DEATH OF CONSTANTINE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18297, 13 January 1923, Page 9

DEATH OF CONSTANTINE.

' EX-KING OP GREECE. SUDDEN END AT PALERMO. ' SEIZURE AFTER ' BATHING. By Telegraph—Press , Association— Copyright. (Received!4.s p.m.) . .■ ...V\ .■'.' A. and N.Z. PARIS, Jan. 11, Constantine, ex-King of Greece; died suddenly at Palermo, Italy, from cerebral hemorrhage. He had been suffering from arterio-sclerosis, but the. end was not expected. He had arranged to travel to Naples, ■where he was to have been the guest of the Duke- of Aosta. After bathing at 8 o'clock in the morning, he immediately became ill, and died before' the doctor arrived at the Villa Igea Hotel, where he had been staying. His wife, exQueen . Sophie, and his three daughters, were present at his death. It is believed that his end was hastened by the shock of the execution of his former Ministers. He had arranged to settle at Florence at an early date, *

CAREER OF VICISSITUDES. THRONE TWICE ABDICATED. Ex-King Constantino had an uncommon distinction of having been twice compelled to give up his throne. The first occasion was in June, 1917, in the midst of the great war, when he abdicated in favour of his second son Alexander, leaving the practical direction of affairs in the hands of M. Venizelos. Three and a-half years later, after King Alexander's death, the Crown was restored j to him apparently with the warm assent j of the great majority of the Grecian 1 ; people. Ambition led him to use his renewed lease of power to carry on the /■ rash adventure in Anatolia, which has ended in such a crushing disaster to his country that in September last lie was obliged to abdicate for a second time. Born at Athens on July 21, 1868, the ex King Constantine was the son of King George I. of the Hellenes. He received a Greek education, supplemented -by military studies at Heidelberg, where he spent, the summer of 1888!. His marriage with Princess Sophie, daughter' of the Emperor Frederick of Germany and sister of the ex-Emperor Wilhelm 11., took place on the completion of; his 21st year. Two years after :"her marriage the Princess was received into the Orthodox Church. There have been six children of the marriage,: three sons :•,; and ; three daughters. _■'■•' ; : >'\; ': v :■''?' : -X"r- x'/'[ " The Warrior Crown Prince." ' The first military; campaign in which Constantme, then ;•■ Crown Prince, played a "leading part was the ' "thirty .: days' war'' of 1897. Greece, alone and unprepared, was then' pitted against Turkey. The Turkish Army, which ; out-: . numbered that; of, Greece, had been carefully trained by .German officers. .•■.-..■ The Crown Prince, who was only i 23 years old, was given the command of the Greek forces in Thessaly, where most of : the fighting took place. The Greeks were beaten and were being driven further and lurther . back,. when : the Powers intervened, and put. an,, end to hostilities. v .-..■', .Fifteen years later >■ .-■ Constantine ''■;'. achieved ...■>' a triumph which, more than compeußat'id for the failure of his first campaign. ;In 1912, when Greece declared war on ,Turkey, 'he again ■ became '•';; Commander in Chief, and again proceeded to .Thessaly. [ The Greek arms were as successful on/this i occasion as 'they had beer. ■'■■: unsuccessful before. Constantino's -capture: of Salo-; nika and ■ Janina aroustd the }, greatest enthusiasm throughout Greece, and "the warrior Crown Prince" became for -i the time being a popular idol. Having acceded" to the Throne on the assassination of his father at Salonika, in 1913, -Constantine ■ worked* cordially -with' M. Venizelos +il} the outbreak* of the great war. But whon in- 19151 M. Veinzelos held (that the time had come for Greece, to throw in her lot with the Entente Powers,, the. King, refused .his as* sent, whereupon M. ; Venizelos resigned. After ' Consfcantihe's first ■ abdication the Greek Government published a . despatch sent by him> in August, 1914.: in reply to 4 a letter from the German Emperor asking 1 Greece to taKe up arirt3 in sa(.po;t of : - the Central Powers.;/ In this communication ';.Constantino said: "The Emperor knows well In 31 my personal sympathies and;poiijical opinntis draw me to his side," bat at' I he same time he pointed out that' if ■•' he accepted the invitation, 5 "without biding of "the least use to him, we should i 'be obliterated from the map.''Disclosures made at about the same; time left little doubt that' it was on the inspiration of King "Cohstahtihs that Fort Rupel was surrendered ,the Bulgarians and .that the Greek Army Corps which was subsequently interned in Germany laid down its arms. : His Brst Abdication. ' ] In September, 1916, M. Venizelos formed; a Provisional .Government-,:.0f National Defence at Salonika. Two months later came the shooting down of British and French troops; in Athens and / the i maltreatment -of • Venizelos ■ in that: city. Demands for the punishment of the King were at once made in London, but it was not till June,' 1917, soon after the Russian Revolution, . that, King ~ Consta?jtine» abdicated. His eldest son, the Crown Prince George; who was believed to share his father's political views; Vent with him into exile, and the. second son, Alexander, succeeded' to the throne. .; A residence was found for' the ex-Monarch and his family in Switzerland. Here he lived till December, 1920. i- After the death of Kirig Alexander and the defeat of M. • Venizelos at a general • election, the ; Greek Government offered the thronei to Coristantine's; youngest son, ■■■:-•■ Prince Paul, who was asked to acquiesce in tho exclusion of 'his father : and ..his eldest brother, Prince ; George,- from ; the succession. Prince Paul, refused the."-offer; and" shortly afterwards Cpnstaritine ■;' re-; turned ; with /his family ioi Athens./: iHa was received \ with, 'every -sign of enthusiasm, and was soon firmly seated, on the throne.' ". ■ ; "■': . ,'.V ,; .. ' The recent war in Anatolift is fresh in the public recollection. -It will be remembered that, so intoxicated were many of the Greeks by" 7 their early successesagainst the Kemalist forces, that when Constantine. went to the Anatolian front some 18 months ago, it was confidently prophesied that he would within a few weeks enter Constantinople at the head of the Greek Army. Later on some 59,000 of his . troops were withdrawn from' Anatolia in order to ; strengthen the Greek forces that were ; threatening. Constantinople from' Thrace. The Greek Government was, however/ given to' understand _ that any advance, toward ;•■ the ; Turkish 'capital would be resisted by the Allied forces in the Chatalja lines, and 'the threat never materialised. ; A few weeks later: all the Grecian dreams ; and :;am-; bitions .■•'..which'; Constantine's policy had encouraged were blown to pieces; by the Turkish guns. > " ,* ' '"•'"•"