It was on this day in 1913 that HM King George I of the Hellenes was assassinated by a socialist traitor while appearing in a victory parade in Salonika. George I had arrived in Greece in 1863, the founder of the current Greek Royal Family. During his reign there had been a time of hard earned prosperity and a considerable expansion of Greek territory. Still, it was often chaotic and beset by difficulties on every side and the monarch faced considerable opposition. In spite of this he took very little precautions for his own safety but was surely not expecting such a dastardly attack during what should have been a period of national celebration. Greek troops had just performed brilliantly in the First Balkan War, winning a string of victories against the Ottoman Turks. But of course that meant nothing to the likes of socialist revolutionaries and the King's life was cut short 97 years ago today. RIP.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Death of a King
It was on this day in 1913 that HM King George I of the Hellenes was assassinated by a socialist traitor while appearing in a victory parade in Salonika. George I had arrived in Greece in 1863, the founder of the current Greek Royal Family. During his reign there had been a time of hard earned prosperity and a considerable expansion of Greek territory. Still, it was often chaotic and beset by difficulties on every side and the monarch faced considerable opposition. In spite of this he took very little precautions for his own safety but was surely not expecting such a dastardly attack during what should have been a period of national celebration. Greek troops had just performed brilliantly in the First Balkan War, winning a string of victories against the Ottoman Turks. But of course that meant nothing to the likes of socialist revolutionaries and the King's life was cut short 97 years ago today. RIP.
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