This is a list of the heads of state of the modern Greek state, from its establishment during the Greek Revolution to the present day.
See main article: First Hellenic Republic. "First Hellenic Republic" is a historiographical term used by academics the actual name of the government was the Provisional Administration of Greece and was established at the beginning of the greek revolution and later renamed as the Hellenic state. There was no separation between head of state and head of government.
| Head of state | Term of office | Title | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||
| 1 | Alexandros Mavrokordatos Greek, Modern (1453-);: Αλέξανδρος Μαυροκορδάτος | 15 January 1822 | 26 April 1823 | President of the Executive | |||
| 2 | Petros Mavromichalis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Πέτρος Μαυρομιχάλης (Πετρόμπεης) | 26 April 1823 | 5 January 1824 | President of the Executive | |||
| 3 | Georgios Kountouriotis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Γεώργιος Κουντουριώτης | 6 January 1824 | 17 April 1826 | President of the Executive | |||
| 4 | Andreas Zaimis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ανδρέας Ζαΐμης | 18 April 1826 | 26 March 1827 | President of the Government Commission | |||
| — | Vice-gubernatorial Committee of 1827 | 3 April 1827 | 20 January 1828 | ||||
| Governor | Term of office | Political affiliation[1] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||
| 1 | Ioannis Kapodistrias Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ιωάννης Καποδίστριας | 20 January 1828 | 27 September 1831 o.s. | Independent | |||
| 2 | Augustinos Kapodistrias Greek, Modern (1453-);: Αυγουστίνος Καποδίστριας | 8 December 1831 | 27 March 1832 (o.s.) | Independent | |||
| — | Administrative Committee of Greece (1832) | 28 March 1832 | 25 January 1833 | Independent | |||
See main article: Kingdom of Greece.
See main article: House of Wittelsbach. The London Conference of 1832 was an international conference convened to establish a stable government in Greece. Negotiations between the three Great powers (United Kingdom, France and Russia) resulted in the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece under a Bavarian prince. The decisions were ratified in the Treaty of Constantinople later that year.
The convention offered the throne to Prince Otto of Bavaria. They also established the line of succession which would pass the crown to Otto's descendants, or his younger brothers should he have no issue. It was also decided that in no case there would be a personal union of the crowns of Greece and Bavaria. Otto went on to rule Greece until he was exiled in the 23 October 1862 Revolution.
See main article: House of Glücksburg. In October 1862, King Otto was deposed in a popular revolt, but while the Greek people rejected Otto, they did not seem averse to the concept of monarchy per se. Many Greeks, seeking closer ties to the pre-eminent world power, Great Britain, rallied around the idea that Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, could become the next King. British Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston believed that the Greeks were "panting for increase in territory", hoping that the election of Alfred as King would also result in the incorporation of the Ionian Islands, which were then a British protectorate, into an enlarged Greek state.
The London Conference of 1832, however, had prohibited any of the Great powers' ruling families from accepting the crown of Greece, and in any event, Queen Victoria was adamantly opposed to the idea. Nevertheless, the Greeks insisted on holding a referendum on the issue of the head of state in November 1862. It was the first referendum ever held in Greece.
Prince Alfred turned down the Kingship and Prince William of Denmark, son of Prince Christian of Denmark, was elected by the National Assembly to become King George I of the Hellenes.
| King | Reign | Claim | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Reign start | Reign end | Duration | |||
| 2 | George I Greek, Modern (1453-);: Γεώργιος A΄ | 30 March 1863 | 18 March 1913 | Ascended to the throne following the 19 November 1862 referendum | |||
| 3 | Constantine I Greek, Modern (1453-);: Κωνσταντίνος A΄ | 18 March 1913 | 11 June 1917 | Son of George I | |||
| 4 | Alexander Greek, Modern (1453-);: Αλέξανδρος | 11 June 1917 | 25 October 1920 | Second son of Constantine I | |||
| — | Pavlos Kountouriotis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Παύλος Κουντουριώτης | 28 October 1920 | 17 November 1920 | Regent | |||
| — | Queen Olga Greek, Modern (1453-);: Βασίλισσα Όλγα | 17 November 1920 | 19 December 1920 | Regent Widow of George I Mother of Constantine I | |||
| Constantine I Greek, Modern (1453-);: Κωνσταντίνος A΄ | 19 December 1920 | 27 September 1922 | Restored to the throne following the 22 November 1920 referendum | ||||
| 5 | George II Greek, Modern (1453-);: Γεώργιος Β΄ | 27 September 1922 | 25 March 1924 | Eldest son of Constantine I | |||
The Second Hellenic Republic was a parliamentary republic which was proclaimed on 25 March 1924 and a referendum was held to abolish the Monarchy. The Second Republic was abolished after the 1935 monarchy referendum. The President of the Republic had a symbolic role as head of the state.
| President | Elected | Term of office | Political affiliation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||
| 1 | Pavlos Kountouriotis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Παύλος Κουντουριώτης | 1924 | 25 March 1924 | 6 April 1926 | Military | ||
| 2 | Theodoros Pangalos Greek, Modern (1453-);: Θεόδωρος Πάγκαλος | — | 6 April 1926 | 18 April 1926 | Military | ||
| 1926 | 18 April 1926 | 22 August 1926 | |||||
| Pavlos Kountouriotis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Παύλος Κουντουριώτης | — | 22 August 1926 | 24 August 1926 | Military | |||
| 24 August 1926 | 10 December 1929 | ||||||
| 3 | Alexandros Zaimis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Αλέξανδρος Ζαΐμης | — | 10 December 1929 | 14 December 1929 | Independent | ||
| 1929 1933 | 14 December 1929 | 10 October 1935 | |||||
| King | Reign | Claim | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Reign start | Reign end | Duration | |||
| — | Georgios Kondylis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Γεώργιος Κονδύλης | 10 October 1935 | 25 November 1935 | Regent | |||
| George II Greek, Modern (1453-);: Γεώργιος Β΄ | 25 November 1935 | 31 December 1944 | Restored to the throne following the 3 November 1935 referendum | ||||
| — | Damaskinos Greek, Modern (1453-);: Αρχιεπίσκοπος Δαμασκηνός | 31 December 1944 | 27 September 1946 | Regent | |||
| George II Greek, Modern (1453-);: Γεώργιος Β΄ | 27 September 1946 | 1 April 1947 | Restored to the throne following the 1 September 1946 plebiscite on the monarchy | ||||
| 6 | Paul Greek, Modern (1453-);: Παύλος | 1 April 1947 | 6 March 1964 | Third son of Constantine I Brother of George II | |||
| 7 | Constantine II Greek, Modern (1453-);: Κωνσταντίνος Β΄ | 6 March 1964 | 1 June 1973 | Son of Paul | |||
| — | Georgios Zoitakis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Γεώργιος Ζωιτάκης | 13 December 1967 | 21 March 1972 | Regent For Constantine II | |||
| — | Georgios Papadopoulos Greek, Modern (1453-);: Γεώργιος Παπαδόπουλος | 21 March 1972 | 31 May 1973 | Regent For Constantine II | |||
On 1 June 1973 the junta abolished the monarchy and replaced it with a presidential republic. The abolition of the monarchy was approved by a rigged referendum held on 29 July 1973.
| President | Term of office | Political affiliation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||
| 1 | Georgios Papadopoulos Greek, Modern (1453-);: Γεώργιος Παπαδόπουλος | 1 June 1973 | 25 November 1973 | Military | |||
| 2 | Phaedon Gizikis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Φαίδων Γκιζίκης | 25 November 1973 | 24 July 1974 | Military | |||
On 24 July 1974, the junta was overthrown and democracy restored. A second referendum, held on 8 December 1974, confirmed the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the current parliamentary republic, with the President of the Republic in a symbolic role as head of the state.
| President | Elected | Term of office | Political affiliation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| — | Phaedon Gizikis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Φαίδων Γκιζίκης | — | 24 July 1974 | 17 December 1974 | Military | |||
| 1 | Michail Stasinopoulos Greek, Modern (1453-);: Μιχαήλ Στασινόπουλος | 1974 | 18 December 1974 | 19 July 1975 | New Democracy | |||
| 2 | Konstantinos Tsatsos Greek, Modern (1453-);: Κωνσταντίνος Τσάτσος | 1975 | 19 July 1975 | 10 May 1980 | New Democracy | |||
| 3 | Konstantinos Karamanlis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Κωνσταντίνος Καραμανλής | 1980 | 10 May 1980 | 10 March 1985 | New Democracy | |||
| — | Ioannis Alevras Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ιωάννης Αλευράς | — | 10 March 1985 | 30 March 1985 | PASOK | |||
| 4 | Christos Sartzetakis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Χρήστος Σαρτζετάκης | 1985 | 30 March 1985 | 4 May 1990 | Independent | |||
| Konstantinos Karamanlis Greek, Modern (1453-);: Κωνσταντίνος Καραμανλής | 1990 | 5 May 1990 | 10 March 1995 | New Democracy | ||||
| 5 | Konstantinos Stephanopoulos Greek, Modern (1453-);: Κωνσταντίνος Στεφανόπουλος | 1995 2000 | 10 March 1995 | 12 March 2005 | Independent | |||
| 6 | Karolos Papoulias Greek, Modern (1453-);: Κάρολος Παπούλιας | 2005 2010 | 12 March 2005 | 13 March 2015 | PASOK | |||
| 7 | Prokopis Pavlopoulos Greek, Modern (1453-);: Προκόπης Παυλόπουλος | 2014–2015 | 13 March 2015 | 13 March 2020 | years | New Democracy | ||
| 8 | Katerina Sakellaropoulou Greek, Modern (1453-);: Κατερίνα Σακελλαροπούλου | 2020 | 13 March 2020 | Incumbent | Independent | |||
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| State | Years | Title |
|---|---|---|
| First Hellenic Republic | 1827–1832 | Governor |
| Kingdom of Greece | 1832–1862 | King of Greece |
| Kingdom of Greece | 1863–1924 | King of the Hellenes |
| Second Hellenic Republic | 1924 | Governor |
| 1924–1935 | President of the Republic | |
| Kingdom of Greece | 1935–1973 | King of the Hellenes |
| Hellenic Republic | 1973–1974 | President of the Republic |
| Third Hellenic Republic | 1974–present | |