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82-491: In 1836, King Otto I commissioned the Bavarian architect Friedrich von Gärtner , recommended by his father, Ludwig I of Bavaria , to design a palace that would house not only the royal family but also the ministerial cabinet. At the same time, the architect planned the future National Garden adjacent to the palace with Queen Amélie . The building served as the official royal residence until 1910, when George I chose to move to

164-645: A British subject. The Great Idea (Μεγάλη Ιδέα), the irredentist concept that expresses the goal of reviving the Byzantine Empire , led him to contemplate entering the Crimean War on the side of Russia against Turkey and its British and French allies in 1853; the enterprise was unsuccessful and resulted in renewed intervention by the two Great Powers and a second blockade of the Piraeus port, forcing Greece to neutrality. The continued inability of

246-533: A Constitution. Initially Otto refused to grant a Constitution, but as soon as Bavarian troops were withdrawn from the kingdom, a popular revolt was launched. On 3 September 1843, the infantry, led by both Colonel Dimitris Kallergis and the respected Revolutionary captain and former President of the Athens City Council, General Yiannis Makriyiannis , assembled in Palace Square in front of

328-518: A beautiful and talented 17-year-old, Duchess Amalia (Amelie) of Oldenburg (21 December 1818 to 20 May 1875). The wedding took place not in Greece but in Oldenburg , on 22 November 1836; the marriage did not produce an heir, and the new queen made herself unpopular by interfering in the government and maintaining her Lutheran faith. Otto was unfaithful to his wife, and had an affair with Jane Digby ,

410-554: A few from Carrara and Genoa in Italy . Lastly, the wood was sourced from Evia. Notably, many locals, especially islanders such as those from Tinos, Sifnos , Paros, and Naxos]], volunteered to work on the palace’s construction without pay. Once the walls were completed in November 1840, Gärtner returned to Athens to oversee the continuation of the construction and the interior decoration, bringing with him renowned historical painters of

492-711: A fully independent state, with Otto as its king. The Great Powers extracted a pledge from Otto's father to restrain him from hostile actions against the Ottoman Empire . They also insisted that Otto's title would be "King of Greece", rather than "King of the Hellenes", because the latter would imply a claim over the millions of Greeks then still under Turkish rule. Not quite 18, the young prince arrived in Greece with 3,500 Bavarian troops (the Bavarian Auxiliary Corps ) and three Bavarian advisors aboard

574-675: A large city. At the time, it was a town consisting of only 400 houses at the foot of the Acropolis . A modern city plan was laid out, and public buildings erected. The finest legacy of this period are the buildings of the University of Athens (1837, under the name Othonian University), the Athens Polytechnic University (1837, under the name Royal School of Arts), the National Gardens of Athens (1840),

656-618: A monarchy, under the rule of a prince who was not from the ruling families of one of the three Great Powers. Numerous candidates were considered for the vacant throne, including Prince Frederick of the Netherlands and Otto's uncle, Prince Karl Theodor of Bavaria . Even an Irishman named Nicholas Macdonald Sarsfield Cod'd put himself forward, claiming descent from the Byzantine Palaiologos dynasty. Ultimately, they settled on Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , and

738-568: A notorious woman his father had previously taken as a lover. Due to his having overtly undermined the king, Armansperg was dismissed from his duties by King Otto immediately upon his return from Germany. However, despite high hopes on the part of the Greeks, the Bavarian Rudhart was appointed chief minister, and the granting of a constitution was again postponed. Otto's attempts to conciliate Greek sentiment through efforts to enlarge

820-457: A peripheral road) and Ermou Street , on a small and gentle hill. In addition to its healthy climate, the location overlooked Athens from its easternmost edge. Thus, Gärtner was instructed to draft the building’s plans, a task he accomplished in a short time during his brief stay in Athens (from December 1835 to March 1836), a feat made possible only by his considerable expertise. The foundation of

902-556: A referendum abolished the monarchy, and the Second Hellenic Republic was proclaimed. The royal family was forced into exile. The palace was then used for many different purposes: housing a variety of government and public services in the 1920s, functioning as a makeshift hospital during World War II , a refugee shelter for Greek refugees from the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) in 1922, a museum with

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984-487: A small number have been donated to the Parliament Museum, demonstrating the care put into every detail. The primary materials used in the building’s construction were stone, marble, and wood. The stone mainly came from Hymettus , Lycabettus , and the "Pinakota" area near Strefi Hill in Athens, while the marble came primarily from Penteli , with smaller quantities from Hymettus, Tinos , Paros , Naxos , and

1066-416: Is accessible by public transportation via the bus and metro networks ( Syntagma station ). The building was constructed between 1836 and 1847, intended to become the palace of King Otto, following the transfer of the state’s capital from Nafplio to Athens in 1834. It was erected at the expense of King Ludwig I of Bavaria , as a personal loan to Otto. The final selection of the site for the construction of

1148-661: The Church of Greece . This was a recognition of the de facto political situation, as the Patriarch of Constantinople was partially under the political control of the Ottoman Empire . However, faithful people, concerned that having a Catholic as the head of the Church of Greece would weaken the Orthodox Church, criticised the unilateral declaration of Autocephaly as non-canonical . For the same reason, they likewise resisted

1230-1054: The Crown Prince's Palace nearby, which now houses the presidency of the Hellenic Republic . On the west side of the building, the site was transformed into the Monument to the Unknown Soldier . Today, the palace houses the Hellenic Parliament ( Greek : Βουλή των Ελλήνων ), the office of the President of the Assembly, the Vice Presidents, the Cabinet meeting room, the Parliament's television channel, and administrative services. It

1312-583: The London conference . Here, the crown was offered to the 17-year-old Prince Otto, which he happily accepted. The Bavarian House of Wittelsbach had no connections to the ruling dynasties of any of the Great Powers, and so was a neutral choice with which they were all satisfied. The Greeks were not consulted, but Greece was in chaos and no group or individual could claim to represent it anyway. The London Protocol of 1832 therefore finally recognized Greece as

1394-758: The National Library of Greece (1842), the Old Royal Palace (now the Greek Parliament Building, 1843), and the Old Parliament Building (1858). Schools and hospitals were established all over the (still small) Greek dominion. Due to the negative feelings of the Greek people toward non-Greek rule, historical attention to this aspect of his reign has been neglected. During 1836–37, Otto visited Germany, marrying

1476-638: The Ottoman Empire during the Crimean War , Otto's standing amongst Greeks suffered. As a result, there was an assassination attempt on Queen Amalia , and finally, in October 1862, Otto was deposed while in the countryside. He died in exile in Bavaria in 1867. Otto was born as Prince Otto Friedrich Ludwig of Bavaria at Schloss Mirabell in Salzburg (when it briefly belonged to the Kingdom of Bavaria ), as

1558-475: The Rothschild bank, who were underwriting the Greek loans, insisted on financial stringency from Armansperg. The Greeks were soon more heavily taxed than under Ottoman rule; as the people saw it, they had exchanged a hated Ottoman rule for government by a foreign bureaucracy , the "Bavarocracy" (Βαυαροκρατία). In addition, the regency showed little respect for local customs. As a Catholic , Otto himself

1640-655: The American Philhellene Samuel Gridley Howe , Kallergis was unsuitable for the leader's position. Subsequently he participated in the expedition of Georgios Karaiskakis in Roumeli and he was distinguished. In October 1826 he participated in the failed attack of Colonel Fabvier against Thebes (it was sent as reinforcement by Karaiskakis). On 30 January 1827 he took part in the victorious Battle of Kastella where he had significant contributions and on 20 February he defended strongly

1722-518: The Bavarian-dominated regency, were charged with treason, put in jail and sentenced to death. They were later pardoned under popular pressure, while Greek judges who resisted Bavarian pressure and refused to sign the death warrants ( Anastasios Polyzoidis and Georgios Tertsetis , for instance), were praised as heroes. Otto's early reign was also notable for his moving the capital of Greece from Nafplio to Athens . His first task as king

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1804-515: The British frigate HMS Madagascar . Although he did not speak Greek, he immediately endeared himself to his adopted country by adopting the Greek national costume and Hellenizing his name to "Othon" (some English sources, such as Encyclopædia Britannica , call him "Otho"). Thousands lined the docks of Nafplio to witness his arrival, including many heroes of the revolution such as Theodoros Kolokotronis and Alexandros Mavrokordatos . His arrival

1886-659: The British and French, and hence called "Ministry of Occupation" by the Greeks. Until Mavrokordatos' arrival, Kallergis exercised authority as dictator, with the full support of the French occupation troops. This particular government recalled all the Greek officers who participated in the anti-Ottoman revolutionary movements in Thessaly, Epirus and Macedonia to return to Greece while by personal requirement of Kallergis, Otto's adjutants— Gennaios Kolokotronis , Spyromilios , Ioannis Mamouris and Gardikiotis Grivas —were dismissed, while

1968-408: The Church and 4) toleration of other churches. His regents, Armansperg and Rundhart, established a controversial policy of suppressing the monasteries . This was very upsetting to the Church hierarchy. Russia considered itself a stalwart defender of Orthodoxy , but Orthodox believers were found in all three parties. Once he rid himself of his Bavarian advisers, Otto allowed the statutory dissolution of

2050-692: The Exhibition Hall of the Parliament Foundation, part of the Arvanitis Mansion (for administrative services), and the building at 1A Sekeri Street (for administrative services). In 2003, new statues were unveiled to honor two prominent Prime Ministers of the country, Charilaos Trikoupis and Eleftherios Venizelos, further enhancing the republican image of the Palace. An exhibition tracing the building’s history from its origins

2132-572: The French, which he followed later in Paris and so he became follower of the French policy. In 1848 he made an abortive descent on the Greek coast, in the hope of launching a revolution in the Greek kingdom. He was captured, but soon released and, after a stay in the island of Zante , went to Paris (1853). In 1854, during the Crimean War , he served as Minister of Military Affairs in the Alexandros Mavrokordatos cabinet—imposed by

2214-465: The Greek independence movement and friend of Ioannis Kapodistrias, Greece's governor. Otto's name therefore entered the discourse surrounding Greek independence, both within Greece and abroad. At the end of Greek War of Independence, the three Great Powers formulated the London Protocol of 1829 , which recognized an autonomous Greek state. Article 3 of the protocol stated that Greece would be

2296-651: The Greek regalia which they had brought from Bavaria in 1832. In 1863 the Greek National Assembly elected Prince William of Denmark, aged only 17, King of the Hellenes under the regnal name of George I . It has been suggested that had Otto and Amalia borne an heir, the king would not have been overthrown, as succession was also a major unresolved question at the time. However, the Constitution of 1844 made provision for his succession by his two younger brothers and their descendants. Otto died in

2378-554: The Greek territory. In 1843, as colonel of the cavalry , he was a leading figure of the 3 September 1843 Revolution against Otto which forced the king to dismiss his Bavarian ministers and grant a constitution. He was appointed military commandant of Athens, promoted to major general and aide de camp to the king. In 1845 he was dismissed by the army and withdrew from Greece, following an incident between him and Queen Amalia. He went to London , where he became friend with Louis Napoleon , nephew of Napoleon I and later Emperor of

2460-702: The Hessian State Archive (Hessisches Staatsarchiv Darmstadt) in Darmstadt, Germany. Otto's letters to his father-in-law, Augustus, Grand Duke of Oldenburg , written between 1836 and 1853, are preserved in the Niedersächsisches Landesarchiv in Oldenburg, Germany. He received the following honours: Dimitrios Kallergis Dimitrios Kallergis ( Greek : Δημήτριος Καλλέργης ; 1803 – 8 April 1867)

2542-470: The Palace in Athens. Eventually joined by much of the population of the small capital, the crowd refused to disperse until the king agreed to grant a constitution, which would require that there be Greeks in the Council, that he convene a permanent National Assembly and that Otto personally thank the leaders of the uprising. Left with little recourse now that his German troops were gone, King Otto gave in to

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2624-661: The Russian Party (according to which of the Great Powers' culture they most esteemed) vied for rank and power. The king's prestige, which was based in large part on his support by the combined Great Powers, but mostly the support of the British, suffered in the Pacifico incident of 1850, when Lord Palmerston , the British Foreign Secretary , sent the British fleet to blockade the port of Piraeus with warships to exact reparation for injustice done to

2706-453: The activities of the Greeks, while serving as advisers to their respective allied parties within Greece. King Otto pursued policies such as balancing power among all the parties and sharing offices among the parties, ostensibly to reduce the power of the parties while trying to bring a pro-Othon party into being. The parties, however, became the entree into government power and financial stability. The effect of his (and his advisors') policies

2788-493: The amended London Protocol of 1830 recognized him as the de jure sovereign of Greece. Although initially enthusiastic, Leopold was discouraged by the limited borders established by the protocol and Britain's refusal to grant financial support to the vulnerable new state. Due to this, as well as personal reasons, he formally rejected the crown three months later. Kapodistrias' assassination in 1831 destabilized Greece, and caused British Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston to convene

2870-612: The area of the Three Towers, which was eventually conquered by the Ottomans but she had suffered several losses. He was captured by the enemy forces during the disastrous Battle of Phaleron , where he was leader of the Cretan fighters. Finally, he was released after his family paid a large sum for his ransom but during his captivity, one of his ears was cut by the Ottomans. During the government of Ioannis Kapodistrias , Kallergis

2952-542: The building was laid on January 25 (Old Style) / February 6 (New Style), 1836, in the presence of Ludwig I and the ambassadors of the Great Powers. In March, Gärtner returned to Munich, leaving the supervision of the construction to Bavarian lieutenants Sloter and Hoss. From his office in Munich , Gärtner completed the detailed studies, producing a total of 247 designs related solely to the Athens palace building. These designs are now part of Munich’s large Moniger collection, while

3034-501: The building’s wings, Gärtner had designed many plans featuring rich decorations, most of which focused on the western facade, which was the most formal. When submitting the designs for approval to King Ludwig, who was also the financier of the building, the king rejected them, citing reasons of economy and a preference to avoid shifting from classical simplicity to a Renaissance style. As Oswald Hederer notes in his book Friedrich von Gaertner: "...when King Ludwig (of Bavaria) crossed out all

3116-403: The decorative elements of the facades with a red pencil, Gärtner is said to have remarked, somewhat indignantly, 'Well, now, Your Majesty, it looks like a barracks!'" Despite the imposed simplicity, Gärtner managed, with a few well-chosen elements, to give the massive building an imposing yet serene appearance. He used two bands, like threads, to connect the windowsills around each floor, breaking

3198-470: The eastern and western facades, creating two pediments at the edges. The central sections of the northern and southern wings are recessed by approximately 3.80 meters from the eastern and western facades. The projections of the central wing and the recesses of the side wings create a distinctive plasticity with a heavy classical tone, giving the building a unique architectural character. Both the eastern and western facades are approximately 90 meters long, while

3280-405: The eldest, Ludwig Ferdinand , were now considered the most likely candidates, but due to the issue of religion, no definite arrangements were ever made. In 1861, a student named Aristeidis Dosios (son of politician Konstantinos Dosios ) attempted to murder Queen Amalia and was openly hailed as a hero. His attempt, however, also prompted spontaneous feelings of monarchism and sympathy towards

3362-515: The fall of the Bavarian dynasty and led to the accession of Prince George of Denmark to the Greek throne. In 1866 he participated in the two-day government of Dimitrios Voulgaris as Minister of Military Affairs. In mid-1866 he returned to Greece as chief equerry of King George I . He proposed to the king to assign him the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arguing that with the help of the governments of France and Italy he would be able to accomplish

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3444-591: The foreign, mostly Protestant missionaries who established schools throughout Greece. Tolerance of other religions was over-supported by some in the English Party and others educated in the West as a symbol of Greece's progress as a liberal European state. In the end, power over the Church and education was ceded to the Russian Party, while the king maintained a veto over the decision of the Synod of Bishops. This

3526-481: The frontiers of his kingdom, for example by the suggested acquisition of Crete in 1841, failed in their objective and only succeeded in embroiling him in conflict with the Great Powers. Throughout his reign, King Otto found himself confronted by a recurring series of problems: partisanship of the Greeks, financial uncertainty, and ecclesiastical disputes. Greek parties in the Othonian era were based on two factors:

3608-475: The gift with interest, and will be grateful to you, seeing in you the one to resurrect the firstborn people of the Earth. Otto's reign is usually divided into three periods: The Bavarian advisors were arrayed in a Regency Council, headed by Count Josef Ludwig von Armansperg , who, in Bavaria as minister of finance, had recently succeeded in restoring Bavarian credit, at the cost of his popularity. Von Armansperg

3690-479: The hitherto Minister of Military Affairs, Skarlatos Soutsos , was suspended. When he was minister, Kallergis formed for the first time in Greece a fire brigade. In September 1855, a serious episode of Kallergis with the royal couple entailed the fall of Mavrokordatos' government. In 1861 he was appointed minister plenipotentiary in Paris, in which capacity he took an important part in the negotiations which followed

3772-643: The island. He was left fatherless at an early age and he was sent to Russia to the care of the Tsar's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Nesselrode , who appears in some sources is mentioned as his uncle. After completing his general studies he went to Vienna in order to study medicine. On the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence went to the Morea and joined the insurgents. On 19 January 1822 he disembarked with his relatives, Emmanuel and Nikolaos Kallergis, and

3854-463: The longest street in Athens at the time, while the secondary axis, running North-South, aligns with the western slope of Lycabettus and the columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus . The building consists of four wings (one on each side) and a central interior wing along the main axis, flanked by two internal courtyards (atriums). The central wing, with a double-pitched tiled roof, extends 0.58 meters beyond

3936-586: The monasteries to lapse. By tradition dating back to the Byzantine era, the king was regarded by the Church as its head. On the issue of the Church's Autocephaly and his role as king within the Church, Otto was overwhelmed by the arcana of Orthodox Church doctrine and popular discontent with his Catholicism (while the Queen was Protestant). In 1833, the regents had unilaterally declared the Autocephaly of

4018-547: The monotony of the large exterior surfaces of the wings. Additionally, with the various Doric porticoes at the building’s entrances—except for the southern side, which has Ionic porticoes—he further emphasized the neoclassical architectural style of the building. 37°58′31″N 23°44′13″E  /  37.97528°N 23.73694°E  / 37.97528; 23.73694 Otto of Greece Otto ( Greek : Όθων , romanized :  Óthon ; German : Otto Friedrich Ludwig von Wittelsbach ; 1 June 1815 – 26 July 1867)

4100-596: The new King of Greece in 1864. He moved into the palace with his family but decided in 1868 to relocate the heir apparent, known as the Diadoch , to another building. For this purpose, he had the Crown Prince's Palace constructed. At the same time, George I had two summer residences built: the Tatoi Palace , about twenty kilometers north of Athens, and the Mon Repos villa on the island of Corfu . The royal palace

4182-553: The officer Valianos in Hydra bringing with them ammunitions, whose worth was 100.000 rubles and a recommendation letter of bishop Ignatius Oungrovlachias. During the summer of 1825 he took on along with his compatriot Emmanuel Antoniadis the leadership of the campaign in Crete. On 2 August 200 revolutionaries occupied the fortress of Gramvousa , in which many pirates assembled during the next months. The campaign failed while, according to

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4264-460: The old palace was made by Gärtner himself at the end of 1835, after rejecting the proposals of Kleanthis , Schaubert , Klenze , and Schinkel , who had suggested locations in Omonoia , Kerameikos , and the Acropolis , respectively. Ludwig, Otto’s father, had also objected to the latter. Specifically, the area proposed by Gärtner for the construction was at the junction of Stadiou Street (then

4346-402: The other two facades are about 80 meters each. The entire building is elevated by 1.5 meters from the surrounding area. All the exterior wings have a ground floor and two upper stories. The height of the ground floor is 7.16 meters (gross), the first floor is 7.11 meters (gross), and the second floor is 5.5 meters. In contrast, the central wing has a basement, a ground floor with the same height as

4428-418: The other wings, but only one upper story, which is 14.20 meters high (taller than the combined heights of the first and second floors of the other wings). This space housed the official reception rooms, the "reception-ball-games" hall, and the grand dining hall. It was the most richly decorated area of the palace, adorned with murals, paintings, maps, furniture, and other decorations. For the exterior facades of

4510-542: The palace of the former bishops of Bamberg , Germany, and was buried in the Theatiner Church in Munich . During his retirement, he would still wear the Greek traditional uniform, nowadays worn only by the evzones (Presidential Guards). Αccording to witnesses, Otto's last words were "Greece, my Greece, my beloved Greece." Otto's letters to his sister, Princess Mathilde Caroline of Bavaria , Grand Duchess of Hesse, written between 1832 and 1861, are preserved in

4592-653: The personal effects of King George I (now part of the collection of the National Historical Museum ), and other uses. In November 1929, the government decided to relocate the Parliament to the royal palace from its previous location in a neoclassical building on Stadiou Street, the Old Parliament House , now the National Historical Museum. This move marked a significant transformation of the building’s role, with

4674-538: The political activities of the diplomatic representatives of the Great Powers Russia, United Kingdom and France and the affiliation of Greek political figures with these diplomats. According to Richard Clogg , the financial uncertainty of the Othonian monarchy was the result of The political machinations of the Great Powers were personified in their three legates in Athens: Theobald Piscatory (France), Gabriel Catacazy ( Russian Empire ), and Sir Edmund Lyons ( United Kingdom ). They informed their home governments on

4756-420: The pressure and agreed to the demands of the crowd over the objections of his opinionated queen . This square was renamed Constitution Square ( Greek : Πλατεία Συντάγματος ) to commemorate (through to the present) the events of September 1843—and was to feature in many later tumultuous events of Greek history. Now for the first time, the king had Greeks in his Council and the French Party, the English Party and

4838-434: The regents when they proved unpopular with the people, and he ruled as an absolute monarch . Eventually, his subjects' demands for a constitution proved overwhelming, and in the face of an armed (but bloodless) insurrection, Otto granted a constitution in 1843. Throughout his reign, Otto was unable to resolve Greece's poverty and prevent economic meddling from outside. Greek politics in this era were based on affiliations with

4920-416: The republic overshadowing the former monarchy. After more extensive renovations, the Senate convened in the "Old Palace" on 2 August 1934, followed by the Fifth National Assembly on 1 July 1935. Although the monarchy was restored that same year, the building has housed Parliament ever since. The transformation of the building into the Parliament was carried out by architect Andreas Kriezis. On 25 March 1932,

5002-424: The royal couple among the Greek population. While Otto was visiting the Peloponnese in 1862 a new coup was launched and this time a Provisional Government was set up and summoned a National Convention. Ambassadors of the Great Powers urged King Otto not to resist, and the king and queen took refuge on a British warship and returned to Bavaria aboard (the same way they had come to Greece), taking with them

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5084-440: The royal couple to have children also raised the thorny issue of succession: the 1844 constitution insisted that Otto's successor had to be Orthodox, but as the king was childless, the only possible heirs were his younger brothers, Luitpold and Adalbert . The staunch Catholicism of the Wittelsbachs complicated matters, as Luitpold refused to convert and Adalbert married Infanta Amalia of Spain . The sons of Adalbert, and especially

5166-528: The royal palace in 1843. On 3 September of the same year, General Dimitrios Kallergis , with his men and a large part of the population, presented themselves at the windows of the sovereign to compel him to grant a constitution to the Kingdom. This peaceful revolution made the building a symbol of Greece’s political power. The square to the west of the palace was named "Constitution Square" (Πλατεία Συντάγματος, Syntagma Square ) in honor of this event. After Otto’s abrupt departure and abdication, George I became

5248-429: The second son of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen . His father served there as the Bavarian governor-general. Through his ancestor, the Bavarian Duke John II , Otto was a descendant of the Byzantine imperial dynasties of Komnenos and Laskaris . His father was a prominent Philhellene , and provided significant financial aid to the Greek cause during the War of Independence . Otto

5330-457: The three Great Powers that had guaranteed Greece's independence, Britain , France and Russia , and Otto's ability to maintain the support of the powers was key to his remaining in power. To remain strong, Otto had to play the interests of each of the Great Powers' Greek adherents against the others, while not irritating the Great Powers. When Greece was blockaded by the British Royal Navy in 1850 and again in 1854, to stop Greece from attacking

5412-408: The time, Johann Schraudolph, Ulrich Halbreiter, and Josef Kranzburger. These artists were responsible for the large murals depicting scenes from Greek mythology and the Greek Revolution of 1821, especially in the Trophy Hall. After a three-month stay, Gärtner returned to Munich, leaving the engineer Riedel in charge, who successfully completed the building in 1847. King Otto and Queen Amélie moved into

5494-524: The times of Apostle Paul . Muslim families were still living in Greece during Otto's reign, since hostility was mainly against the Ottoman state and its repressive mechanisms and not against Muslim people. Although King Otto tried to function as an absolute monarch, as Thomas Gallant writes, he "was neither ruthless enough to be feared, nor compassionate enough to be loved, nor competent enough to be respected." By 1843, public dissatisfaction with him had reached crisis proportions and there were demands for

5576-457: The troops of Ioannis Kolettis . At the same time, he followed a military career as an officer in the regular army while he was actively involved in the political issues of that period, first as a follower of the Russian Party and then of the French Party . In 1834, during the Bavarian regency and the Kolettis government he was imprisoned as a supporter of the Russian Party, whose significant members had made at that time various uprisings in

5658-483: The unveiling of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier , which had begun construction in 1929, took place. Today, the building serves as the headquarters of the Hellenic Parliament . Other buildings associated with the Parliament include the Tobacco Factory (housing the Parliament’s Library and Archives), the building on Vasilissis Amalias Avenue (for administrative services), the buildings at 4 Voulis Street and 2 Mitropoleos Street (offices for regional Members of Parliament),

5740-438: The vision of the Megali Idea , but King George didn't believe it. In the summer of the same year he was elected by the Cretans as leader of the Cretan Revolt , but in September he refused the post because of health problems. In January 1867 he was appointed as Ambassador of Greece to the United States but during the trip he fell ill in Paris and returned to Athens, where he died on 8 April 1867 of hemiplegia . Kallergis

5822-414: Was King of Greece from the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece on 27 May 1832, under the Convention of London , until he was deposed in October 1862 . The second son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria , Otto ascended the newly created throne of Greece at age 17. His government was initially run by a three-man regency council made up of Bavarian court officials. Upon reaching his majority, Otto removed

5904-490: Was a child of delicate health and temperament, with a slight stutter and a passion for the piano. As a teenager, he was tutored in Classical Greek and Latin by classical scholar and passionate Philhellene Friedrich Thiersch , who was the first to suggest the young prince as a candidate for the throne of the emerging nation. Thiersch's suggestion was supported by Jean-Gabriel Eynard , a major financial benefactor of

5986-516: Was a fighter of the Greek War of Independence , major general, politician and one of the most important protagonists of the 3 September 1843 Revolution . Kallergis was born in 1803 in Crete . Hailing from the distinguished Cretan Kallergis family , a historic family of Mylopotamos , the roots of which lay in the Byzantine Empire and which had risen to prominence under the Venetian domination of

6068-423: Was devastated by a terrible fire in 1909. The king and his family then moved to Crown's Prince palace, from then on known as the "New Palace". Even after the reconstruction, George did not immediately return to the palace, unlike his wife, Queen Olga , who remained there after her husband’s assassination in 1913. Constantine I neglected the palace, and his successor, Alexander , chose to reside at Tatoi. In 1924,

6150-604: Was held in 2009. In front of the Parliament, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded by a unit of the Greek army known as the Evzones . The Evzones wear traditional Greek uniforms, with the most distinctive feature being the fustanella. The changing of the guard occurs every hour. The Old Palace, according to Gärtner’s designs, is a massive rectangular three-story building, including the ground floor, with two axes of symmetry. The main axis runs East-West and aligns with Ermou Street,

6232-468: Was initially enthusiastically welcomed by the Greek people as an end to the chaos of the prior years and the beginning of the rejuvenation of the Greek nation. A year later Greek poet Panagiotis Soutsos evoked the scene in Leander , the first novel to be published in independent Greece: O King of Greece! Old Greece bequeathed the lights of learning to Germany, through you Germany has undertaken to repay

6314-581: Was one of his supporters. He served as his adjutant and he proceeded to the organization of a regular body of the cavalry, where he became deputy commander. After the governor's assassination he had sided with Augustinos Kapodistrias and he actively participated in the civil conflicts of the time. During January 1832 he fought as a cavalry officer in the Battle of Argos and in March in the Battle of Loutraki where his forces and those of Nikitaras were defeated by

6396-527: Was the President of the Privy Council and the first representative (or Prime Minister) of the new Greek government. The other members of the Regency Council were Karl von Abel and Georg Ludwig von Maurer , with whom von Armansperg often clashed. After the king reached his majority in 1835, von Armansperg was made Arch-Secretary, but was called Arch-Chancellor by the Greek press. Britain and

6478-531: Was to keep balance and avoid discrediting Greece in the eyes of Western Europe as a backward, religiously intolerant society. Catholic communities had been established in Greece since the 13th century (Athens, Cyclades, Chios, Crete). Jewish communities also existed in the country, those arriving after the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain (1492) joining the earlier Romaniotes , Jews who had been living there since

6560-452: Was to make a detailed archaeological and topographic survey of Athens. He assigned Gustav Eduard Schaubert and Stamatios Kleanthis to complete this task. At that time, Athens had a population of roughly 4,000–5,000 people, located mainly in what today covers the district of Plaka in Athens . Athens was chosen as the Greek capital for historical and sentimental reasons, not because it was

6642-409: Was to make the Great Powers' parties more powerful, not less. The Great Powers did not support curtailing Otto's increasing absolutism, however, which resulted in a near permanent conflict between Otto's absolute monarchy and the power bases of his Greek subjects. Otto found himself confronted by a number of intractable ecclesiastical issues: 1) monasticism , 2) Autocephaly , 3) the king as head of

6724-527: Was viewed as a heretic by many pious Greeks; however, his heirs would have to be Orthodox , according to the terms of the 1843 Constitution. King Otto brought his personal brewmaster with him, Herr Fuchs, a Bavarian who stayed in Greece after Otto's departure and introduced Greece to beer, under the label " Fix ". Popular heroes and leaders of the Greek Revolution, such as generals Theodoros Kolokotronis and Yiannis Makriyiannis , who opposed

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