The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-01-12
LIFE OF TROUBLE
ENDS IN APOPLEXY
Constantine Died Suddenly
At Paleromo Today
WAS BORN in 1868
Series Trying Experiences Ex-
Ruler Brought To Close;
Forced From Throne
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch. ]

Paleromo, Sicily, January IL
Former King Constantine of Greece
died suddenly here today Of cere-
bral hemorrhage.
The eath or Fix King Constantine
OF Greece came after a series OF
trying experiences which the former
ruler of the Hellenes mad under
gone, beginning with the outbreak
OF the world war.
Constantine was forced off the
throne OF Greece by the allies in 1917
after he had successfully resisted
numerous attempts to bring Greece
into the war on the side OF the al
lies. In exile until after the wars
close, Constantine was called back
TO Greece in 1920 and resumed the
throne. Under his renewed reign
Greece plunged into the war with
Turkey in Asia Minor. Constantine
personally going to the front at one
period OF the campaign.
Last fall came the disaster to the
Greek forces in Asia Minor, speed
lily followed by the revolution in
Greece which again swept Constan-
tine off the throne. He abdicated and
retired To Italy and has been max
ing his home recently at Palermo
Exile In Switzerland
Eight rs or more have elapsed
since c. ntine ] first assembled
the thro 4 Greece for three OF
these h.. .FSs an exile in Switzer-
land, hay1iy been forced to abdicate
by the allies owing TO his pro Ger
man attitude during the war Upon
the death OF his successor. bis sgn
a leyf nj - a,,ee ~ .s-.css <
rnonkey. in October 1920, Constan
tine returned to Athens amid great
enthusiasm of the Greek people q
plebiscite having determined in
favor of his restoration to power
Constantine with his wife and
several children were conveyed from
Athens on a British warship to an
Italian port and then proceeded to
Switzerland where the deposed king
madeh is home for more than three
years follow ing his abdication.H
Alexander's reign, however, ended
in October, 1920, when the young
king died as the result of being bit
ten by a pet monkey. The dead mon
arch left morganatic widow in the
person of one Mile. Manos whose
marriage Constantine had vainly
tried to have declared invalid.
Eliphtherios Venizelos, then pre-
mier of Greece, whose political &C
tivity contributed to the oyerturn-
ing of the old regime, had been
loyal supporter of Alexander. 1t was
generally supposed that Alexander
would be succeeded by his brother,
Prince Paul, in fact, Paul was actu-
ally proclaimed King, but he declin-
ed to accept unless Venizelists OBJ
tanned the consent of his father and
Crown Prince George, both of whom
refused.
Created Government Crisis
This situation created a. govern
ment crisis and on November IS,
plebiscite was held throughout
Greece to determine whether Con-
- stantine should be returned to the
throne.
In spite Of the achievements of
Venizelos for his country during the
war and its resultant territorial ad-
vantage to Greece, the government
was overturned and the Venizelos'
cabinet Immediately resigned new
ministry being formed by Premier
Rhallis. The vote gave the royalists
$50 seats in the chamber OF deputies
as against 118 for the Vcnizelists
Charges were made that the plebis
cite was fraudulent, and Venizelos
became a practical fugitive from
Greece. Several months before the
election he was shot by an assassin
in Paris but was only slightly
wounded
Great preparations were made by
the populace to welcome Constan-
tine back to Athens. The former
King before leaving Switzerland for
mis- native land, declared that one
of the first things he would do upon
entering Athens would be to enter the
tering Athens would be to enter the
Greek Catholic Cathedral and offer
q prayer of thanks to God for his
restoration to the throne.
Constantines devotion to the
cause of Germany and the Central
Powers was generally attributed TO
the influence of his wife. Sophia,
Hohenzollern Princess and sister OF
Emperor William of Germany, Crt-
rcpudication OF the treaty between
Greece and Serbia pIedging the
srpport of either power if the other
we're attacked by Bulgaria. Con-
stantiue asserted that Greece was
NOT bound to carry out her part of
the pledge because Serbia was at
tackled. not only by Bulgaria but by
Austria and Germany and that If
GREECE had interposed, she would
have suffered the fate of Belgium
Demand For Abdication.
The demand for his abdication
was not based upon this failure TO
fuIfIl treaty provisions but upon his
reneated dismissals of Greek parlia-
,nents and to charges that he or
Creek ministers under his direction
had aided the Central Powers by
permitting the establishment OF
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