THE FALLEN RULER.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3147, 11 December 1922, Page 7

THE FALLEN RULER.

(London Daily Telegraph.)

Less than two years ago Athens, a capital of emotions, in which the hero of the populace rises quickly, and topples down at) fast, gave a delirious welcome to the returning King Constantin.'. Amid shouts of “Long live the King! Greeting to our coumbaros!” (c-'d.lather) he (Time. The guns fired a i nee from Lycabettus Hill, from 1. ;i- -i' day thousands of people flooded bchagged streets, and amid aIren wild 1 enthusiasm a stately procession made its way to the Cathedral. There thanksgiving was offered, and the manarch hack from exile passed on io the Old Palace, where, appearing upon the balcony, he was tempestuously acclaimed. In a. subsequent message to the Greek people, he spoke of his “over three years’ painful absence.” That was on Dee. 19, 1920; and today, without a. throne, King Constantine goes again into exile. The Great War was over, in which he had played a most involved part, and it was yet one other of those nnfore- ' seen tragedies that have dogged the 1 rulers of Greece that gave occasion for his return. Constantine's second son had been raised to the Throne of Greece as King Alexander on June 12, 1917. and being then twenty-four yeans of age, was the most youthful Sovereign in Europe. He had reigned three years when, as he walked 1 one day in a wood. Ids dog was attacked by a tame monkey. The young King turned to protect the dog. and was himself severely bitten by the monkey in the leg; blood poisoning supervened, and in a few days he was dead. There wehc difficulties in filling the vacant Throne, for Prince George, the eldest son, upon whom in the normal course l of events it would in the earlier instance have devolved, had been ruled out by the Allied Powers, a veto being imposed on bis succession by reason of his actions and policy during the war. Constantine' solved the difficulties by coming back himself. In the opinion of those then in authority in Athens, the time was ripe for him to resume his old powers. The Allied nations did 1 not interfere, hut they did not formally recognise him. . King Constantine is 54. He is a fine figure of a man, standing; 6ft 2in in height; an accomplished linguist, speaking and writing familiarly English. Danish, German, and Russian, as well as) Greek; and there is no need at this day to deny his abilities as ai soldier. He has been widely known in this country as having a German queen, the former Princess' Sophie, sister of the exKaiser William 11., and as a field-mar-shal' of the German army. It was the ex-Kaiser who gave him his' baton. It has proved Constantine’s grave misfortune, as event® bav'e gone, and misfortune for more than the Greek Royal family, that bis early years were spent in the military atmosphere of Potsdam, where he became imbued with profound respect for the traditions, the ideals, and the methods of the German military chiefs. His own debut as a soldier was unfortunate. Ry am arbitrary act Constantine, then Crown Prince and without experience in vvar, was made Generalissimo of the Greek army at the age of 28. They met the Turks' under Edhem Pasha, in the short, disastrous war of 1897, and the defeat of the Greeks in the battle of Domoko quickly degenerated into a rout. For the lack of training of the troops, the looseness of discipline, and the obvious weakness of the Greek officers, others wore more responsible than the young commander. A scapegoat was wanted, and Constantine's subsequent efforts to reorganise the army on a better model provoked in time a military protinnciamciito. The Crown Prince was expelled from the army a,ml declared incapable of holding a command. Yenize.los brought him back, and re-established the fortunes of a' dynasty which, at that stage, had seemed dangerously tottering. ... A better opportunity of leading Ins troops against the Turks came l to C onstantine in the Balkan War that broke out in 1912. Its events, which for the Greeks began with the capture of Salonika, need not be recalled here, saving the operations against the great Turkish stronghold of Jamina, in Epirus,, the objective, point of the campaign. The beleagiierraent had frankly been a, failure, when Constantine took the command in person, cautiously waited his time, and them struck home. By ai skilful 1 ruse lie' delivered an attack on the left when the Turks had every reason to believe that it would come elsewhere, outwitted and defeated the Turkish garrison and brought about the capitulation of the’ fortress, when 32,000 me a laid down their arms. Less than a fortnight after Constantine bad led the victorious Greeks into Janina. and thereby had become the idol the Greek populace. King George of Greece was l assassinated by a Greek madhian in the streets of Salonika, and Constantine was king. Greece’s realisation of her dream ol empire and of her freedom from Inrkisli thraldom was achieved. Constantine had been on the throne but a year and a few months when the great war broke out. His policy was announced as one of “benevolent neutrality, and bin influence proved strong enough to keep Greece, out of hostilities: but I airly early the Allied Powers had good reason to oucstion his conception of neutrality. Short of taking part oik: lily against the Allies. Constantine did everything in his power to thwart them and‘to assist the Central Empires. He was obsessed with the invincibility of Germany’s big battalions. The possibility of their defeat never came within Ills vision. Venizelos endeavored his utmost to induce the King to adopt tlie only course that would have made his throne secure, anid throw in his lot with the Allies. All was without avail. Doubtless a good dew I has yet to be disclosed, both from the l German side* aid that of the Allies, before we arc in full possession of the tangled story. At the opening of the war Constantine refused to interpret the Greek Treaty with Serbia, as binding him to go to the assistant of that country in the circumstances that had happened. When an Allied force landed at Salonika in October, 1915. at the invitation of Venizelos, then the Greek Prime Minister, all possible means were taken by underground Greek influences in Athens to hamper the movements of the British and French troops. Not long was to pass before the world witnessed the astounding spectacle ol an invasion of Greek territory by Bulgarians. Germany’s a.llies; and the hereditary foes of Greece, when the commanders of several (frock fortresses, acting on orders received from Athens. Mir rendered them: to the Bulgarian;:' without firing a shot, and a whole Greek division similarly yielded to the Invaders —and was transferred to German v !

This was had enough, hut worse was to come. Venizelcjs had to lly Irom Athens. Constantine’s rule became practically autocratic. in December. 11)10, hj van act of the grossest treachery, a number otT'nnich troops outside the Greek capital were ma-sacred by Royalist troops. Th.e Gcrmanoplnl elements ran riot, imprisoning and maltreating opponents of the pro-Gcrmani policy of the Government then in being. The Allies nnuh l linn representations, which produced no effect, and in the following spring they declared a blockade of Greece. Control was taken

of flic grain harvest in Thessaly. Greece soon found herself unable to withstand the strain. The Allies were determined that Constantine should go. Their unrelenting pressure forced his abdication, which took place in June, 1917.

It was always his claim that he was guided by a single desire for the safety and welfare of Greece. If lie considered that the danger of German enmity was too great for his kingdom to risk, it must he remembered that his policy of declared neutrality had the support of the chiefs of the Greek army, though Vcnizclos strained every effort to induce him to come into the war on the side of the Allied nations, and thus to give Greece her share in the final settlement.

After his return to Athens. Constantino’s pu ition seemed to lie becoming consolidated, with the Greek armies successful m their ’operations which forced back the Turks in Asia .Minor. The disasters that have overtaken the Greeks under the assault by Mustaplia Kemal have now brought about Ins downfall.