Greece (Hellas)

Capital : Athens

Evvoia, Lasithi, Peloponnese (Pelopónnisos), Réthímnon, Thessalia (Thessaly)

History

After the Byzantine Empire gave way under the Turkish conquest during the C15th, many Greeks saw it as a merciful release from Latin rule. Despite signs of weakening in the C17th and Catherine the Great of Russia's war with Turkey in the C18th, the Ottoman Empire controlled Greece until the struggle for independence intensified from 1800 - 1832. The Balkan territories were also trying to throw off Turkish rule and the pro-independence group, the Philiki Etairia, was involved in intrigues with them.

Mavrokordatos, the first President, proclaimed a Constitution at New Year, 1822, and there were some successes in the war to win back territory. Many foreign 'philhellenes', including Byron, fought for Greek independence. Byron's death probably influenced the intervention by the three powers in the Mediterranean, Russia under Heiden, Britain under Codrington and France under de Rigny. The Turkish governor, Ibrahim, was driven from the Peloponnese but the Russo-Turkish war of 1828-9 soon took their attention from Greece. The Cypriot, Capodistria, was elected President in 1827 but rival factions within Greece led to his downfalland assassination in 1831 leaving civil war.

The powers decided on King Ludwig of Bavaria's seventeen year old son, Otto, as King. He was to reign until his deposition by the revolution of 1862. The Greeks wanted Queen Victoria's second son, Alfred, to succeed him but eighteen year old Prince William George, second son of the King of Denmark, was chosen. George I, as he became, took his oath to the new democratic constitution in 1864 but this led to the creation of so many political parties that no government lasted very long, elections were frequent and bloodshed often determined their outcome.

Attempts to regain Greek territories not yet within the kingdom led to further revolution by 1908. The Balkan League was formed under Venizelos' influence in 1912 and war was declared on Turkey. Greece was almost doubled in size by the gains from the Turks but parts of it were still controlled by Italy and Bulgaria and the establishment of Albania (some of which was Greek-speaking) was resented by the Greeks.

King George I was killed by a madman in 1913 and succeeded by his son, Constantine, who became reconciled with Venizelos for a time. Although he was labelled 'pro-German' during WW1, Constantine was probably best described as 'pro-Greek'. He was forced to abdicate by the Allies, Venizelos was briefly exiled in 1917 but returned to power and the Greeks helped in the final Allied attack in 1918. Constantine, who had never officially abdicated, just left his second son, Alexander, in charge (George, the eldest, declined the succession) returned after Alexander died of a monkey bite in 1920 and the youngest brother, Prince Paul, refused the crown. In 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne made a territorial settlement that has been little changed. An exchange of population with Turkey led to a greater homogeneity within Greece although some Greek areas remained outside it.

The general election of 1923 was boycotted by the monarchist Populist Party and Venizelos won nearly two thirds of the seats but the Republicans had strong backing. The new young king, George II, agreed to leave the country while the constitution was resolved. The Republic was declared and lasted until Panagalos, the sole candidate, was elected President in April 1926 but Venizelos returned in 1928. Monarchy was restored under George II in 1935 with first Kondylis and then Demertzis as Prime Minister. After many deaths amongst the leading figures of the democracy, General Metaxas became Prime Minister. His tyrannical government remained in power until his death in 1941 after resisting Mussolini's invasions. WWII and civil war in 1944 led to British intervention and the king was forced to remain in London. After a period of crisis, the 1951 election brought Papagos to power. The long struggle for Cyprus ceased temporarily in 1961 and King Paul, who had a reasonably stable reign, died just after swearing in the new government in 1964, leaving the Crown to Constantine II. Various shortlived governments gave way to military rule in 1967 and Constantine fled to Rome. The dictatorship failed in 1974 but the restoration of the monarchy was voted against and a series of electioned governments followed.

Greek Names

Classical influence is still strongly felt within the naming system with even names of Gods and heroes still occurring. A surname system has now been developed. Greek Cypriots and Corfiots use a similar stock.

Male

Adamantios	Agias	Aleksiu	Alexander	Andreas	Angelos
Anninos	Antonis	Aris	Aristotelis	Athanasios	Charalambos
Christos	Constantinos	Costa	Costas	Dighenis	Dimitrios
Dimitris	Dmitrios	Dmitris	Eleaterios	Eleftherios	Eleni
Elias	Emmanuel	Epaminondas	Evangelos	George	Georghios
Glafkos	Gondikas	Grigoris	Grigorius	Harilaos	Hermes
Iannis	Ioannis	John	Kalinikos	Kharilaos	Konstantinos
Kosti	Kris	Kristion	Kypros	Lambros	Loucas
Loukas	Makarios	Makis	Manolis	Marinos	Marko
Markos	Metrophanes	Michaelis	Mikis	Miltos	Nico
Nikolas	Nikos	Nocolau	Odysseus	Orestes	Othon
Pan	Panagiotis	Panayiotis	Panos	Paul	Pavlo
Periklis	Petri	Petros	Philogathos	Podromos	Polymenis
Rhigas	Salaman	Savas	Skyros	Sophoklis	Spyridon
Spyros	Stamatis	Stavros	Stelios	Stephanos	Taki
Tasos	Tataki	Teles	Themistoklis	Theodore	Theofanis
Thomas	Thrasyvoulos	Tzannas	Valerios	Vasilios	Vassili
Viktor	Xenophon	Yannas	Yanni	Yannis

Female

Agathi	Aikaterine	Aleki?	Athenagora	Deianira	Dimitra
Domna	Ekaterine	Ekaterini	Eleni	Elewteria	Elewtheria
Elina	Euphrosyne	Frederika	Juno	Lugaretzia	Maria
Melina	Nana	Niki	Rena	Tassia	Tassula
Tharsia	Theophano	Toula	Vasiliki	Xantippe	Zoe

Surnames

Anagyrou	Andreadis	Andros	Androuchelli	Androupolos	Androutsos
Angelis	Anistonopoulos	Anninos	Argyra	Athanasiadis	Athanassiadi
Averoff	Axelos	Bakirdzis	Bessarion	Botsaris	Bourgani
Capodistria	Carides	Catalactus	Chakiris	Christodoulou	Christos
Clerides	Constandouros	Cosmatos	Costanduros	Cotsadis	Couloumbis
Coulouris?	Damaskinos	Deligiannis	Deligiorgis	Delivorias	Demertzis
Demosthenous	Dimas	Dimitrakos	Dimitris	Diomedes	Dontas
Doxiadis	Dukakis	Eliades	Elipandas	Farakos	Florakis
Galonopoulas	Gatsioudis	Gatzioudis	Genovelis	George	Georghiou
Giorgiou	Gislenus	Gizikis	Glezos	Gogos	Gonatas
Gounaris	Gousetti	Grivas	Hagiorgiu	Halara	Iakovakis
Iatrides	Ioannidis	Joakimides	Kairis	Kaklamanakis	Kalergi
Kalvos	Kanaris	Kanellopoulos	Kaphandaris	Karahi	Karaiskakis
Karamanlis	Karatossos	Kasomoulis	Katsantonis	Khadjikyriakos	Klaras
Koffa	Kokotis	Kolettis	Kollias	Kolokotronis	Kondylis
Kontoghiorghes	Koraïs	Korkizoglu	Koryzis	Koskotas	Kostanopoulos
Kostopoulou	Kostopulos	Koukoudimos	Koumoundouros	Koundouriotis	Kourniakis
Kousoulas	Kozani	Kritopoulos	Kyprianou	Kyriakou	Kyriazis
Lambrakis	Lambrianou	Lambrinos	Lathouris	Leonidis	Lianis
Louganis	Louvaris	Maganas	Magos	Maharis	Makarezos
Makrigiannis	Mangakis	Marcoullides	Marinatos	Markezinis	Markoulides
Markoullides	Marsolais	Martis	Matacena	Mavridou	Mavrogordatos
Mavrokordatos	Mavromikhalis	Mavros	Maximos	Melas	Meletoglu
Melissanides	Mercouri	Merukides	Messimeris	Metaxas	Mikalis
Mikhalakopoulos	Mitrou	Mitsotakis	Monomachus	Moscopolis	Moumoulidis
Muscouri	Mylonas	Nafpliotis	Negris	Niarkhos	Nikolaides
Onassis	Orphanides	Palamas	Pallis	Pan	Panagiatopoulos
Panagiopoulou	Panagou	Panagoulias	Panagoulis	Panaotis	Panayi
Panayides	Panayiotopoulos	Panayiotou	Pangalos	Papademetriou	Papadias
Papadopolos	Papadoupolos	Papafagos	Papageorgiou	Papagos	Papakostas
Papanastasiou	Papandreou	Papasotiriou	Papatamelis	Papathanassiou	Papoulias
Pappas	Parastadidis	Pattakos	Pavlakakis	Pentzopoulos	Pesmazoglou
Pheraios	Philipousis	Pierides	Pipinelis	Plastiras	Polycarpous
Polychroniadis	Polychroniou	Polymeropoulos	Popotas	Porpurogenitos	Pratkanis
Prevalakis	Primikynos	Psaros	Psaroulakis	Rallis	Saltsidis
Samos	Sampras	Sanassis	Sarakatsani	Saraphis	Sardzetakis
Sartzetakis	Sarus	Savakis	Savalos	Sbokos	Senteildis
Siantos	Skandalis	Skiotis	Skouloudis	Skouphas	Solomos
Sophoulis	Souvaltzis	Stasi	Stavrianakis	Stavrianos	Stavrou
Stephanopoulos	Stroubakos	Tavoularis	Terzin	Thanou	Theodopoulos
Theodorakis	Theophanous	Theotokis	Touliatos	Trikoupis	Trikoupis
Tsakolov	Tsaldaris	Tsatsos	Tsavdaridou	Tsikouna	Tsiolakoudi
Tsirigolis	Tsirimokos	Tsolakoglou	Tsoni	Tsouderos	Tsyoma
Tzannetakis	Tzivas	Vadeki	Valaoritis	Vaphiadis	Vardakastanis
Varvaressos	Vasdeki	Vasdekis	Vasiliou	Vassilides	Vatatzes
Veloukhiotis	Venizelos	Vergopoulos	Vlakhos	Vlakhou	Voulgaris
Voulgaropoulos	Xanthos	Xanthou	Xenakis	Xydis	Yannopoulos
Yialouris	Ypsilantis	Zafiropoulos	Zaïmis	Zakhariadis	Zarikos
Zervakos	Zervas	Zikos	Zisimides	Zographas	Zoïtakis
Zolotas

Rulers

Otto	1832-62 dep.
George I	1863-1913 elected	son of Kristian IX of Denmark	Olga, niece of Alexander I of Russia
Constantine I	1913-17	son of George I
Regent Olga		Dowager Queen
George II	1922-3, 1935-47	son of Constantine I
Paul I	1946-64	son of George II ?
Constantine II / XII	1964-73 abd.	son of Paul I	Anne-Marie, daughter of Frederick IX of Denmark
Crown Prince Paul	b. 1967

Cyprus

Akamas, Karpasia, Marathasa, Mesaoria, Pitsilia, Tillyeria

The island is divided between the Greeks and the Turks.

For other Greek names, see: Ancient Greece

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This collection of names compiled by Kate Monk. Copyright January 1997, Kate Monk. Last updated November, 97. Copies may be made for personal use only.