The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-06-15

The reign of Constantine l as King
of the Hellenes was brief, dating only
from March IS, 1913; when his father,
George l. was assassInated in Salonika.
Brief as his reign was, Constantine
enjoyed prior to the beginning of the
great war in 1914, a period of remark,
able popularity and had increased the
territory of the Greek monarchy by
over fifty per cent. His attitude of
opposition toward the Entente powers
when their troops occupied part of
Greek territory in the Macedonian cam.
paign against the Teutonic allies, how
ever, brought him into conflict with the
statesmen Of Greece and resulted in the
establishment of q provisional govern
ment headed by Eliphtherios Venizelos,
whom the King had driven from the
post of premier,
Throughout a long series Of negotia.
tions and conflict with the Entente
commanders Constantine was often ac-
cused of being pro-German in sympath-
les, largely, it was charged, as re-
suit of the influence of Queen Sophia,
sister Of the German Emperor, whom
he married in 1889. Constantine has
declared throughout that he desires on
ly to maintain neutrality and that he
is actuated not by prO.German sym.
fpathies but by considerations of the
welfare of the Greeks.
Born on August 3, 1868, Constantine
was educated largely by private tutors
from Leipsic, which was said to have
stamped upon him a permanent German
influence. His military education was
furthered by attendance at maneuvers
in Germany.
tines life is the way in which he be.
came the peoples idol. After having
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 its rancor and he was re.
stored to his former dignities.
He finally became a national hero in
the Balkan war of 1912, when he led
an army of ten thousand Greeks to the
capture of Salonika, causing thirty
thousand Turks to lay down their arms
His popularity was such, as a result of
this feat, that Greeks in America
raised several thousand dollars with
which to purchase a gift sword, in.
scribed: "TO Constantine, the Lib
orator"
When Constantine came to the throne
1t was said he aimed to restore the
former grandeur of the ancient 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 in
to life again and the Cross restored on
st. Sophia. at Constantihople in place
of the Crescent.
BY the peace treaties signed after
the Balkan wars, Greece added a con
siderable stretch of Turkish territory
TO her domain and in December, 1918,
the long desired annexation of the Isl.
and of Crete was carried out, King Con,
stautine hoisting the Hellenic flag over
the fort. e..
With the entrance of Turkey into the
European .waT. the question of the in.
PREVENTION of Greece soon became to be
seriously considered but King Constan.
tine insisted upon strict neutrality.
The cabinet, headed by Premier Veni.
zelos, which was for war on the side
of the Allies, finally rendered its resig
nation. The Greek attitude, at least
30 far as the war party was concerned,
was largely to the effect that il Greece
rad no hand in the war, her interests
might suffer when peace was arranged.
With the commencement of the op,
eratiOns against the Dardanelles the
government believed the time had come
for Greece to abandon her neutrality.
The king, however, refused to counter.