This is a timeline of modern Greek history.

Greek War of Independence (1821–1828)

*1821, 21 February: Revolt of

Greek War of Independence 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. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

declared by

Alexandros Ypsilantis Alexandros Ypsilantis (12 December 1792 – 31 January 1828) was a Greek nationalist politician who was member of a prominent Phanariot Greek family, a prince of the Danubian Principalities, a senior officer of the Imperial Russian cavalry d ...

in Wallachia (Iaşi). *1821, 25 March: According to tradition, Metropolitan Germanos of Patras blesses a big Greek flag at the Monastery of Agia Lavra in Peloponnesia and proclaims to people assembled the beginning of a Greek Revolution.

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

declares its independence. Beginning of the

. *1821, 10 April,

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

Monday: Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople Alyssa central outside portal of the Patriarchate by the Turks. The door has remained shut and out of use ever since *1821, 17 April: Former Ecumenical Patriarch Cyril VI is hanged in the gate of the

Adrianople Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...

's cathedral *1821, 4 April: Constantine Mourousis, Dimitrios Paparigopoulos and Antonios Tsouras are decapitated by the Ottomans in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

*1821, 5 April: The

Phanariotes Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots (, , ) were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is located, who traditionally occupied ...

Petros Tsigris, Dimitrios Skanavis and Manuel Hotzeris are decapitated by the Turks, while Georgios

Mavrocordatos The House of Mavrokordatos (), variously also Mavrocordato, Mavrocordatos, Mavrocordat, Mavrogordato or Maurogordato, is the name of a family of Phanariot Greeks originally from Chios, in which a branch rose to a princely rank and was distinguishe ...

is hanged by the Sultan forces in Constantinople *1821, 23–24 April:

Battle of Alamana The Battle of Alamana was fought between the Greeks and the Ottoman Empire on 22 April 1821, during the Greek War of Independence. Battle After the fall of Livadeia on 1 April 1821 to a contingent of Greek fighters under the command of Athanasi ...

. After the Greek defeat,

Athanasios Diakos Athanasios Nikolaos Massavetas or Grammatikos (; 1788 – 24 April 1821) also known as Athanasios Diakos () was a Greek military commander during the Greek War of Independence, considered a venerable national hero in Greece. Early life Athan ...

is impaled on a spit. *1821, 4 May: Metropolitans Gregorios of Derkon, Dorotheos of Adrianople, Ioannikios of

Tyrnavos Tyrnavos () is a municipality in the Larissa regional unit, of the Thessaly region of Greece. It is the second-largest town of the Larissa regional unit, after Larissa. The town is near the mountains and the Thessalian Plain. The river Titarisios ...

, Joseph of

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

, and the

Phanariote Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots (, , ) were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is located, who traditionally occupied ...

Georgios Callimachi and Nikolaos Mourousis are decapitated on Sultan's orders in

*1821, May: The Turkish governor Yusuf Bey orders his men to kill every Greek in

that they find. The killings last for days, with the metropolitan and major notables among the victims *1821, 2 June: Destruction of Kydonies in

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

by the Ottoman army. Tens of thousands of Greek inhabitants become refugees *1821, 24 June: The massacre of

Heraklion Heraklion or Herakleion ( ; , , ), sometimes Iraklion, is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in G ...

or 'the great ravage' occurs against the Greek community in

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

. Among the victims are the metropolitan of Crete and bishops *1821, 9 July: The chief of the

Cypriot Orthodox Church The Church of Cyprus () is one of the autocephalous Greek Orthodox churches that together with other Eastern Orthodox churches form the communion of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is one of the oldest Eastern Orthodox autocephalous churches; ...

Archbishop

Kyprianos Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus () was the head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church in the early 19th century at the time that the Greek War of Independence broke out. Kyprianos was born in (the then village of) Strovolos in 1756. He served as a monk ...

, along with 486 prominent Greek Cypriots, amongst them the Metropolitans Chrysanthos of

Paphos Paphos, also spelled as Pafos, is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: #Old Paphos, Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and #New Paphos, New Paphos. It i ...

, Meletios of

Kition Kition (Ancient Greek: , ; Latin: ; Egyptian: ; Phoenician: , , or , ;) was an ancient Phoenician and Greek city-kingdom on the southern coast of Cyprus (in present-day Larnaca), one of the Ten city-kingdoms of Cyprus. Name The name of the ...

and Lavrentios of

Kyrenia Kyrenia is a city on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbour and castle. It is under the '' de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus. While there is evidence showing that the wider region of Kyrenia has been populated before, ...

, are executed by beheading or hanging by the Turks in

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

*1821, July: Küçük Mehmet carries out several days of massacres of Greek Cypriots in Cyprus since July 9 and continues on for forty days, despite the Vizier's command to end the plundering since 20 July 1821 *1821, 11 September:

Tripolitsa Tripoli (; ) is a city in the central part of the Peloponnese, in Greece. It is the capital of the Peloponnese region as well as of the regional unit of Arcadia. The homonymous municipality had 44,165 inhabitants in 2021. Etymology In the Mid ...

captured by the Greeks, who proceed to eliminate the Turkish garrison, officials and civilians. A total of about 30,000 people perish. *1821, 15 October: Turkish Cypriot mobs hang most of the Greek Cypriots in

Larnaca Larnaca, also spelled Larnaka, is a city on the southeast coast of Cyprus and the capital of the Larnaca District, district of the same name. With a district population of 155.000 in 2021, it is the third largest city in the country after Nicosi ...

and other towns, among them an archbishop, five bishops, thirty six ecclesiastics *1822, 9 April: After a month's resistance, the city of Naousa is captured by Abdul Abud, devastating the city and massacring its Greek population. Ending of the Greek revolution in Macedonia. *1822: The Chios massacre occurs. A total of about 100,000 people perish, mostly Greeks. *1822, 26 July, Battle at Dervenakia. A decisive victory of the Greeks which saved the revolution. *1823, 18 January:

Nafplio Nafplio or Nauplio () is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important tourist destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the Middle Ages du ...

becomes the site of the Revolutionary Government. *1823, March: The

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into one sovereign state, established by the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801. It continued in this form until ...

, represented by

George Canning George Canning (; 11 April 17708 August 1827) was a British Tory statesman. He held various senior cabinet positions under numerous prime ministers, including two important terms as foreign secretary, finally becoming Prime Minister of the U ...

, recognizes the Greeks as a ''nation at war'', thus recognizing ''de facto'' the Greek Independence. *1824, 7–8 June: The civilization of the island of

Kasos Kasos (; , ), also Casos, is a Greek island municipality in the Dodecanese. It is the southernmost island in the Aegean Sea, and is part of the regional unit Karpathos-Kasos. The capital of the island is Fri. , its population was 1,223. ...

is completely destroyed by the Turkish-Egyptian forces of

Hussein Rushdi Pasha Hussein Pasha Roshdy GCMG (1863–1928) () was an Egyptian political figure of Turkish origin who served as Prime Minister of Egypt between 1914 and 1919. Biography Born in family origins of which are in Kavala. His great grandfather Topuzoglo ...

. About 7,000 people perish. *1824, 21 June: More than 15,000 Greeks of

Psara Psara (, , ; known in ancient times as /, /) is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Together with the small island of Antipsara (population 4) it forms the municipality of Psara. It is part of the Chios regional unit, which is part of the North A ...

are slaughtered by the forces of

Koca Hüsrev Mehmed Pasha Koca Hüsrev Mehmed Pasha (also known as Koca Hüsrev Pasha; sometimes known in Western sources as just Husrev Pasha or Khosrew Pasha;Inalcık, Halil. Trans. by Gibb, H.A.R. ''The Encyclopaedia of Islam'', New Ed., Vol. V, Fascicules 79–80, pp ...

. *1824: The First Siege of Missolonghi occurs. *1825, 22 May:

Laskarina Bouboulina Laskarina Pinotsi, commonly known as Bouboulina (; 1771 – 22 May 1825), was a Greek naval commander in the Greek War of Independence in 1821, considered the first woman to attain the rank of admiral. Bouboulina was born in Constantinople in 17 ...

is assassinated in

Spetses Spetses (, "Pityussa") is an island in Attica, Greece. It is counted among the Saronic Islands group. Until 1948, it was part of the old prefecture of Argolis and Corinthia Prefecture, which is now split into Argolis and Corinthia. In ancient ...

. *1825, 5 June:

Odysseas Androutsos Odysseas Androutsos (; 1788–1790 – 1825; born Odysseas Verousis ) was a Greek armatolos in eastern continental Greece and a prominent figure of the Greek War of Independence. Born in Ithaca (island), Ithaca, the son of an Arvanites, Arva ...

is assassinated in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. *1825, 22 June: Ibrahim Pasha retakes

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

, kills the Greek population and destroys the city and its walls. *1825, 6 November: Beginning of the

Third Siege of Missolonghi The third siege of Missolonghi (, often erroneously referred to as the second siege) was fought in the Greek War of Independence, between the Ottoman Empire and the Greek rebels, from 15 April 1825 to 10 April 1826. The Ottomans had already trie ...

. *1826, 10–11 April: The Sortie of Missolonghi occurs. Approximately 8,000 Greek soldiers and civilians perish. *1826, 24 June: Battle of Vergas. *1826, 11 November: Prime Minister Andreas Zaimis transfers the site of the government to

Aegina Aegina (; ; ) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina (mythology), Aegina, the mother of the mythological hero Aeacus, who was born on the island and became its king. ...

. *1827, 22–24 April: Battle of Phaleron.

Georgios Karaiskakis Georgios Karaiskakis (), born Georgios Karaiskos (; 1782–1827), was a Greek military commander and a leader of the Greek War of Independence. Early life Karaiskakis was a Sarakatsani. His father was the armatolos of the Valtos district, D ...

is killed in action. *1827, July 6: Signing of the Treaty of London. *1827, 20 October:

Battle of Navarino The Battle of Navarino was a naval battle fought on 20 October (O.S. 8 October) 1827, during the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829), in Navarino Bay (modern Pylos), on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Ionian Sea. Allied ...

. *1828, 24 January:

John Capodistria Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (; February 1776 –27 September 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias, was a Greek statesman who was one of the most distinguished politicians and diplomats of 19th-century Europe. Kapodistrias' ...

is elected Governor of Greece. *1828, 31 January:

Alexander Ypsilantis Alexandros Ypsilantis (12 December 1792 – 31 January 1828) was a Greek nationalist politician who was member of a prominent Phanariot Greeks, Phanariot Greek family, a prince of the Danubian Principalities, a senior officer of the Imperial R ...

dies in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

First Hellenic Republic (1828–1832)

The First Hellenic Republic (Greek: Αʹ Ελληνική Δημοκρατία) is a historiographic term used for a series of councils and "Provisional Governments" during the Greek War of Independence. During the first stages of the rebellion, various areas elected their own regional governing councils. These were replaced by the united administration at the First National Assembly of Epidaurus during early 1822, which also adopted the first Greek Constitution. A series of National Assemblies ensued, while Greece was threatened with collapse due to civil war and the victories of Ibrahim Pasha. In 1827, the Third National Assembly at Troezen selected Count

Ioannis Kapodistrias Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (; February 1776 –27 September 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias, was a Greek statesman who was one of the most distinguished politicians and diplomats of 19th-century Europe. Kapodistrias's ...

as Governor of Greece for seven years. He arrived in 1828 and established the Hellenic State, commanding with quasi-dictatorial powers. He was assassinated by political rivals in 1831 and was succeeded by his brother,

Augustinos Kapodistrias Count Augustinos Ioannis Maria Kapodistrias (; 1778–1857) was a Greek soldier and politician. He was born in Corfu

until the Great Powers declared Greece a Kingdom and selected the Bavarian Prince

Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants '' Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fr ...

to be its king.

Kingdom of Greece (1832–1924)

Reign of King Otto (1832–1862)

*1843, 3 September: Military coup and revolution caused by the King's refusal to grant a constitution. King Otto agrees to convene a

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 repr ...

to prepare a constitution. *1843, 15 September:

Andreas Metaxas Andreas Metaxas (; 179019 September 1860) was a Greek politician, fighter of the Greek War of Independence and diplomat from Cephalonia. He was prime minister of Greece from 3 September 1843 to 16 February 1844. Some military leaders of the revo ...

becomes the first Constitutional Prime Minister of Greece. *1844, March 18: The

Greek Constitution of 1844 The first constitution of the Kingdom of Greece was the Greek Constitution of 1844. On 3 September 1843, the military garrison of Athens, with the help of citizens, rebelled and demanded from King Otto the concession of a Constitution. The ...

is voted into effect. *1850, 4 January: Pacifico incident. Blockade of the port of Piraeus by the British fleet. *1854, 14 May: Anglo-French occupation of Piraeus to ensure Greek neutrality during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, although a Greek volunteer battalion participates in the Siege of Sevastopol.

Cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

epidemic begins in the capital, transmitted by the foreign troops. *1861: Assassination attempt against Queen Amalia. *1862, 10 October:

Military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

. Otto leaves the throne and the country.

Reign of King George I (1863–1913)

*1863: Prince William of Denmark becomes the new King of the Hellenes, as George I. *1864, 2 May: Britain donates the

Ionian Islands The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a archipelago, group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , ''Heptanēsa'' or , ''Heptanē ...

to Greece, as coronation gift to King George I. *1864: Assassination attempt against

Alexandros Koumoundouros Alexandros Koumoundouros (; 4 February 1815 – 26 February 1883) was a Greek politician and founder of the Nationalist Party, who served as Prime Minister of Greece ten times, from 1865 to 1867, 1870 to 1871, and from 1875 to 1882. Born in Kamp ...

. *1864, 7 August: Greece has a new constitution which establishes a

Constitutional Monarchy Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. ...

. *1864, 28 November: New constitution, unicameral assembly and constitutional monarchy created. *1866: Beginning of the Great Cretan Revolution (1866–1869). The exiled King Otto donates most of his fortune for the cause. *1877, 2 September: Hero of the War of Independence and current Prime Minister

Konstantinos Kanaris Konstantinos Kanaris (, ; c. 1790Treaty of Berlin.

Eastern Rumelia Eastern Rumelia (; ; ) was an autonomous province (''oblast'' in Bulgarian, ''vilayet'' in Turkish) of the Ottoman Empire with a total area of , which was created in 1878 by virtue of the Treaty of Berlin (1878), Treaty of Berlin and ''de facto'' ...

becomes autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire. *1878, Summer: Cretan rebellion, halted speedily by British intervention. *1880–1920: Approximately 400,000 Greeks emigrate to America due to widespread unemployment and economic problems.C. Moskos. ''"The Greeks in the United States."'' In: R. Clogg (cd.). The Greek Diaspora in the Twentieth Century. St. Martin's Press, New York, 1999. p.105. *1881, 3 April: Earthquake strikes Chios. 3,550 people are reported dead. *1881:

Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...

becomes part of Greece. *1882, 3 March: Prime Minister

resigns. *1885, May: Prime Minister

Theodoros Deligiannis Theodoros Diligiannis (also transliterated as Deligiannis;Konstantinos Apostolou Vakalopoulos, ''Modern History of Macedonia (1830-1912)'', Barbounakis, 1988, p. 95. ; 1826–1905) was a Greek politician, minister and member of the Greek Parlia ...

mobilizes the Greek Army in accordance with the Bulgarian revolt. Fearing modification of the Treaty of Berlin, the British Royal Navy blockades Greece. *1885, 6 September: Bloodless revolution in Eastern Rumelia and unification of the province with Bulgaria. *1893: Completion of the

Corinth Canal The Corinth Canal () is a canal in Greece that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. Completed in 1893, it cuts through the narrow Isthmus of Corinth and "separates" the Peloponnese peninsula fro ...

. *1894, 27 April:

Earthquakes An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they c ...

occur in

Atalanti Atalanti ( ''Atalantē'') is the second largest town in Phthiotis, Greece. It is located southeast of Lamia (city), Lamia, north of Livadeia and northwest of Chalcis. In 2011, it was incorporated into the municipality of Lokroi (mu ...

. 255 people are dead. *1896, 6 April: Opening ceremonies of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens. *1897, January: Cretan Rebellion. Greece refuses a Turkish offer of an autonomous administration in Crete and mobilizes for war. *1897, 25 February: Greece refuses to withdraw the Greek volunteers from Crete. The Great Powers announce a blockade of Greece. *1897, 17 April: The Ottoman Empire declares war against Greece.

Greco-Turkish War (1897) The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 or the Ottoman-Greek War of 1897 ( or ), also called the Thirty Days' War and known in Greece as the Black '97 (, ''Mauro '97'') or the Unfortunate War (), was a war fought between the Kingdom of Greece and the O ...

. *1897, 27 April: Greece loses the war, agrees to surrender Crete to international administration, to make minor territorial concessions in Thessaly in favor of the Turks and to pay a large indemnity. *1898: Creation of the

Cretan State The Cretan State (; ) was an autonomous state governing the island of Crete from 1898 to 1913, under ''de jure'' suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire but with ''de facto'' independence secured by European Great Powers. In 1897, the Cretan Revolt (18 ...

. *1904: Beginning of the

Greek Struggle for Macedonia The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts that were mainly fought between Greek and Bulgarian subjects who lived in Ottoman Macedonia between 1893 and 1912. From 1904 to 1908 the conflict was p ...

. *1904, 13 October:

Pavlos Melas Pavlos Melas (; 29 March 1870 – 13 October 1904) was a Greek revolutionary and artillery officer of the Hellenic Army. He participated in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and was amongst the first Greek officers to join the Macedonian Struggle. ...

is killed in

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

. *1905, 13 June: Assassination of Prime Minister Theodoros Deligiannis. *1908: Cretan deputies declare unilateral union with Greece. *1910, January: The

Military League The Goudi coup () was a military coup d'état by a group of military officers that took place on the night of , at the barracks in Goudi, located on the eastern outskirts of Athens, Greece. The coup was pivotal in modern Greek history, ending th ...

forces Parliament and King George I to summon a National Assembly to revise the Constitution of Greece. *1910, March 6: A protest in

Kileler Kileler (, between 1919 and 1985: Κυψέλη - ''Kypseli''EETAA local government changes< ...

by the serfs of

for agricultural reform is violently suppressed by the Army. *1910, 2 October:

Eleftherios Venizelos Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos (, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Cretan State, Cretan Greeks, Greek statesman and prominent leader of the Greek national liberation movement. As the leader of the Liberal Party (Greece), Liberal Party, Venizelos ser ...

becomes Prime Minister of Greece.

First Balkan War

*1912, 8 October: The members states of the

Balkan League The League of the Balkans was a quadruple alliance formed by a series of bilateral treaties concluded in 1912 between the Eastern Orthodox kingdoms of Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro, and directed against the Ottoman Empire, which still ...

, after issuing ultimata, declare war on Turkey. Beginning of the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

. *1912, 22 October: Greek victory at the

Battle of Sarantaporo The Battle of Sarantaporo, also variously transliterated as Sarantaporon or Sarandaporon (, ), took place on 9–10 October, 1912. It was the first major battle fought between Greek forces under Crown Prince Constantine and Ottoman forces un ...

. *1912, 1 November: Greek victory at the

Battle of Giannitsa The Battle of Yenidje, also transliterated as Yenice (, Battle of Giannitsa), was a major battle between Kingdom of Greece, Greek forces under Crown Prince Constantine I of Greece, Constantine and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman forces under General Ha ...

. *1912, 6–12 November: Greek victory at the Battle of Pente Pigadia. *1912, 9 November: The Greek army enters

. Most of southern

is occupied by Greece. *1912, 15 November: A Greek division marching towards Monastir is thrown back at the Battle of Vevi. *1912, 16 December: Greek victory at the

Naval Battle of Elli The Battle of Elli (, ) or the Battle of the Dardanelles took place near the mouth of the Dardanelles on as part of the First Balkan War between the fleets of the Kingdom of Greece and the Ottoman Empire. It was the largest sea battle of the ...

. *1913, 18 January: Greek victory at the

Naval Battle of Lemnos The Naval Battle of Lemnos (, ), fought on , was a naval battle during the First Balkan War, in which the Greeks defeated the second and last attempt of the Ottoman Empire to break the Greek naval blockade of the Dardanelles and reclaim suprema ...

. *1913, 20–21 February: After overcoming Ottoman defenses in the

Battle of Bizani The Battle of Bizani (, ''Máchi tou Bizaníou''; ) took place in Epirus on . The battle was fought between Greek and Ottoman forces during the last stages of the First Balkan War, and revolved around the forts of Bizani, which covered the app ...

, the Greek army enters

Ioannina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

is liberated. *1913, 18 March: King George I is assassinated in Thessaloniki. He's succeeded by his eldest son, King Constantine I. *1913, 30 May: Signing of the Treaty of London. End of the First Balkan War.

Second Balkan War

*1913, 16 June: Bulgarian forces attack Greece and Serbia. Beginning of the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...

. *1913, 19–21 June: Greek victory at the

Battle of Kilkis-Lahanas A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

. *1913, 22–23 June: Greek victory at the Battle of Doiran. *1913, 8–18 July: Greeks and Bulgarians fight to a bloody stalemate at the

Battle of Kresna Gorge The Battle of Kresna Gorge was fought in 1913 between the Greeks and the Bulgarians during the Second Balkan War. The battle was fought over an eleven-day period, between 8–18 July, over a front of 20 km, in a maze of forests and mounta ...

. *1913, 10 August: Signing of the Treaty of Bucharest. End of the Second Balkan War. Much of Macedonia is transferred from Bulgaria to Greece.

National Schism

*1914: According to the

Protocol of Corfu The Protocol of Corfu (, ), signed on 17 May 1914, was an agreement between the representatives of the Albanian Government and the Provisional Government of Northern Epirus, which officially recognized the area of Northern Epirus as an autonom ...

Northern Epirus Northern Epirus (, ; ) is a term used for specific parts of southern Albania which were first claimed by the Kingdom of Greece in the Balkan Wars and later were associated with the Greek minority in Albania and Greece-Albania diplomatic relation ...

is granted

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...

within Albania. Beginning of the

Greek genocide The Greek genocide (), which included the Pontic genocide, was the systematic killing of the Christian Ottoman Greek population of Anatolia, which was carried out mainly during World War I and its aftermath (1914–1922) – including the T ...

. *1915, January:

King Constantine I Constantine I (, romanized: ''Konstantínos I''; – 11 January 1923) was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and again from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsu ...

forces Venizelos to resign. The

National Schism The National Schism (), also sometimes called The Great Division, was a series of disagreements between Constantine I of Greece, King Constantine I and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos over Kingdom of Greece, Greece's foreign policy from 19 ...

begins. *1915, October: French and British forces land in Thessaloniki, establishing the

Salonika front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germa ...

. *1915, December: Constantine I forces Venizelos to resign for a second time and dissolves the Liberal-dominated parliament. Venizelos leaves Athens. *1916, April: The autonomy of Northern Epirus is revoked by the Albanian government, in violation of the Protocol of Corfu. *1916, August: *1916, 30 August: Successful anti-royalist coup by the

Movement of National Defence The Provisional Government of National Defence (), also known as the State of Thessaloniki (Κράτος της Θεσσαλονίκης), was a parallel administration, set up in the city of Thessaloniki by former Prime Minister Eleftherios Ven ...

. Venizelos returns to the Greek mainland. Henceforth, Greece has two governments: the royalist government in Athens commanded by the King and the "Temporary Government of National Defence" commanded by Venizelos in Thessaloniki. *1916, 18 November: The "

Noemvriana The ''Noemvriana'' (, "November Events") of , also called the Greek Vespers, was a political dispute, rooted in Greece's neutrality in World War I, that escalated into an armed confrontation in Athens between the Greek royalist government an ...

" (November events). Royalist paramilitary units, named the "League of Reservists", target the Venizelists. Armed clashes between Reservists and French marines in Athens. The Allies institute a naval blockade of Greece. French and British forces land in

and enter the regional capital of

Larissa Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...

. *1916, 21 November: ''

HMHS Britannic ''Britannic'' (originally to be the RMS ''Britannic''; ) was the third and final vessel of the White Star Line's of steamships and the second White Star ship to bear the name ''Britannic''. She was the younger sister of the and the and w ...

'', British merchant ship, sinks by a mine near

Kea The kea ( ; ; ''Nestor notabilis'') is a species of large parrot in the Family (biology), family Strigopidae that is endemic to the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About long, it is mostly olive-green, with br ...

. 30 people die. *1917, June: French and British forces occupy Piraeus, bombard Athens and force the Greek fleet to surrender. Constantine I abdicates, he and his eldest son George (barred from succession) leave the country. His second son

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

becomes King Alexander I and Venizelos is restored as Prime Minister in Athens. *1917, 19 August: The

Great Fire of Thessaloniki 250px, The fire as seen from the quay in 1917. 250px, The fire as seen from the Thermaic Gulf. The Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 () destroyed two thirds of the city of Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece, leaving more than 70,000 ...

destroys most of the city.

World War I

*1917, July: Greece officially declares war on the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

. *1918, 29–31 May:

Battle of Skra-di-Legen The Battle of Skra-di-Legen (Skora di Legen) was a two-day battle which took place at the Skra fortified position, located northeast of Mount Paiko, which is north-west of Thessaloniki, on May 29–30, 1918, on the Macedonian front of World War ...

ends in Greek victory. *1918, 2–5 August:

1918 Toronto anti-Greek riot The 1918 Toronto anti-Greek riot was a three-day race riot that took place across Toronto, Ontario, Canada, targeting Greek immigrants in early August 1918. The date range of the riots is variously cited as 2–4 August or 1–5 August, with some ...

*1918, 30 October: Signing of the

Armistice of Mudros The Armistice of Mudros () ended hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between Ottoman Turkey and the Allies of World War I. It was signed on 30 October 1918 by the Ottoman Minister of Marine Affairs Rauf Bey and British Admiral Somerset ...

, which ended World War I in the Near East.

Greco-Turkish War

*1918–1923 Allied

Occupation of Constantinople The occupation of Istanbul () or occupation of Constantinople (12 November 1918 – 4 October 1923), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, by British, French, Italian, and Greek forces, took place in accordance with the Armistice of Mudros, w ...

. *1919, 15 May: The Greek army lands in Smyrna (now called

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

). Beginning of the Greco-Turkish War. *1919, 27 June-4 July:

Battle of Aydın The Battle of Aydın (Modern Turkish: ''Aydın Savunması'', literally: "The defence of Aydın", 27 June 1919 to 4 July 1919), was a series of wide-scale armed conflicts during the initial stage of the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) in and around ...

. *1919, 27 November: Signing of the

Treaty of Neuilly The Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine (; ) was a treaty between the victorious Allies of World War I on the one hand, and Bulgaria, one of the defeated Central Powers in World War I, on the other. The treaty required Bulgaria to cede various territor ...

. Greece acquires

Western Thrace Western Thrace or West Thrace (, '' ytikíThráki'' ), also known as Greek Thrace or Aegean Thrace, is a geographical and historical region of Greece, between the Nestos and Evros rivers in the northeast of the country; East Thrace, which lie ...

. *1920, 10 August: Signing of the

Treaty of Sèvres The Treaty of Sèvres () was a 1920 treaty signed between some of the Allies of World War I and the Ottoman Empire, but not ratified. The treaty would have required the cession of large parts of Ottoman territory to France, the United Kingdom, ...

. Greece acquires

Eastern Thrace East Thrace or Eastern Thrace, also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the part of Turkey that is geographically in Southeast Europe. Turkish Thrace accounts for 3.03% of Turkey's land area and 15% of its population. The largest c ...

and is assigned administration of the area of Izmir for 5 years. *1920, 12 August: First assassination attempt against Venizelos in the

Gare de Lyon The Gare de Lyon, officially Paris Gare de Lyon (), is one of the seven large mainline railway stations in Paris, France. It handles about 148.1 million passengers annually according to the estimates of the SNCF in 2018, with SNCF railways and ...

railway station in Paris. *1920, 13 August: Assassination of prominent royalist

Ion Dragoumis Ion Dragoumis (; 14 September 1878 – 31 July 1920) was a Greek diplomat, philosopher, writer and revolutionary. Biography Born in Athens, Dragoumis was the son of Stephanos Dragoumis who was foreign minister under Charilaos Trikoupis. The Dr ...

in Athens. *1920, November: Despite his achievements, Venizelos is defeated in the 1920 General Elections. *1920, 25 October: King Alexander I dies suddenly of infection caused by the bite of a monkey of the Royal Gardens. *1920, 17 November: After the death of her grandson, Queen Olga becomes regent of Greece, until the return of her son. *1920, 19 December: Constantine I returns as King, following a

plebiscite A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or adv ...

. *1921, 9–12 January:

First Battle of İnönü The First Battle of İnönü () took place between 6 and 11 January 1921 near İnönü in Hüdavendigâr Vilayet (present-day Eskişehir Province, Turkey) during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22), also known as the western front of the larger ...

. *1921, 26–31 March:

Second Battle of İnönü The Second Battle of İnönü () was fought between March 23 and April 1, 1921 near İnönü, Eskişehir, İnönü in present-day Eskişehir Province, Turkey during the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22), also known as the western front of the larg ...

. *1921: Assassination attempt against

George Papandreou George Andreas Papandreou (, , shortened to ''Giorgos'' () to distinguish him from his grandfather; born 16 June 1952) is an American-born Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece from 2009 to 2011. He is currently serving as a ...

. *1921, 26 August-13 September:

Battle of Sakarya The Battle of the Sakarya (), also known as the Battle of the Sangarios (), was an important engagement in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922). The battle went on for 21 days from August 23 to September 13, 1921, close to the banks of the Sakar ...

. *1922, 26–30 August:

Battle of Dumlupınar The Battle of Dumlupınar (, ), or known as Field Battle of the Commander-in-Chief () in Turkey, was one of the important battles in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) (part of the Turkish War of Independence). The battle was fought from 26 ...

. *1922, 9 September: The Turkish army enters Izmir. Metropolitan

Chrysostomos of Smyrna Chrysostomos Kalafatis (; 8 January 1867 – 10 September 1922), also known as Saint Chrysostomos of Smyrna, Chrysostomos of Smyrna and Metropolitan Chrysostom, was the Greek Orthodox metropolitan bishop of Smyrna (İzmir) between 1910 and 1914, ...

, is lynched by the angry people. *1922, 13 September: Izmir is set on fire. Approximately 100,000 Greeks perish. *1922, September: The Greek Army, Navy and people revolt. The government is deposed and the King forced to resign. Venizelos returns in Greece. *1922, 27 September: King Constantine I abdicates (second time), being succeeded by his eldest son King George II. *1922, 28 November: According to the verdict of the

Trial of the Six The Trial of the Six (, ''Díki ton Éx(i)'') or the Execution of the Six was the trial for treason, in late 1922, of the Anti-Venizelist officials held responsible for the Greek military defeat in Asia Minor. The trial culminated in the death ...

, the former Prime Minister

Dimitrios Gounaris Dimitrios Gounaris (; 5 January 1867 – 28 November 1922) was a Greek politician who served as the prime minister of Greece from 25 February to 10 August 1915 and 26 March 1921 to 3 May 1922. The leader of the People's Party, he was the ma ...

, the Commander in Chief of the Greek Armies

Georgios Hatzianestis Georgios Hatzianestis (, 3 December 1863 – 15 November 1922) was a Greek artillery and general staff officer who rose to the rank of lieutenant general. He is best known as the commander-in-chief of the Army of Asia Minor at the time of th ...

and four other politicians are executed as responsible for the Asia Minor Catastrophe. *1923, 24 July: Signing of the

Treaty of Lausanne The Treaty of Lausanne (, ) is a peace treaty negotiated during the Lausanne Conference of 1922–1923 and signed in the Palais de Rumine in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 July 1923. The treaty officially resolved the conflict that had initially ...

. The Greeks of Istanbul, Imbros and Tenedos (about 279,788 in Istanbul alone the next year) are excluded from the

population exchange Population transfer or resettlement is a type of mass migration that is often imposed by a state policy or international authority. Such mass migrations are most frequently spurred on the basis of ethnicity or religion, but they also occur d ...

. The islands of

Imbros Imbros (; ; ), officially Gökçeada () since 29 July 1970,Alexis Alexandris, "The Identity Issue of The Minorities in Greece And Turkey", in Hirschon, Renée (ed.), ''Crossing the Aegean: An Appraisal of the 1923 Compulsory Population Exchang ...

and

Tenedos Tenedos (, ''Tenedhos''; ), or Bozcaada in Turkish language, Turkish, is an island of Turkey in the northeastern part of the Aegean Sea. Administratively, the island constitutes the Bozcaada, Çanakkale, Bozcaada district of Çanakkale Provinc ...

are granted autonomy, by article 14, which was never implemented.

Restoration of stability

*1923: Greece has an enormous refugee problem with the arrival of approximately 1.5 million Greeks from Asia Minor (according to the population exchange agreement of the Treaty of Lausanne. The population of the bankrupt Greece increased by 1/3 in a period of a few months. The fate of the rest 1 million Greeks of Asia Minor (according to the Ottoman census) remains unknown. *1923, 31 August: The

Corfu incident The Corfu incident (, ) was a 1923 diplomatic and military crisis between Greece and Italy. It was triggered when Enrico Tellini, an Italian general heading a commission to resolve a border dispute between Albania and Greece, was murdered in ...

Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his overthrow in 194 ...

's forces bombard and briefly occupy the Greek island of

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

. *1923, October: Failed anti-Venizelist military coup, begun out of fear for the upcoming elections' result. *1923, 16 December: Venizelos's

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

wins the elections. *1923, 19 December: King George II is "asked" to leave the country. Admiral

Pavlos Kountouriotis Pavlos Kountouriotis (; 9 April 1855 – 22 August 1935) was a Greek admiral who served during the Balkan Wars, was regent of Greece, and the first president of the Second Hellenic Republic. In total he served four times as head of the Greek st ...

is named Regent.

Second Hellenic Republic (1924–1935)

*1924, 25 March: Greece is proclaimed a

republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

, deposing King George II.

becomes the first President of Greece. *1924, 13 April: A

condones the change of constitution. *1924, 7 October: Failed military coup. *1925, 15 March: Successful coup directed by General

Theodoros Pangalos Theodoros Pangalos (, romanized: ''Theódoros Pángalos''; 11 January 1878 – 26 February 1952) was a Greek general, politician and dictator. A distinguished staff officer and an ardent Venizelist and anti-royalist, Pangalos played a leading r ...

. President Pavlos Kountouriotis resigns. *1925, 22 October: The brief

War of the Stray Dog The Incident at Petrich (; ), or the War of the Stray Dog (), was a Greek–Bulgarian crisis in 1925 that resulted in a brief invasion of Bulgaria by Greece near the border town of Petrich after the killing of a Greek captain and a sentry by Bu ...

with Bulgaria. Greece is imposed a fine, but is able to stop the attacks by the

Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; ; ), was a secret revolutionary society founded in the Ottoman territories in Europe, that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1893 in Salonica, it initia ...

(IMRO) ''komitadjis'' into

Greek Macedonia Macedonia ( ; , ) is a geographic and former administrative region of Greece, in the southern Balkans. Macedonia is the largest and geographic region in Greece, with a population of 2.36 million (as of 2020). It is highly mountainous, wit ...

. *1926, 23 August: General Pangalos is overthrown after a coup.

Caretaker government A caretaker government, also known as a caretaker regime, is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it co ...

Georgios Kondylis Georgios Kondylis (, romanized: ''Geórgios Kondýlis''; 14 August 1878 – 1 February 1936) was a Greek general, politician and prime minister of Greece. He was nicknamed ''Keravnos'', Greek for " thunder" or " thunderbolt". Military ca ...

. *1928: Venizelos returns from exile and his Liberals win power again. *1932, 26 September: The village of Ierissos in

Chalcidice Chalkidiki (; , alternatively Halkidiki), also known as Chalcidice, is a peninsula and regional units of Greece, regional unit of Greece, part of the region of Central Macedonia, in the Geographic regions of Greece, geographic region of Macedon ...

is destroyed by a powerful earthquake. 161 people are reported dead. *1933, March: Failed pro-Venezelist coup. *1933, 23 April:

Kos Kos or Cos (; ) is a Greek island, which is part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 37,089 (2021 census), making ...

is struck by an earthquake. 200 people die. *1933, 6 June: Second assassination attempt against Venizelos in Athens. *1935, March: Failed coup directed by Venizelos and

Nikolaos Plastiras Nikolaos Plastiras (; 4 November 1883 – 26 July 1953) was a Greek general and politician, who served three times as Prime Minister of Greece. A distinguished soldier known for his personal bravery, he became famous as "The Black Rider" d ...

. Venizelos flees in France and dies in Paris the next year, the armed forces are purged of Venizelist and Republican officers. *1935, 10 October: Coup directed by

abolishes the Republic, confirmed by a rigged

later the same year.

Kingdom of Greece restored (1935–1967)

*1935, 3 November: George II is restored to the throne.

4 August Regime (1936–1940)

*1936, 4 August: Coup by General

Ioannis Metaxas Ioannis Metaxas (; 12 April 187129 January 1941) was a Greek military officer and politician who was dictator of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941. He governed constitutionally for the first four months of his tenure, and thereafter as th ...

, who declares a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...

, decrees

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

, annuls various articles of the Constitution and establishes a crisis cabinet to end the increasing riots and to restore social order. *1937, 15 December: Mass NKVD operation against Greeks in the USSR begins, based on Joseph Stalin's Directive 50125 of Dec. 1937, resulting in the loss of 38,000 Soviet citizens of Hellenic descent at the Gulags of Siberia. *1939:

Hatay Hatay Province (, ) is the southernmost Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey. Its area is , and its population is 1,686,043 (2022). It is situated mostly outside Anatolia, ...

is annexed by Turkey. The immigration of the Antiochian Greeks reaches its maximum. *1940, 15 August:

Torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

ing and sinking of the Greek light cruiser ''

Elli In Norse mythology (a subset of Germanic mythology), Elli (Old Norse: , "old age"Orchard (1997:38).) is a personification of old age who, in the ''Prose Edda'' book ''Gylfaginning'', defeats Thor in a wrestling match.Graeme Davis (2013). ''Thor: ...

'' in

Tinos Tinos ( ) is a Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea. It forms part of the Cyclades archipelago. The closest islands are Andros, Delos, and Mykonos. It has a land area of and a 2021 census population of 8,934 inhabitants. Tinos is famous amo ...

harbor on 15 August 1940 (a national religious holiday), by an Italian submarine. The Greek government announced that the attack had been performed by a submarine of "unknown nationality", in an attempt to keep Greece neutral.

World War II (1940–1944)

Greco-Italian War and Battle of Greece (1940–1941)

*1940, 28 October: After Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas rejects an Italian

ultimatum An ; ; : ultimata or ultimatums) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a coercion, threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance (open loop). An ultimatum is generally the ...

demanding the occupation of Greek territory, Italian forces invade Greece. Beginning of the

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian campaign in Greece, Italian invasion of Greece, and War of '40 in Greece, took place between Italy and Greece from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941. This conflict began the Balk ...

. *1940, 13 November: The

Battle of Pindus The Battle of Pindus (, , ) took place in the Pindus Mountains in Epirus and West Macedonia, Greece, from 28 October – 13 November 1940. The battle was fought between the Greek and the Italian armies during the first stages of the Greco-Itali ...

ends in a complete Greek victory. *1940, 14 November: The Greek forces enter Albanian territory. *1940, 24 December: The Greek army controls practically all of

. *1941: Turkey mobilizes all Greeks between 18 and 45 years of age and deports them to

labour battalion Labour battalions have been a form of alternative service or unfree labour in various countries in lieu of or resembling regular military service. In some cases they were the result of some kind of discriminative segregation of the population, ...

s in central

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

. *1941, 29 January: Ioannis Metaxas dies in Athens. *1941, 1 March: Earthquake occurs in

leaving 40 people dead and thousands homeless. *1941, 9–20 March: The Italian Spring Offensive fails to dislocate the Greek forces. *1941, 6 April: The German Army invades Greece. *1941, 11–12 April: Battle of Vevi. *1941, 18 April: The German Army advances towards Athens. Prime Minister

Alexandros Koryzis Alexandros Koryzis (; 1885 – 18 April 1941) was a Greek politician who served briefly as the prime minister of Greece in 1941. Career Koryzis assumed this role on 29 January 1941, when his predecessor, the dictator Ioannis Metaxas died of thr ...

commits suicide. *1941, 20 April: The Greek First Army surrenders to the Germans. *1941, 21 April: The German forces manage to go through the

Metaxas Line The Metaxas Line (, ''Grammi Metaxa'') was a chain of fortifications constructed along the line of the Greco-Bulgarian border, designed to protect Greece in case of a Bulgarian invasion after the rearmament of Bulgaria. It was named after Ioa ...

. *1941, 22 April: The King, the Royal family and the Government flee Athens and go to

. *1941, 27 April: The German Army enters Athens. Greek writer

Penelope Delta Penelope Delta (; 24 April 1874 – 2 May 1941) was a Greek author. She is widely celebrated for her contributions to the field of children's literature. Her historical novels have been widely read and have influenced popular modern Greek percep ...

commits suicide. The

Nazi flag The flag of Nazi Germany, officially called the Reich and National Flag (), and also known as the Nazi flag or swastika flag ( – ) featured a red background with a black swastika on a white disk. This flag came into use initially as the banner ...

is raised on

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens ...

;

Evzone The Evzones or Evzonoi (, ) were a type of light infantry units in the Hellenic Army. Today, they are the members of the Presidential Guard (), a ceremonial unit that guards the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier () and the Presidential Mansion ...

soldier on guard duty jumps off the Acropolis wrapped in the

Greek flag The national flag of Greece, popularly referred to as the Blue-and-White (, ) or the Cyan-and-White (, ), is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has 5 equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There ...

. *1941, May: The Allied forces impose a naval blockade of Greece, ending off all imports, including foods. *1941, 4 May: Out of respect for the Greek nation,

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

orders the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

not to take Greek war prisoners and allows them to carry weapons. *1941, 20 May: Beginning of the

Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (, ), codenamed Operation Mercury (), was a major Axis Powers, Axis Airborne forces, airborne and amphibious assault, amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May ...

. *1941, 22 May: The King, the Royal family and the Government are evacuated to

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

. *1941, 1 June: The remaining defenders at

Sphakia Sfakiá () is a mountainous area in the southwestern part of the island of Crete, in the Chania regional unit. It is considered to be one of the few places in Greece that have never been fully occupied by foreign powers. With a 2021 census popu ...

surrender to the German Army.

Axis occupation and Resistance (1941–1944)

*1941, 30 May: The first resistance act occur in Athens. Two law students tear down the

Flag of Nazi Germany The flag of Nazi Germany, officially called the Reich and National Flag (), and also known as the Nazi flag or swastika flag ( – ) featured a red background with a black swastika on a white disk. This flag came into use initially as the banner ...

from the Acropolis. *1941, 27 September: The National Liberation Front (EAM), the largest resistance group, is initiated. *1941, 28–29 September: A spontaneous rebellion in

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

is repressed by the Bulgarian occupation forces with a death toll of 3,000. *1941, 17 October: Executions of the male population and burning of the village Kerdyllia by the Nazis, with a death toll of 235. *1941, 23–28 October: Massive executions of the inhabitants of the villages Mesovouno, Cleisto, Kidonia and Ambelofito by the Nazis. *1941–1942, Winter: The Great Famine. An estimated 300,000 Greeks perish during the period of occupation, with mortality reaching a maximum during that winter. *1942: The Fortune Tax (''

Varlık Vergisi The Varlık Vergisi (, "wealth tax" or "capital tax") was a tax mostly levied on non-Muslim citizens under the Republican People's Party (CHP) government in Turkey in 1942, with the stated aim of raising funds for the country's defense in case of ...

'') is imposed on the

Greeks in Turkey The Greeks in Turkey () constitute a small population of Greek and Greek-speaking Eastern Orthodox Christians who mostly live in Istanbul, as well as on the two islands of the western entrance to the Dardanelles: Imbros and Tenedos ( and ''Bo ...

(as well as on others, mostly non-Muslims), resulting in their financial ruination. *1942, June: The

Greek People's Liberation Army The Greek People's Liberation Army (, ''Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Stratós''; ELAS) was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberation Front (EAM) during the period of the Greek resistance until February 1945, when, followi ...

begins operating in the mountains. *1942, Summer: The great suffering and the pressure of the exiled Greek government eventually forces the British partially to lift the blockade. The

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a aid agency, humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of Law of ...

is able to distribute food supplies in sufficient quantities. *1942, 25 November: The

Gorgopotamos Gorgopotamos () is a village and a former municipality in Phthiotis, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lamia, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 157.300 km2. It is l ...

bridge is blown up in a common operation between the Greek militants and British saboteurs (

Operation Harling Operation Harling, also known as the Battle of Gorgopotamos () in Greece, was a World War II mission by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), in cooperation with the Greek Resistance groups EDES and ELAS, which destroyed the heavily gu ...

). This successful operation disrupted the German transportation of ammunition via Greece to the Nazi

Africa Corps The German Africa Corps (, ; DAK), commonly known as Afrika Korps, was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African ...

commanded by

Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel (; 15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944), popularly known as The Desert Fox (, ), was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal) during World War II. He served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of N ...

. *1943, 27 February: Poet

Kostis Palamas Kostis Palamas (; ; – 27 February 1943) was a Greek poet who wrote the words to the Olympic Hymn. He was a central figure of the Greek literary generation of the 1880s and one of the cofounders of the so-called New Athenian School (or Pala ...

dies. His funeral becomes a public show of defiance to the occupation authorities. *1943, March: The Germans began mass deportations of the Jews of Thessaloniki to Auschwitz. By the end of the war, an estimated 60,000 Greek Jews were murdered. *1943, 16 August: 317 inhabitants of

Kommeno Kommeno () is a village and a former community in the Arta regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nikolaos Skoufas, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of ...

are murdered and the village is burned by the Nazis. *1943, September: The Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jews of Athens fails, thanks to the combined efforts of

Archbishop Damaskinos Archbishop Damaskinos Papandreou (), born Dimitrios Papandreou (; 3 March 1891 – 20 May 1949), was the archbishop of Athens and All Greece from 1941 until his death in 1949. He was also the regent of Greece between the pull-out of the German ...

, Greek resistance groups and some of the Greek people. *1943, 13 September: More than 5,000 Italian soldiers are

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

by the Nazis in

Cephallonia Kefalonia or Cephalonia (), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallonia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th-largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It is also a separate regio ...

or perish in the sea, during the German takeover of the Italian occupation areas. *1943, 26 September-16 November:

Battle of Leros The Battle of Leros was a combat over the Greek island of Leros between the Allies of World War II, Allies defending it and invading forces of Nazi Germany waged between 26 September and 16 November 1943. Regarded as the central event of the Do ...

, the culmination of the

Dodecanese Campaign The Dodecanese campaign was the capture and occupation of the Dodecanese islands by German forces during World War II. Following the signing of the Armistice of Cassibile on 3 September 1943, Italy switched sides and joined the Allies. As a ...

. *1943, 13 December: The

Massacre of Kalavryta The Kalavryta massacre (), or the Holocaust of Kalavryta (), was the near-extermination of the male population and the total destruction of the town of Kalavryta, Axis-occupied Greece, by the 117th Jäger Division (Wehrmacht) during World War II, ...

occurs. *1944, 10 March: the EAM-controlled

Political Committee of National Liberation The Political Committee of National Liberation (, ''Politiki Epitropi Ethnikis Apeleftherosis'', PEEA), commonly known as the "Mountain Government" (, ''Kivernisi tou Vounou''), was a Communist Party-dominated government established in Greece ...

is established. *1944, 10 June: The

Distomo massacre The Distomo massacre (; or the ''Distomo-Massaker'') was a Nazi war crime which was perpetrated by members of the Waffen-SS in the village of Distomo, Greece, in 1944, during the German occupation of Greece during World War II. Background The ...

. 218 civilians are murdered and the village is looted and burnt.

Restoration of the Greek Government

*1944, 14 October: Athens is liberated and the Greek government-in-exile returns, with George Papandreou as Premier. *1944, 18 October: Premier

and his national unity government repatriate. *1944, 3 December: "

Dekemvriana The ''Dekemvriana'' (, "December events") refers to a series of clashes fought during World War II in Athens from 3 December 1944 to 11 January 1945. The conflict was the culmination of months of tension between the left-wing National Liberatio ...

" (December events). 28 people are killed by British troops and policemen in Athens. *1944, 4 December: George Papandreou attempts to resign. *1944, 12 December:

ELAS The Greek People's Liberation Army (, ''Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Stratós''; ELAS) was the military arm of the left-wing National Liberation Front (EAM) during the period of the Greek resistance until February 1945, when, followi ...

controls most of Athens and its environs. *1945 12 February: EAM and the Greek Government sign a

peace agreement A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surr ...

to end fighting. *1945, 16 June: Former ELAS leader

Aris Velouchiotis Athanasios Klaras (; August 27, 1905 – June 15, 1945), better known by the ''nom de guerre'' Aris Velouchiotis (), was a Greek journalist, politician, member of the Communist Party of Greece, the most prominent leader and chief instigator of th ...

is killed or commits suicide. *1945, 17 October:

assumes as regent in an attempt to stabilize the country. *1945, 24 October: Greece is one of the founding members of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Civil War (1946–1949)

*1946, March: Fighting resumes between the Government and the Communists. *1946, 28 September: A

national referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or advis ...

favours constitutional monarchy. *1946: King George II returns to Greece. *1947, 20 January: The deadliest shipwreck of modern Greek history occurs when ''Himara'' sinks in the South Evian Gulf, resulting in 391 deaths. It remains unknown if the cause was the bad weather, a mine or sabotage. *1947, 1 April: King George II dies of sudden heart failure in the Palace in Athens. Some Greeks do not believe the announcement, considering it a joke. He is succeeded by his younger brother

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

. *1947, December: Approximately 1,200 Communist militants are killed in a battle near

Konitsa Konitsa (, see also Konitsa#Name, names in other languages) is a town of Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina in Epirus (region), Epirus, Greece. It is located north of the capital Ioannina and near the Albanian Border crossings of Albania, border. ...

*1948: The Communists reach the maximum of their power. *1949, August: General

Alexander Papagos Alexandros Papagos (; 9 December 1883 – 4 October 1955) was a Greek military officer who led the Hellenic Army in World War II and the later stages of the subsequent Greek Civil War. The only Greek army career officer to rise to the rank of Fie ...

begins a major counter-offensive against Communist forces in northern Greece, pushing them into Albania. *1949, 16 October:

Nikolaos Zachariadis Nikos Zachariadis (; 27 April 1903 – 1 August 1973) was General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) from 1931 to 1956. He was appointed, by order of Stalin and the Comintern, General Secretary of KKE in 1935. He was arrested by th ...

, commander of the Communist guerillas, announces a ceasefire that ends the Greek Civil War.

Postwar Greece (1950–1967)

*1950, 10 January: The eruption of the

Thera Santorini (, ), officially Thira (, ) or Thera, is a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from the mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera. It is the southernmos ...

volcano (for the fourth time in the century) causes the evacuation of the island. *1950, 9 December: Greece participates with the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

in favor of

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. By the end of the war during 1953, 194 Greek soldiers will be killed. *1952, 18 February: Greece and Turkey become members of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

. *1953, August: The 7.2 Ionian earthquake shakes the southern

with a maximum

Mercalli intensity The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS) measures the effects of an earthquake at a given location. This is in contrast with the seismic magnitude usually reported for an earthquake. Magnitude scales measure the inherent force or ...

of X (''Extreme''). Between 445 and 800 people were killed. *1954, 30 April:

Sofades Sofades () is a town and municipality in Thessaly, central Greece belonging to the regional unit of Karditsa. Its 2011 census population was 6,056 people and 18,864 for the municipality, including a large Romani community. Its elevation is around ...

is struck by an earthquake. 25 people die. *1955, 6–7 September: The

Istanbul Pogrom The Istanbul pogrom, also known as the Istanbul riots, were a series of state-sponsored anti-Greek mob attacks directed primarily at Istanbul's Greek minority on 6–7 September 1955. The pogrom was orchestrated by the governing Democrat ...

, directed primarily against the city's 100,000-strong Greek minority, occurs. A total of 16 Greeks are killed, while many others are severely wounded, raped and circumcised by mobs. Thousands of Greek-owned buildings are badly damaged or destroyed, accelerating emigration of ethnic Greeks from the city. *1956: Failed coup against King Paul I by a group of colonels. *1956, 9 July: The 7.7 Amorgos earthquake shakes the

Cyclades The CYCLADES computer network () was a French research network created in the early 1970s. It was one of the pioneering networks experimenting with the concept of packet switching and, unlike the ARPANET, was explicitly designed to facilitate i ...

island group in the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

with a maximum

of IX (''Violent''). The shaking and the destructive tsunami that followed left fifty-three people dead. A damaging M7.2 aftershock occurred minutes after the mainshock. *1959: The Merten affair challenges Greek politics. *1963, 27 May: Assassination of politician

Gregoris Lambrakis Grigoris Lambrakis (; 3 April 1912 – 27 May 1963) was a Greek politician, physician, athlete, and lecturer. He participated in track and field sports and was a member of the faculty of the School of Medicine at the University of Athens. A mem ...

. *1963, 17 June:

Constantine Karamanlis Konstantinos G. Karamanlis (, ; 8 March 1907 – 23 April 1998) was a Greek statesman who was the four-time Prime Minister of Greece and two-term president of the Third Hellenic Republic. A towering figure of Greek politics, his political caree ...

resigns the premiership after a disagreement with King Paul. *1963, November: The

Center Union The Centre Union () was a major centrist political party in Greece, created in 1961 by Georgios Papandreou.Clogg, 1987, pp. 39–40 History The Centre Union was a political party in Greece in the 1960s which held office from 1963 to 1965 and wa ...

party under George Papandreou wins the elections. Karamanlis is self-exiled in Paris. *1964, 6 March: The royal government announces the death of King Paul. Rumors circulate in Athens that in fact he had died several days earlier. He is succeeded by his son Constantine II. *1964: The Ankara government reneges on the 1930 Greco-Turkish Ankara Convention. Deported with two days' notice, the Greek community of Istanbul shrunk from 100,000 persons in 1955 to only 48,000 in 1965. *1965, 15 July: Royal Coup, involving King Constantine II and a group of politicians, known as

Iouliana ''Iouliana'' (, "July events"), also ''Apostasia'' (, "Apostasy") or the Royal Coup ( ''To Vasiliko Praxikopima''), are terms used to describe the political crisis in Greece centered on the resignation, on 15 July 1965, of Prime Minister Georgios ...

. Premier

is forced to resign. *1966, 7 December: Ferry

SS Heraklion SS ''Heraklion'' (sometimes spelled out in books as the ''Iraklion'') was a roll on/roll off car ferry operating the lines Piraeus – Chania and Piraeus – Heraklion (Irakleio) between 1965 and 1966. The ship capsized and sank on 8 Decemb ...

sinks in the Mirtoon Sea. 247 people lose their lives in the worst shipwreck of postwar Greece. *1966–1980: About 160,000 Greeks emigrated to the USA.

Military dictatorship (1967–1974)

*1967, 21 April: Successful coup d'état led by a group of colonels. *1968: Counter-coup organized by

King Constantine II Constantine II (, ; 2 June 1940 – 10 January 2023) was the last King of Greece, reigning from 6 March 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy on 1 June 1973. Constantine was born in Athens as the only son of Crown Prince Paul and C ...

fails. Constantine II leaves the country. *1968, 13 August: Assassination attempt against Dictator Papadopoulos by

Alexandros Panagoulis Alexandros Panagoulis (; 2 July 1939 – 1 May 1976) was a Greek politician and poet. He took an active role in the fight against the Regime of the Colonels (1967–1974) in Greece. He became famous for his attempt to assassinate dictator G ...

. *1968, 1 November: George Papandreou dies. His funeral becomes the occasion for a large anti-dictatorship demonstration. *1971:

Halki seminary The Halki seminary, formally the Theological School of Halki ( and ), was founded on 1 October 1844 on the island of Halki ( Turkish: Heybeliada), the second-largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara. It was the main school of theo ...

Orthodoxy Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...

's most prominent theological school, is closed by the Turkish government. Despite international pressure for its reopening, it remains closed ever since. *1972, 2 March:

Ecclesiastical coup {{Short pages monitor

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Timeline Of Modern Greek History

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