Otto, the King Enthroned by a Revolution and Dethroned by Another

A portrait of Otto as Prince of Bavaria, by Joseph Stieler. Accessed from Wikimedia Commons

In 1829, representatives of the Great Powers, Great Britain, France, and Russia, met in London to discuss the creation  of an independent Greek state. This was the culmination of the protracted struggle of the Greeks for independence over Ottoman rule, which lasted from 1821 until 1830.  Succeeding negotiations eventually defined the Greek borders and named Prince Otto of Bavaria as the first king of Greece. The barely sixteen-year-old king, born on June 1, 1815 the at Schloss Mirabell in Salzburg, was the second son of Crown Prince, later King Ludwig of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.  Ludwig was a prominent Philhellene and provided significant financial aid to the Greek cause during the War of Independence.  In fact, at the start of the Greek Revolution in 1821, he provided a loan of 1.5 million florins from his own funds.

The thought of having their own sovereign, albeit he was one who did not speak Greek at first, caused excitement among the Greeks. Otto was given an enthusiastic welcome and thousands of Hellenes lined the docks of Nafplio so they could personally catch a glimpse of their young king. Revolutionary heroes, like Theodoros Kolokotronis and Alexandros Mavrokordatos, were there to greet him. The hopeful Greeks were enthusiastic that a bright future would dawn on their infant sovereign state.

A portrait of Duchess Amelie of Oldenburg by Joseph Karl Stieler

The early years of his reign was placed under the regency of Count Armansperg. “I entrust my son’s well-being to you,” King Ludwig told the regent. “What I place in your hands is not only something personal but it is an interest of the Bavarian people and is of historical significance to the world.”

However, “Otto lacked strength and energy, diligence and consistency,” Luigi, Count Corti, remarked. “Although he had become a King, he retained a childlike submission to his father, whom he regarded as his best friend.”

 Otto’s reign was an ineffective one, as the king veered more on pleasing the Great Powers, as such the country’s politics and economy were frequently meddled by outside influences. Sir John Arthur Ransome Marriott, a British educationist and Member of Parliament later wrote: "Otto was not a happy choice ; he neglected the national feelings, and chafed under the limitations imposed on him by the Constitution."

King Otto and Queen Amalia embarking on HMS Scylla. Accessed from Wikimedia Commons

Otto’s autocratic tendencies proved unpopular and several foiled attempts to expand Greek territories, including the annexation of Crete in 1841, only alienated Great Britain. Not to be daunted, he harboured the desire of a new Byzantine Empire headquartered in Constantinople. However, his “Great Idea” came to nothing as Greek intervention against Turkey during the Crimean War (1853–56) triggered the British and French forces to occupy Piraeus. His support to Austria during the Italian War of Independence (1859) further damaged his reputation. The attempt to murder his wife, Queen Amalia (whom he married in 1836) did not elicit any sympathy for the monarchy. The murderer, in fact, was hailed as a hero. While visiting Pelloponese on October 16, 1862, an uprising erupted in Vonitsa, which spread like wildfire and reached Athens on October 22. A provisional government was established which overthrew the king on October 23.

Otto and the queen left Greece but he never abdicated. In 1863, the Greek assembly elected Prince William of Denmark as the new king of Greece. Otto seemed to have never accepted his fate of losing his crown. In fact, even in exile, he continued to wear the Greek traditional uniform. When he died in the palace of the former bishops of Bamberg in Germany, on July 26, 1867, it is believe that he muttered these last words: "Greece, my Greece, my beloved Greece." It is ironic that a revolution enthroned Otto and it was also a revolution that dethroned him.