellenic Republic was established. The restored Kingdom of Greece lasted from 1935 to 1973. The Kingdom was again dissolved in the aftermath of the seven-year military dictatorship, and the Third Republic, the current Greek government, came to be.

Most of Greece gradually became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. The Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire, the direct continuation to the ancient Roman Empire who ruled most of the Greek-speaking world for over 1100 years, had been fatally weakened since the sacking of Constantinople by the Latin Crusaders in 1204.