This is a list of the

heads of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

of the

modern Greek state The history of modern Greece covers the history of Greece from the recognition by the Great Powers — Britain, France and Russia — of its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1828 to the present day. Background The Byzantine Empire had ...

, from its establishment during the

Greek Revolution The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted b ...

to the present day.

First Hellenic Republic The First Hellenic Republic ( grc-gre, Αʹ Ελληνική Δημοκρατία) was the provisional Greece, Greek state during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire. From 1822 until 1827, it was known as the Provisional Ad ...
(1822–1832)

Provisional Administration of Greece (Presidents of the Executive, 1822–1827)

Hellenic State (1827–1832)

Governing Councils (1832–1833)

Following the resignation of Augustinos Kapodistrias, a series of collective governing councils were established, but their authority was often only nominal.

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label= Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, wh ...
(1832–1924)

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...
(1832–1862)

The

London Conference of 1832 The London Conference of 1832 was an international conference convened to establish a stable government in Greece. Negotiations between the three Great Powers (Britain, France and Russia) resulted in the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece unde ...

was an international conference convened to establish a stable government in Greece. Negotiations between the three

Great power A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power i ...

s (

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

) resulted in the establishment of the

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label= Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, wh ...

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 A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interli ...

of the crowns of Greece and Bavaria. Otto went on to rule Greece until he was exiled in the

23 October 1862 Revolution The 23 October 1862 Revolution was a popular insurrection which led to the overthrow of King Otto of Greece. Starting on 18 October in Vonitsa, it soon spread to other cities and reached Athens on 22 October. Background On 1 February 1862, the f ...

House of Glücksburg The House of Glücksburg (also spelled ''Glücksborg'' or ''Lyksborg''), shortened from House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, is a collateral branch of the German House of Oldenburg, members of which have reigned at various times ...
(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 Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

, rallied around the idea that Prince Alfred, the second son of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

and Prince Albert, could become the next King. British

Foreign Secretary The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwe ...

Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...

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

, 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 A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a Representative democr ...

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 Prince Christian of Denmark, Count of Monpezat (Christian Valdemar Henri John; born 15 October 2005) is a member of the Danish royal family. He is the eldest child of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary. A grandson of Queen Margrethe ...

, was elected by the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...

to become King George I of the Hellenes.

Second Hellenic Republic The Second Hellenic Republic is a modern historiographical term used to refer to the Greek state during a period of republican governance between 1924 and 1935. To its contemporaries it was known officially as the Hellenic Republic ( el, Ἑλ� ...
(1924–1935)

The Second Hellenic Republic was a

parliamentary republic A parliamentary republic is a republic that operates under a parliamentary system of government where the executive branch (the government) derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature (the parliament). There are a number ...

which was proclaimed on 25 March 1924 and a

was held to abolish the Monarchy. The Second Republic was abolished after the 1935 monarchy referendum. ;Status

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label= Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, wh ...
(1935–1973)

House of Glücksburg The House of Glücksburg (also spelled ''Glücksborg'' or ''Lyksborg''), shortened from House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, is a collateral branch of the German House of Oldenburg, members of which have reigned at various times ...
(1935–1973)

Republic A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
under the
Greek junta The Greek junta or Regime of the Colonels, . Also known within Greece as just the Junta ( el, η Χούντα, i Choúnta, links=no, ), the Dictatorship ( el, η Δικτατορία, i Diktatoría, links=no, ) or the Seven Years ( el, η Ε ...
(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 rigged referendum held on 29 July 1973.

Third Hellenic Republic The Third Hellenic Republic ( el, Γ΄ Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Triti Elliniki Dimokratia) is the period in modern Greek history that stretches from 1974, with the fall of the Greek military junta and the final abolition of the Gree ...
(1974–present)

On 24 July 1974, the junta was overthrown and democracy restored. A second

, held on 8 December 1974, confirmed the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the current

, with the President of the Republic as the head of state. ;Status

Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:15 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:130 left:200 AlignBars = late Colors = id:military value:tan2 legend:Military_(non_partisan) id:nd value:blue legend:New_Democracy id:pasok value:kelleygreen legend:Panhellenic_Socialist_Movement_(PASOK) id:ind value:gray(0.8) legend:Independent id:gray1 value:gray(0.8) id:gray2 value:gray(0.9) DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1974 till:31/12/2025 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = gridcolor:gray1 unit:year increment:5 start:1975 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:gray2 unit:year increment:1 start:1975 Legend = columns:1 left:205 top:35 columnwidth:75 TextData = pos:(25,30) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:"Political parties:" BarData = bar:Gizikis bar:Stasinopoulos bar:Tsatsos bar:Karamanlis bar:Alevras bar:Sartzetakis bar:Stephanopoulos bar:Papoulias bar:Pavlopoulos bar:Sakellaropoulou PlotData= width:8 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till bar:Gizikis from: 24/07/1974 till: 17/12/1974 color:military text:" Gizikis" fontsize:10 bar:Stasinopoulos from: 18/12/1974 till: 19/07/1975 color:nd text:" Stasinopoulos" fontsize:10 bar:Tsatsos from: 19/07/1975 till: 10/05/1980 color:nd text:" Tsatsos" fontsize:10 bar:Karamanlis from: 10/05/1980 till: 10/03/1985 color:nd from: 05/05/1990 till: 10/03/1995 color:nd text:" Karamanlis" fontsize:10 bar:Alevras from: 10/05/1985 till: 30/05/1985 color:pasok text:" Alevras" fontsize:10 bar:Sartzetakis from: 30/05/1985 till: 04/05/1990 color:ind text:" Sartzetakis" fontsize:10 bar:Stephanopoulos from: 10/03/1995 till: 12/03/2005 color:ind text:"

Stephanopoulos Stephanopoulos () is a Greek surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andreas Stephanopoulos (1860–1938), Greek politician * Christos Stephanopoulos (1853–1918), Greek politician * Costis Stephanopoulos (1926-2016), Greek politici ...

" fontsize:10 bar:Papoulias from: 12/03/2005 till: 13/03/2015 color:pasok text:" Papoulias" fontsize:10 bar:Pavlopoulos from: 13/03/2015 till: 13/03/2020 color:nd text:" Pavlopoulos" fontsize:10 bar:Sakellaropoulou from: 13/03/2020 till: end color:ind text:" Sakellaropoulou" fontsize:10

Living former heads of state

There is one living former Greek President and one living former King of the Hellenes: File:King Constantine.jpg, File:Vladimir Putin and Prokopis Pavlopoulos (2016-01-15) 02 (cropped).jpg,

Head of state titles

Notes

External links

List of Greek heads of state and government

The President of the Hellenic Republic

Greek Royal Family
{{Heads of state of Greece

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

* * *

Heads of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

First Hellenic Republic The First Hellenic Republic ( grc-gre, Αʹ Ελληνική Δημοκρατία) was the provisional Greece, Greek state during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire. From 1822 until 1827, it was known as the Provisional Ad ... (1822–1832)

Provisional Administration of Greece (Presidents of the Executive, 1822–1827)

Hellenic State (1827–1832)

Governing Councils (1832–1833)

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label= Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, wh ... (1832–1924)

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ... (1832–1862)

House of Glücksburg The House of Glücksburg (also spelled ''Glücksborg'' or ''Lyksborg''), shortened from House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, is a collateral branch of the German House of Oldenburg, members of which have reigned at various times ... (1863–1924)

Second Hellenic Republic The Second Hellenic Republic is a modern historiographical term used to refer to the Greek state during a period of republican governance between 1924 and 1935. To its contemporaries it was known officially as the Hellenic Republic ( el, Ἑλ� ... (1924–1935)

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label= Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, wh ... (1935–1973)

House of Glücksburg The House of Glücksburg (also spelled ''Glücksborg'' or ''Lyksborg''), shortened from House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, is a collateral branch of the German House of Oldenburg, members of which have reigned at various times ... (1935–1973)

Third Hellenic Republic The Third Hellenic Republic ( el, Γ΄ Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Triti Elliniki Dimokratia) is the period in modern Greek history that stretches from 1974, with the fall of the Greek military junta and the final abolition of the Gree ... (1974–present)