The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-06-13
lRy Associated Press.l

The reign of Constantine | as king
of the Hellenes was brief, dating only
from March IS, 1913, when his father,
George |, was assassinated in Salon
Xxi. .: e @.' VI
Brief as the reign was, Constan-
tine had enjoyed prior to the begin
ming of the great war in 1914, period
OF remarkable popularity and had III.
creased the territory Of the Greek
monarchy by over 30 per cent. His
attitude of opposition toward the En-.
tente powers when their troops occu-
pied part, OF Greek terriers in the
Macedonian campaign against the
Teutonic allies, however, brought
him into conflict with the statesmen
of Greece and resulted in the estab.
lishment OF a provisional government
headed by Eliphtherios Venizelos,
whom the king had driven from the
post of premier.
Accused Of Being Pro-German.
J, Throughout. a long series of nego-
tiations and conflict with the Entente
commanders, Constantine, was often
accused of being pro-German In SYM
pathies, largely, it was charged, as a
result of the influence of Queen So
phia sister of the German emperor,
whom he married in 1889. COnstan-
tine declared throughout that he de-
sired only to maintain neutrality and
that he was ,actuated not by pro-
herman sympathies, but by consider
ations of the welfare of the Greeks.
Born on August 3, 1868, Constan-
tine was educated largely by private
tutors, from Leipsic, which was said
to have stamped upon him a perma-
nent German influence. His military
education was furthered by attend
ance at manuevers in Germany.
One interesting chapter of Constan-
tines life is the way in which he
became the peoples idol. After hav-
ing been dismissed as commander of
the Greek army in 1909 because, of
popular clamor, Constantine, then
crown prince, decided to accept a
command in the Russian army, but
the opposition to him at home lost it's
rancOr and he was restored to his
former dignities.
NdIvOVdI t1CIo.
4 He finally became a national hero
in the, Balkan war of 1919, when he
led an army of 10000 Greeks to the
capture of Salohili causing 10000
Turks to lay down their arms. His
popularity was such, as result of
this feat, that Greeks in America
raised several thousand dollars with
which to. purchase a gift sword. in
scribed: ITO Constantine, the Lib
orator." ~
When Constantine came to the
throne it was said he aimed to re.
store the former grandeur OF the an
cient Hellenic empire. and that he
was believer in the old national
prophecy that under the reign of a
Constantine and a Sophia the Eastern
empire would be called into life again
and the cross restored on st. Sophia
at Constantinople in place of the
crescent.
Acquired Territory. :.
BY the peace treaties signed after
the Balkan wars, Greece added
considerable stretch of Turkish ter
ritory to her domain and in Decem-
Der, 1913, the long desired annexa-
tion of the Island of Crete was car
ried out. King Constantine hosting
the Hellenic flag over the fort.
With the entrance of Turkey into
the European war the question of the
Intervention of Greece soon came to
be seriously considered, but King
Constantine insisted upon strict neu-
trality. The cabinet, headed by Pre-
mier Venizelos, which was for war
on the side of the Allies, finally ten
dered its resignation. The Greek at
titude, at least so far as the war
party was concerned. was largely to
the effect that If Greece had no hand
in the war, her interests might suf-
fer when peace was arranged.
With the commencement OF the
operations against the Dardanelles
the government believed the time
had come for Greece to abandon her
neutrality. The king, however, re-
fused to countenance this plan. It,
was argued that sending forces to-