General Notes

Constantine I, b. Aug. 2, 1868, d. Jan. 11, 1923, became king of Greece in
March 1913 after the assassination of his father, George I. During World War I
he advocated the maintenance of Greece's neutrality and was accused of
pro-German sentiments by his political critics, led by Eleutherios Venizelos,
who favored Greek entry into the war on the side of Britain and France. In
June 1917 these two powers forced Constantine to abandon his throne to his
son, Alexander. Venizelos was reinstated as prime minister, and Greece soon
entered the war on the Allied side.

After the death of Alexander in October 1920 and the unexpected electoral
defeat of Venizelos and his Liberal party in November 1920, a plebiscite on
December 5 restored Constantine to the throne. Greece's defeat by Turkey in
Anatolia forced him to abdicate in September 1922.