Kings of Greece

A predecessor to the present Greek state is the Byzantine empire, which existed from the fourth century to 1453 when it was conquered by the Ottoman empire. The modern Greek state was created as a result of a rebellion 1821-1829 against the Ottoman empire. A provisional government had been formed already in 1822 but it was not until 1827 when British, French and Russian navies defeated the Turks at the battle of Navarino that the independence was secured. Shortly afterwards was Ioannis Kapodistrias appointed as Greece's first head of state (with the title governor). Internal strife led however to his assassination in 1831 and his brother and successor could not control the situation from escalating to anarchy. Therefore the great powers stepped in again and appointed a Bavarian prince to be the king of Greece, which then was confirmed in the peace treaty with the Ottoman empire in 1832.

First Republic