George II of Greece

George II, King of the Hellenes (Greek: Γεώργιος Βʹ, Βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων, Geórgios Βʹ, Vasiléfs ton Ellínon; 20 July 1890 – 1 April 1947) ruled Greece from 1922 to 1924 and from 1935 to 1947. George was born at the royal villa at Tatoi, near Athens, the eldest son of Constantine I, King of the Hellenes and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and grandson of George I of Greece, the Danish prince of Gluc... more

George II, King of the Hellenes (Greek: Γεώργιος Βʹ, Βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων, Geórgios Βʹ, Vasiléfs ton Ellínon; 20 July 1890 – 1 April 1947) ruled Greece from 1922 to 1924 and from 1935 to 1947. George was born at the royal villa at Tatoi, near Athens, the eldest son of Constantine I, King of the Hellenes and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and grandson of George I of Greece, the Danish prince of Glucksburg who had been selected as King in 1863. He was a direct descendant of five Greek imperial (Byzantine) dynasties (Monomachos, Comnenos, Laskaris, Angelos, and Paleologos). George pursued a military career, training with the Prussian Guard at the age of 18, then serving in the Balkan War as a member of the 1st Greek Infantry. When his grandfather was assassinated in 1913, George became the crown prince (Diadochos) as well as the Duke of Sparta. After a coup deposed King Constantine during the First World War, Crown Prince George, by then a... less