History
YearMonth/DayEvent1453---The Ottoman Turks conquer Constantinople and with the death of Constantine XI Palaiologos, the Byzantine empire comes to an end.1458---The Ottomans advance southwards into Greece, capturing Athens.1460---The Greeks hold onto Peloponnese. Venetians and Genoese hold onto some islands as well.1500---Most of Greece's plains and islands are under Ottoman control. The mountains are largely untouched and many Greeks flee and take refuge from foreign rule.1571---Cyprus falls and the Venetians hold onto Crete until 1670. The Ionian islands are briefly under the control of the Ottomans but primarily remain under the rule of Venice.1683---After the failed Siege of Vienna, the Ottoman Empire begins a long decline militarily against Christian powers. There is an increase in corruption, repression, and discontent results in the Ottoman losing lands. The Ottoman empire resorts to using military rule in parts of Greece and provokes rebellions and further resitance. ---A new class of landlords in the Empire begins to re duce free Greeks into serfdom, leading to poverty and depopulation in the plains. Some Greeks return from the mountains.1700s A new class of Greeks called the Phanariotes rise to power. They are educated and wealthy Greeks who begin to occupy the highest offices of the Ottoman empire. They introduce ideas such as liberalism and nationalism to the Greeks.1789---Heavily influenced by the French revolution, the modern Greek nationalist movement is born.1797---Napoleon Bonaparte seizes Venice and thus acquires the Ionian islands. The islands are elevated to the state of a French dependency and become the Septinsular Republic, possessing a local autonomy. This is the first time the Greeks have governed themselves since the fall of Constantinople.1815---Greece emerges from centuries of isolation and many writers and artist (mostly French and British) begin to visit Greece. Wealthy Europeans called philihellenes begin to collect Greek antiquities. 1821March 25 Greece declares independence. Beginning of the Greek War of Independence. April 10
Easter Monday Being accused by the Sultan for his inability to suppress the Greeks, Ecumneical Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople is hanged in the central outside portal of the Patriachate for three days. The body is dragged through the streets and tossed into the Bosphorus. The body is later recovered by Greek sailors who eventually enshrine him in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. He is commemorated as an Ethnomartyr. April 23-24 Battle of Alamana. After the Greek defeat, Athanasios Diakos is captured by the Ottomans. He is overed to become an officer in the Ottoman army if he converts to Islam. "I was born a Greek, I shall die a Greek." Diakos is impaled the next day and dies. May 4Metropolitans Gregorios of Derkon, Dorotheos of Adrianople, Ioannikios of Tyrnavos, Joseph of Thessaloniki, and the Phanariote Georgios Callimachi and Nikolaos Mourousis are decapitated on the Sultan orders. July 9 The head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church Archbishop Kyprianos, along with 470 prominent Greek Cypriots, amongst them the Metropolitans Chrysanthos of Paphos, Meletios of Kition and Lavrentios of Kyrenia, are executed by beheading or hanging by the Ottomans in Nicosia. September 11Tripoli falls to the Greeks, who proceed to eliminate the Ottoman garrison, officials and civilians. A total of about 30,000 Turks are killed. 1822 Chios massacre takes place. Approximately 82,000 Greek islanders of Chios were hanged, butchered, starved or tortured to death. 50,000 Greeks were enslaved and another 23,000 were exiled. Fewer than 2,000 Greeks managed to survive on the island.The massacre is well documented and sparks rage against the Ottomans through out Europe. July 26 Battle at Dervenakia. A decisive victory for the Greeks which saved the revolution. 1823January 18Nafplio becomes the seat of the Revolutionary Government. MarchThe United Kingdom,under George Canning, recognize the Greeks as a nation at war.1824June 7-8The islands of Kasos is completely destroyed by the Turkish-Egyptian forces of Hussein Rushdi Pasha. June 21More than 15,000 Greeks of Psara are slaughtered by the forces of Ibrahim Pasha. 1827July 6Treaty of London. Signed by the UK, France, and Russia the three main European powers called upon Greece and Turkey to ease hostilities. The allied powers hope the ottomans will create an independent Greek state and states that if the Sultan recognizes Greek independence, the Sultan will be the Supreme ruler of all of Greece. The Ottomans decline. October 20 Battle of Navarino. Following the Ottoman's rejection of the Treaty of London, Britain, France, and Russia join the Greek war of Independence siding with Greece. The forces combine crush the Ottomans and Egyptian armada. 1829March 22Britain, France, and Russia establish the boarders of Greece. November 30Greece goes from an autonomous state to becoming an independent nation, however, it loses territory.1830February 3Greek sovereignty is confirmed with the London protocol. 1832 A seventeen year old Bavarian prince, Otto, is made king of Greece by the French, English, and Russians.1834 Athens becomes the new national capital of Greece.1843September 15Otto refuses to grant a constitution. There is a military coup and revolution. The Constitution is granted. September 15Andreas Metaxas becomes the first Constitutional Prime Minister of Greece. January 4Don Pacifico affair. A Portuguese Jew's home is vandalized and plundered by an anti-Semitic mob whilst law enforement watches. Pacifico appeals to the Greek government but is ignored so he turns to the British who in turn, blockade the Aegean and seize Greek ships and property equal to those Pacifico lost. The naval blockade eventually effects Piraeus, a major port in Athens. France and Russia object to the blockade but Otto's reputation is still damaged. Upon review, the British Parliament repeals the blockade.1853 The Crimean war starts between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Federation.1854 Greece declares neutrality in the Crimean war May 14Anglo-French occupation of Piraeus to ensure Greek neutrality.1861 Assassination attempt on Queen Amalia1862October 10Discontent with Otto's rule, a military coup forces Otto leave the throne and country.1863 Prince William of Denmark becomes the new King of1864May 2In commemoration of William's accessition to the throne, Britain returns the Ionian islands to Greece. Previously, they had been a British protectorate. August 7Greece has a new constitution which establishes the Constitutional Monarchy1866 Beginning of the Great Cretan revolution against Ottoman rule. The exiled king, Otto, donates his fortune to the cause.1878SummerCretan uprising is quickly put to an end via British intervention. British rule of Cyprus begins.1881April 33,550 people die in the Chios earthquake. Thessaly becomes a part of Greece.1885MayPrime minister Theordoros Deligiannis mobilizes the Greek Army in accordance with the Bulgarian revolt. The British Royal navy blockades Greece.1893 The Corinth Canal is completed.1894April 27255 people die in the earthquake of Atalanti.1896April 6Opening ceremonies of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens.1897JanuaryGreece turns down an Ottoman offer for an autonomous administration in Crete and mobilizes for war. February 25Greece refuses to withdraw Greek volunteers from Crete. GOD DAMNIT, "WESTERN POWERS" STOP BLOCKADING GREECE. April 17Ottoman Empire declares war on Greece. Beginning of the Greco-Turkish war. April 27Greece loses the war and agrees to give up Crete to international administration, to minor territorial concessions in favor of the Turks and pay a large indemnity.1898 Creation of a Cretan state. 1904 Beginning of the Greek struggle for Macedonia which was initially only between the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. October 13Greek officer Pavlos Melas is killed by Bulgarian guerilla troops along with other locals who claimed themselves to be Greeks. The Greek government is appalled and sends in guerilla troops to occupy certain areas. Greece establishes a presence in Macedonia.1908 Cretan deputies declare union with Greece.1912MayHoping to expand and defend themselve from the Ottoman empire Greece, Bulgaria, and other Balkan nations form the Balkan league. SummerGreece attempts to delay the upcoming Balkan War in order to prepary it's navy but. . . October 8Montenegro declares war. October 17Following an ultimatum to the Ottomans, the remaining members of the alliance enter the War. December 16Battle of Elli. The Turkish fleet manages to escape through Dardanelles but is defeated by the Greek navy. 1913January 5Battle of Lemnos. The Turkish fleet attempts to regain supremacy over the Aegean Sea but is once again defeated by the Greek navy.1913---Greece establishes its importance as a naval power and dominates the Aegean Sea. Greece proceeds to liberate islands in the Aegean. JanuaryTurkey decides to continue the war, May 17The Treaty of London ends the Balkan War. June 16Bulgaria attacks Greece and Serbia. Beginning of the Second Balkan War. June 21Battle of Kilkis-Lahanas. Ends in Greek victory on the 21. July 8Battle of Kresna Gorge begins. 10,000 Greeks die while the number of Bulgarians is unknown. July 18Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, King Constantine of Greece listens to Bulgaria's pleas for an armistice delivered through Romania. August 10The Treaty of Bucharest ends the Second Balkan War. 1915JanuaryKing Constantine forces Prime Minister Venizelos to resign due to disagreements over whether or not to join WWI. the National Schism begins. January 24The British formally request for Greece to join the war on the allies side. King Constantine, who had hoped to remain neutral, is married to Kaiser Wilhelm's sister and the British hope to use this to their advantage. The allies promise Greece the Asia minor. King Constantine still refuses. October 5British and French ships land on Salonica and open a new front. Constantine ignores the invasion. October 23Additional French and British troops land at the request of Prime MInister Venizelos. Their goal is to fight the Serbs and free them from Bulgaria.They arrive too late but the forces remain to prevent future opposition, even against the Greeks who try to expell the foreign forces. 1916August 30Venizelos returns to the Greek mainland. Henceforth, Greece has two governments: The royalist government in Athens and the "Temporary Government of National Defence"1916--Beginning of the Greek genocide. The Ottomans instigate a violent compaign against the Greeks living within the empire. The genocide includesmassacres, forced deportations, and death marches. Many Greeks seek refugee in the neighboring Russian empire. An estimate 360,000 Greeks die between now and 1923. October 9A provisional government was established in Thessalonica by Venizelos and General Panagiotes Dangles and Admiral Paulos Kountouriotes.
It included members of the National Defense Committee that had been formed in Thessalonica in December, 1915. The provisional government devoted itself to reinforcing the Allies and to build up a powerful army. Its immediate objective was to wage war against the Bulgarians and the Central Powers, that already occupied large parts of Greek territory. The longer term political objective was to participate in the peace conference at the end of the war, where it would pursue the liberation of trapped Greek populations still living in areas occupied by Turkey and Bulgaria. October 25Exiled Prime Minister Eleutherios Venizelos and Admiral Paulos Kountouriotes, accompanied by approximately one hundred of their political and military supporters arrive. Their objective was to create a new government that would lead Greece into the war on the side of the Allies.
Greece was on the brink of civil war.
The British and French fully supported the new government with arms and money.
In Athens, King Constantine makes an agreement with the French envoy after the French fleet surrounds the Greek capital. He must withdraw his forces from central Greece and hand over to the Allies large quantities of naval and military material. In return, he wants the Allies to guarantee the present borders and respect Greece's neutrality. The French refuse and demand the naval and military equipment without any conditions. November 16the Entente asked Greece to deliver the war materials asked. Negotiations about them continued for a couple of days. November 23Venizelo's government declares war on Bulgaria and Germany. December 7-21The allies enforce a blockade on Greece. Near-famine conditions occur. 1917JuneFrench and British troops, supporting Venizelos, occupy Piraeus and bombard Athens, forcing the Greek fleet to surrender. Constantine I resigns and leaves the country, his son, Alexander I becomes King and Venizelos is restored as Prime Minister. June 30Greece officially enters World War I. JulyThe Great Fire of Thessaloniki destroys most of the city.1918October 30The armistice of Mudros ends WWI in the Near East. 1919May 15Beginning of the Greco-Turkish war. November 27Treaty of Neuilly. Greece acquires Western Thrace. August 10Treaty of Sevres. Greece acquires Eastern Thrace and the area of Izmir. 1920October 25King Alexander I dies suddenly of an infection he gets from a monkey bite. November 17Queen Olga becomes regent of Greece until her son returns. December 19Constantine I returns as King.1922September 13Izmir is set on fire. 100,000 Greeks die. SeptemberThe Greek army, navy, and people revolt against the King. Venizelos once again, returns to Greece after Constantine resigns. September 27George II becomes King of Greece.1923July 24Signing of the treaty of Lausanne recognizes Turkey as the successor state of the defunct Ottoman Empire. Turkey and Greece carry out a population exchange in which many Greeks (who had been persecuted in the Greek genocide) flee to Greece.1923 Due to the population exchange, Greece faces a refugee problem as 1/3 of its population goes bankrupt. December 16Venizelos' Liberal Party wins the elections.1924March 25Greece is proclaimed a republic. King George II is asked to leave the country. Pavlos Kountouriotis becomes the first President of Greece.1925March 15A successful military coup forces Kountouriotis to resign. October 22The War of the Stray Dog with Bulgaria over the boarders of Macedonia. Greece is imposed a fine. MarchFailed pro-Venizelist coup1935MarchFailed coup led by Venizelos and Nickolaos Plastiras. Venizelos fleeds to France and dies in Paris the next year. October 10Coup led by Georgios Kondylis abolishes the Republic. November 3 George II is restored to the throne.1936August 4A coup by General Ioannis Metaxas, who declares a state of emergency, decrees martial law, annuls various articles in the Constitution, and establishes a crisis cabinet to put an end to the growing riots and social order.1939 Hatay is annexed by Turkey.1940August 15Italy torpedoes and sinks a Greek light crusier in the Tinos harbor. The Greek government covers it up, saying the submarine is of "unknown nationality" in hopes of keeping Greece neutral. October 28Italy delivers an ultimatum to Greece which is rejected. Beginning of the Greco-Itallian war. November 13Battle of Pindus ends in a COMPLETE Greek victory. November 14Greek forces enter Albanian territory. December 24The Greek army controls pratically all of Northern Epirus. 1941 Turkey mobilizes all Greeks between the ages of 18 and 45 and deports them to fight in labour batallions in central Anatolia. March 9-20The Italians launch a spring offensive to dislocate the Greek forces. It fails. April 6The German army invades Greece. April 11-12The Battle of Vevi. The Allied front in Greece is destroyed. April 18The German army marches towards Athens. Prime Minister Alexandros Koryzis commits suicide. April 20The Greek First army surrenders to the Germans. April 21The Germans manage to get through the Metaxas Line. April 22The King and the Royal family along with the Government flees to Crete. April 27Germany enters Athens. Writer Penelope Delta commits suicide.
The Nazi flag is raised on the Acropolis.
Evzone soldiers on the guard duty at the time commit suicide and jump off the Acropolis' cliffs wrapped in the Greek flag. May 4Out of respect to the Greek nation, Hitler orders the army to not take Greek prisoners of war and allows Greeks to carry weapons. May 20Beginning of the Battle of Crete. May 22The royal family and Government are evacuated to Alexandria, Egypt. June 1The remaining defenders of Sphakia surrender to the German Army. May 30The first resistance act takes place when two law students tear down the Swastika banner from the Acropolis. September 27The National Liberation Front is founded. It is the largest resistance group in Greece. September 28-29A spontaneous rebellion in Drama is repressed by the Bulgarians. 3,000 die. October 24-25Massive executions of the Greek people are carried out by the Nazis.1941WinterThe Great famine begins. 300,000 Greeks perish. It ends in 1941.1942 In Turkey, the Fortune Tax is imposed on non-Mulsims (specifically Greeks), leading to financial ruin. JuneThe Greek People's Liberation Army begins to operate in the mountains. SummerThe Great Suffering and the pressure of the exiled Greek government eventually force the British to partially lift the blockade on Greece. the International Red crose is able to distribute food in sufficient quantities. November 25The Gorgopotamos Bridge is blown up in a common operation with the British. The successful operation disrupts German transporation of ammunition via Greece to Nazi Africa Corps.1943MarchThe Germans begin mass deportations of the Jews of Thessaloniki to Auschwitz. By the end of the war, 60,000 Greek Jews have been murdered. August 16Germans set fire to Kommeno. 317 die. SeptemberThe Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jews of Athens fail thanks to the combined efforts of Archbishop Damaskinos, the Greek resitance, and the Greek people. 1944DecemberThe "December Events" happens and 28 people are killed by British troops in Athens. 1945FebruaryEAM and the Greek goverment sign a peace agreement to end fighting. October 17Archbishop Damaskinos assumes as regent in order to stabilize the country. October 24Greece is one of the founding nations of the United Nations 1946MarchFighting resumes between the Government and COmmunist. The Greek Civil War. September 28A national referendum favors a constitutional monarchy.
King George II returns to Greece.1947January 20Deadliest shipwreck in Greek history occurs when the HImara sinks in the South Evian Gulf killing 361. The cause still remains unknown. April 1King George II suddenly dies of a heart attack. The Greeks do not believe the announcement because they think it is a joke. He is succeeded by his younger brother Paul. December1,200 communist militants are killed in a battle.1948 The communists reach the peak of their power1949April 4Greece is one of the founding members of NATO AugustPrime Minister Alexander Papagos launches a major counter-offensive against communist forces in northern Greece. October 16Nikolaos Zachariadis, leader of the Communists signs a treaty to mark the end of the Greek civil war.1950December 9Greece joins the Korean War, siding with South Korea. 194 Greek soldiers will die by the end of the war.1953AugustA series of earthquakes devastates the islands of Zakynthos and Cephallonia. The first relief efforts come from the recently established state of Israel.1955September 6-7The Istanbul Pogrom, directed primarily against Istanbul's 100,000-strong Greek minority takes place. A total of sixteen Greeks are killed while others are severely wounded, raped, and forcibly circumcised by the mob. Thousands of Greek-owned buildings are severely damanged or destroyed and many immigrate to Greece.1959 The Merten affair challenges the Greek political world.1964March 6The palace announced that King Paul has died. Rumors say he died many days earlier but it had been kept quiet. He is succeeded by his son, Constantine. The Ankara government reneges on the 1930 Greco-Turkish Ankara Convention. Deported with two day’s notice, the Greek community of Istanbul shrunk from 100,000 persons in 1955 to only 48,000 in 19651965 Royal Coup, involving King Constantine II and a group of politicians, known as Apostasia of 1965. Prime Minister George Papandreou is forced to resign1967 April 21 Successful coup d'etat led by a group of colonels 1968 Counter-coup organized by King Constantine II fails. Constantine II leaves the country 1971 Halki seminary, Orthodoxy's most prominent theological school, is closed by the Turkish government. Despite international pressure for its reopening, it remains closed ever since1973June 1Dictator George Papadopoulos declares Greece a republic and himself President. (Meanwhile, Heracles boggles over this contradiction) November 17End of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. A total of 24 civillians and students are killed. November 25Military coup by General Dimitrios Ioannides ousts Papadopoulos. Military law is reinstated. 1974July 15The Greek regime sponsors a coup d'état in Nicosia, replacing President Makarios III with Nikos Sampson July 20Turkey invades Cyprus July 23Nikos Sampson is removed from office and replaced with Glafkos Klerides. The coup regime ends. A general ceasefire is declared Junta-appointed President Phaedon Gizikis calls a meeting of old guard politicians with the participation of the heads of the armed forces. Konstantinos Karamanlis is chosen to assume the premiership 1974July 24Constantine Karamanlis returns with the French Presidential jet. Democracy in Athens is restored. August 14Second phase of the Attila Operation in Cyprus. The Turkish forces advance capturing 37% of the island. A total of 3,000 are killed or mising. Another 200,000 become refugees.
Greece withdraws it's forces from NATO's military command structure as a result. Makarios returns as president of Cyprus December 13With a national referendum, monarchy is abolished and a parliamentary republic is established. 1977August 3Cypriot President Makarios dies unexpectantly of heart attack. 1980 Greece is admitted back into NATO 1981January 1Greece joins the European Community 1987 The Sismik incident in which a Turkish ship enters Greek waters to perform a survey. Prime Minster Andreas Papandreou orders the ship to be sunk if found within Greek waters.1989 Political crisis after a series of elections in which no party secured a substantial percentage of popular vote, nor was willing to take part in a coalition1992July 3The adoption of a flag incorporating the Vergina Sun by the Republic of Macedonia, increases tensions between the two countries1994February 16Greece enforces an embargo on Macedonia. 1995NOvemberGreece lifts the embargo after Macedonia agrees to change it's flag, banknotes, and controversial articles in the constitution. 1996January 31The Imia/Kardak crisis. Greece and Turkey are on the bring of war over which one owns the two, uninhabited islands.1999August 17Powerful earthquakes strike the Turkish city of Izmit. Greece is the first foreign country to pledge aid and support to Turkey1999September 7Athens is struck by the most devastating earthquake in Greece of the past 20 years. A total of 145 people die. The Turkish aid is the first to arrive. The two earthquakes initiate the Greek-Turkish earthquake diplomacy2001May 4Pope John Paul II visits Athens and makes apologies for the sins of the Crusader attack on Constantinople in 12042004April 24Greek Cypriots reject the Annan plan May 1Cyprus becomes a member of the European Union. August 13-29 Athens hosts the 2004 Summer Olympics. 2007June-SeptemberJune through September: Western Peloponese and southern Euobea are ravaged by lethal infernos.
God damn, this is a lot easier for era-specific journals.
He's been around longer but I started his history at the fall of Byzantine because anything before that concerns Mama Greece as far as my head canon is concerned.
If I'm leaving anything out or have something wrong, please tell me and I'll add/fix it right away!
Easter Monday Being accused by the Sultan for his inability to suppress the Greeks, Ecumneical Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople is hanged in the central outside portal of the Patriachate for three days. The body is dragged through the streets and tossed into the Bosphorus. The body is later recovered by Greek sailors who eventually enshrine him in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. He is commemorated as an Ethnomartyr. April 23-24 Battle of Alamana. After the Greek defeat, Athanasios Diakos is captured by the Ottomans. He is overed to become an officer in the Ottoman army if he converts to Islam. "I was born a Greek, I shall die a Greek." Diakos is impaled the next day and dies. May 4Metropolitans Gregorios of Derkon, Dorotheos of Adrianople, Ioannikios of Tyrnavos, Joseph of Thessaloniki, and the Phanariote Georgios Callimachi and Nikolaos Mourousis are decapitated on the Sultan orders. July 9 The head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church Archbishop Kyprianos, along with 470 prominent Greek Cypriots, amongst them the Metropolitans Chrysanthos of Paphos, Meletios of Kition and Lavrentios of Kyrenia, are executed by beheading or hanging by the Ottomans in Nicosia. September 11Tripoli falls to the Greeks, who proceed to eliminate the Ottoman garrison, officials and civilians. A total of about 30,000 Turks are killed. 1822 Chios massacre takes place. Approximately 82,000 Greek islanders of Chios were hanged, butchered, starved or tortured to death. 50,000 Greeks were enslaved and another 23,000 were exiled. Fewer than 2,000 Greeks managed to survive on the island.The massacre is well documented and sparks rage against the Ottomans through out Europe. July 26 Battle at Dervenakia. A decisive victory for the Greeks which saved the revolution. 1823January 18Nafplio becomes the seat of the Revolutionary Government. MarchThe United Kingdom,under George Canning, recognize the Greeks as a nation at war.1824June 7-8The islands of Kasos is completely destroyed by the Turkish-Egyptian forces of Hussein Rushdi Pasha. June 21More than 15,000 Greeks of Psara are slaughtered by the forces of Ibrahim Pasha. 1827July 6Treaty of London. Signed by the UK, France, and Russia the three main European powers called upon Greece and Turkey to ease hostilities. The allied powers hope the ottomans will create an independent Greek state and states that if the Sultan recognizes Greek independence, the Sultan will be the Supreme ruler of all of Greece. The Ottomans decline. October 20 Battle of Navarino. Following the Ottoman's rejection of the Treaty of London, Britain, France, and Russia join the Greek war of Independence siding with Greece. The forces combine crush the Ottomans and Egyptian armada. 1829March 22Britain, France, and Russia establish the boarders of Greece. November 30Greece goes from an autonomous state to becoming an independent nation, however, it loses territory.1830February 3Greek sovereignty is confirmed with the London protocol. 1832 A seventeen year old Bavarian prince, Otto, is made king of Greece by the French, English, and Russians.1834 Athens becomes the new national capital of Greece.1843September 15Otto refuses to grant a constitution. There is a military coup and revolution. The Constitution is granted. September 15Andreas Metaxas becomes the first Constitutional Prime Minister of Greece. January 4Don Pacifico affair. A Portuguese Jew's home is vandalized and plundered by an anti-Semitic mob whilst law enforement watches. Pacifico appeals to the Greek government but is ignored so he turns to the British who in turn, blockade the Aegean and seize Greek ships and property equal to those Pacifico lost. The naval blockade eventually effects Piraeus, a major port in Athens. France and Russia object to the blockade but Otto's reputation is still damaged. Upon review, the British Parliament repeals the blockade.1853 The Crimean war starts between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Federation.1854 Greece declares neutrality in the Crimean war May 14Anglo-French occupation of Piraeus to ensure Greek neutrality.1861 Assassination attempt on Queen Amalia1862October 10Discontent with Otto's rule, a military coup forces Otto leave the throne and country.1863 Prince William of Denmark becomes the new King of1864May 2In commemoration of William's accessition to the throne, Britain returns the Ionian islands to Greece. Previously, they had been a British protectorate. August 7Greece has a new constitution which establishes the Constitutional Monarchy1866 Beginning of the Great Cretan revolution against Ottoman rule. The exiled king, Otto, donates his fortune to the cause.1878SummerCretan uprising is quickly put to an end via British intervention. British rule of Cyprus begins.1881April 33,550 people die in the Chios earthquake. Thessaly becomes a part of Greece.1885MayPrime minister Theordoros Deligiannis mobilizes the Greek Army in accordance with the Bulgarian revolt. The British Royal navy blockades Greece.1893 The Corinth Canal is completed.1894April 27255 people die in the earthquake of Atalanti.1896April 6Opening ceremonies of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens.1897JanuaryGreece turns down an Ottoman offer for an autonomous administration in Crete and mobilizes for war. February 25Greece refuses to withdraw Greek volunteers from Crete. GOD DAMNIT, "WESTERN POWERS" STOP BLOCKADING GREECE. April 17Ottoman Empire declares war on Greece. Beginning of the Greco-Turkish war. April 27Greece loses the war and agrees to give up Crete to international administration, to minor territorial concessions in favor of the Turks and pay a large indemnity.1898 Creation of a Cretan state. 1904 Beginning of the Greek struggle for Macedonia which was initially only between the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. October 13Greek officer Pavlos Melas is killed by Bulgarian guerilla troops along with other locals who claimed themselves to be Greeks. The Greek government is appalled and sends in guerilla troops to occupy certain areas. Greece establishes a presence in Macedonia.1908 Cretan deputies declare union with Greece.1912MayHoping to expand and defend themselve from the Ottoman empire Greece, Bulgaria, and other Balkan nations form the Balkan league. SummerGreece attempts to delay the upcoming Balkan War in order to prepary it's navy but. . . October 8Montenegro declares war. October 17Following an ultimatum to the Ottomans, the remaining members of the alliance enter the War. December 16Battle of Elli. The Turkish fleet manages to escape through Dardanelles but is defeated by the Greek navy. 1913January 5Battle of Lemnos. The Turkish fleet attempts to regain supremacy over the Aegean Sea but is once again defeated by the Greek navy.1913---Greece establishes its importance as a naval power and dominates the Aegean Sea. Greece proceeds to liberate islands in the Aegean. JanuaryTurkey decides to continue the war, May 17The Treaty of London ends the Balkan War. June 16Bulgaria attacks Greece and Serbia. Beginning of the Second Balkan War. June 21Battle of Kilkis-Lahanas. Ends in Greek victory on the 21. July 8Battle of Kresna Gorge begins. 10,000 Greeks die while the number of Bulgarians is unknown. July 18Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, King Constantine of Greece listens to Bulgaria's pleas for an armistice delivered through Romania. August 10The Treaty of Bucharest ends the Second Balkan War. 1915JanuaryKing Constantine forces Prime Minister Venizelos to resign due to disagreements over whether or not to join WWI. the National Schism begins. January 24The British formally request for Greece to join the war on the allies side. King Constantine, who had hoped to remain neutral, is married to Kaiser Wilhelm's sister and the British hope to use this to their advantage. The allies promise Greece the Asia minor. King Constantine still refuses. October 5British and French ships land on Salonica and open a new front. Constantine ignores the invasion. October 23Additional French and British troops land at the request of Prime MInister Venizelos. Their goal is to fight the Serbs and free them from Bulgaria.They arrive too late but the forces remain to prevent future opposition, even against the Greeks who try to expell the foreign forces. 1916August 30Venizelos returns to the Greek mainland. Henceforth, Greece has two governments: The royalist government in Athens and the "Temporary Government of National Defence"1916--Beginning of the Greek genocide. The Ottomans instigate a violent compaign against the Greeks living within the empire. The genocide includesmassacres, forced deportations, and death marches. Many Greeks seek refugee in the neighboring Russian empire. An estimate 360,000 Greeks die between now and 1923. October 9A provisional government was established in Thessalonica by Venizelos and General Panagiotes Dangles and Admiral Paulos Kountouriotes.
It included members of the National Defense Committee that had been formed in Thessalonica in December, 1915. The provisional government devoted itself to reinforcing the Allies and to build up a powerful army. Its immediate objective was to wage war against the Bulgarians and the Central Powers, that already occupied large parts of Greek territory. The longer term political objective was to participate in the peace conference at the end of the war, where it would pursue the liberation of trapped Greek populations still living in areas occupied by Turkey and Bulgaria. October 25Exiled Prime Minister Eleutherios Venizelos and Admiral Paulos Kountouriotes, accompanied by approximately one hundred of their political and military supporters arrive. Their objective was to create a new government that would lead Greece into the war on the side of the Allies.
Greece was on the brink of civil war.
The British and French fully supported the new government with arms and money.
In Athens, King Constantine makes an agreement with the French envoy after the French fleet surrounds the Greek capital. He must withdraw his forces from central Greece and hand over to the Allies large quantities of naval and military material. In return, he wants the Allies to guarantee the present borders and respect Greece's neutrality. The French refuse and demand the naval and military equipment without any conditions. November 16the Entente asked Greece to deliver the war materials asked. Negotiations about them continued for a couple of days. November 23Venizelo's government declares war on Bulgaria and Germany. December 7-21The allies enforce a blockade on Greece. Near-famine conditions occur. 1917JuneFrench and British troops, supporting Venizelos, occupy Piraeus and bombard Athens, forcing the Greek fleet to surrender. Constantine I resigns and leaves the country, his son, Alexander I becomes King and Venizelos is restored as Prime Minister. June 30Greece officially enters World War I. JulyThe Great Fire of Thessaloniki destroys most of the city.1918October 30The armistice of Mudros ends WWI in the Near East. 1919May 15Beginning of the Greco-Turkish war. November 27Treaty of Neuilly. Greece acquires Western Thrace. August 10Treaty of Sevres. Greece acquires Eastern Thrace and the area of Izmir. 1920October 25King Alexander I dies suddenly of an infection he gets from a monkey bite. November 17Queen Olga becomes regent of Greece until her son returns. December 19Constantine I returns as King.1922September 13Izmir is set on fire. 100,000 Greeks die. SeptemberThe Greek army, navy, and people revolt against the King. Venizelos once again, returns to Greece after Constantine resigns. September 27George II becomes King of Greece.1923July 24Signing of the treaty of Lausanne recognizes Turkey as the successor state of the defunct Ottoman Empire. Turkey and Greece carry out a population exchange in which many Greeks (who had been persecuted in the Greek genocide) flee to Greece.1923 Due to the population exchange, Greece faces a refugee problem as 1/3 of its population goes bankrupt. December 16Venizelos' Liberal Party wins the elections.1924March 25Greece is proclaimed a republic. King George II is asked to leave the country. Pavlos Kountouriotis becomes the first President of Greece.1925March 15A successful military coup forces Kountouriotis to resign. October 22The War of the Stray Dog with Bulgaria over the boarders of Macedonia. Greece is imposed a fine. MarchFailed pro-Venizelist coup1935MarchFailed coup led by Venizelos and Nickolaos Plastiras. Venizelos fleeds to France and dies in Paris the next year. October 10Coup led by Georgios Kondylis abolishes the Republic. November 3 George II is restored to the throne.1936August 4A coup by General Ioannis Metaxas, who declares a state of emergency, decrees martial law, annuls various articles in the Constitution, and establishes a crisis cabinet to put an end to the growing riots and social order.1939 Hatay is annexed by Turkey.1940August 15Italy torpedoes and sinks a Greek light crusier in the Tinos harbor. The Greek government covers it up, saying the submarine is of "unknown nationality" in hopes of keeping Greece neutral. October 28Italy delivers an ultimatum to Greece which is rejected. Beginning of the Greco-Itallian war. November 13Battle of Pindus ends in a COMPLETE Greek victory. November 14Greek forces enter Albanian territory. December 24The Greek army controls pratically all of Northern Epirus. 1941 Turkey mobilizes all Greeks between the ages of 18 and 45 and deports them to fight in labour batallions in central Anatolia. March 9-20The Italians launch a spring offensive to dislocate the Greek forces. It fails. April 6The German army invades Greece. April 11-12The Battle of Vevi. The Allied front in Greece is destroyed. April 18The German army marches towards Athens. Prime Minister Alexandros Koryzis commits suicide. April 20The Greek First army surrenders to the Germans. April 21The Germans manage to get through the Metaxas Line. April 22The King and the Royal family along with the Government flees to Crete. April 27Germany enters Athens. Writer Penelope Delta commits suicide.
The Nazi flag is raised on the Acropolis.
Evzone soldiers on the guard duty at the time commit suicide and jump off the Acropolis' cliffs wrapped in the Greek flag. May 4Out of respect to the Greek nation, Hitler orders the army to not take Greek prisoners of war and allows Greeks to carry weapons. May 20Beginning of the Battle of Crete. May 22The royal family and Government are evacuated to Alexandria, Egypt. June 1The remaining defenders of Sphakia surrender to the German Army. May 30The first resistance act takes place when two law students tear down the Swastika banner from the Acropolis. September 27The National Liberation Front is founded. It is the largest resistance group in Greece. September 28-29A spontaneous rebellion in Drama is repressed by the Bulgarians. 3,000 die. October 24-25Massive executions of the Greek people are carried out by the Nazis.1941WinterThe Great famine begins. 300,000 Greeks perish. It ends in 1941.1942 In Turkey, the Fortune Tax is imposed on non-Mulsims (specifically Greeks), leading to financial ruin. JuneThe Greek People's Liberation Army begins to operate in the mountains. SummerThe Great Suffering and the pressure of the exiled Greek government eventually force the British to partially lift the blockade on Greece. the International Red crose is able to distribute food in sufficient quantities. November 25The Gorgopotamos Bridge is blown up in a common operation with the British. The successful operation disrupts German transporation of ammunition via Greece to Nazi Africa Corps.1943MarchThe Germans begin mass deportations of the Jews of Thessaloniki to Auschwitz. By the end of the war, 60,000 Greek Jews have been murdered. August 16Germans set fire to Kommeno. 317 die. SeptemberThe Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jews of Athens fail thanks to the combined efforts of Archbishop Damaskinos, the Greek resitance, and the Greek people. 1944DecemberThe "December Events" happens and 28 people are killed by British troops in Athens. 1945FebruaryEAM and the Greek goverment sign a peace agreement to end fighting. October 17Archbishop Damaskinos assumes as regent in order to stabilize the country. October 24Greece is one of the founding nations of the United Nations 1946MarchFighting resumes between the Government and COmmunist. The Greek Civil War. September 28A national referendum favors a constitutional monarchy.
King George II returns to Greece.1947January 20Deadliest shipwreck in Greek history occurs when the HImara sinks in the South Evian Gulf killing 361. The cause still remains unknown. April 1King George II suddenly dies of a heart attack. The Greeks do not believe the announcement because they think it is a joke. He is succeeded by his younger brother Paul. December1,200 communist militants are killed in a battle.1948 The communists reach the peak of their power1949April 4Greece is one of the founding members of NATO AugustPrime Minister Alexander Papagos launches a major counter-offensive against communist forces in northern Greece. October 16Nikolaos Zachariadis, leader of the Communists signs a treaty to mark the end of the Greek civil war.1950December 9Greece joins the Korean War, siding with South Korea. 194 Greek soldiers will die by the end of the war.1953AugustA series of earthquakes devastates the islands of Zakynthos and Cephallonia. The first relief efforts come from the recently established state of Israel.1955September 6-7The Istanbul Pogrom, directed primarily against Istanbul's 100,000-strong Greek minority takes place. A total of sixteen Greeks are killed while others are severely wounded, raped, and forcibly circumcised by the mob. Thousands of Greek-owned buildings are severely damanged or destroyed and many immigrate to Greece.1959 The Merten affair challenges the Greek political world.1964March 6The palace announced that King Paul has died. Rumors say he died many days earlier but it had been kept quiet. He is succeeded by his son, Constantine. The Ankara government reneges on the 1930 Greco-Turkish Ankara Convention. Deported with two day’s notice, the Greek community of Istanbul shrunk from 100,000 persons in 1955 to only 48,000 in 19651965 Royal Coup, involving King Constantine II and a group of politicians, known as Apostasia of 1965. Prime Minister George Papandreou is forced to resign1967 April 21 Successful coup d'etat led by a group of colonels 1968 Counter-coup organized by King Constantine II fails. Constantine II leaves the country 1971 Halki seminary, Orthodoxy's most prominent theological school, is closed by the Turkish government. Despite international pressure for its reopening, it remains closed ever since1973June 1Dictator George Papadopoulos declares Greece a republic and himself President. (Meanwhile, Heracles boggles over this contradiction) November 17End of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. A total of 24 civillians and students are killed. November 25Military coup by General Dimitrios Ioannides ousts Papadopoulos. Military law is reinstated. 1974July 15The Greek regime sponsors a coup d'état in Nicosia, replacing President Makarios III with Nikos Sampson July 20Turkey invades Cyprus July 23Nikos Sampson is removed from office and replaced with Glafkos Klerides. The coup regime ends. A general ceasefire is declared Junta-appointed President Phaedon Gizikis calls a meeting of old guard politicians with the participation of the heads of the armed forces. Konstantinos Karamanlis is chosen to assume the premiership 1974July 24Constantine Karamanlis returns with the French Presidential jet. Democracy in Athens is restored. August 14Second phase of the Attila Operation in Cyprus. The Turkish forces advance capturing 37% of the island. A total of 3,000 are killed or mising. Another 200,000 become refugees.
Greece withdraws it's forces from NATO's military command structure as a result. Makarios returns as president of Cyprus December 13With a national referendum, monarchy is abolished and a parliamentary republic is established. 1977August 3Cypriot President Makarios dies unexpectantly of heart attack. 1980 Greece is admitted back into NATO 1981January 1Greece joins the European Community 1987 The Sismik incident in which a Turkish ship enters Greek waters to perform a survey. Prime Minster Andreas Papandreou orders the ship to be sunk if found within Greek waters.1989 Political crisis after a series of elections in which no party secured a substantial percentage of popular vote, nor was willing to take part in a coalition1992July 3The adoption of a flag incorporating the Vergina Sun by the Republic of Macedonia, increases tensions between the two countries1994February 16Greece enforces an embargo on Macedonia. 1995NOvemberGreece lifts the embargo after Macedonia agrees to change it's flag, banknotes, and controversial articles in the constitution. 1996January 31The Imia/Kardak crisis. Greece and Turkey are on the bring of war over which one owns the two, uninhabited islands.1999August 17Powerful earthquakes strike the Turkish city of Izmit. Greece is the first foreign country to pledge aid and support to Turkey1999September 7Athens is struck by the most devastating earthquake in Greece of the past 20 years. A total of 145 people die. The Turkish aid is the first to arrive. The two earthquakes initiate the Greek-Turkish earthquake diplomacy2001May 4Pope John Paul II visits Athens and makes apologies for the sins of the Crusader attack on Constantinople in 12042004April 24Greek Cypriots reject the Annan plan May 1Cyprus becomes a member of the European Union. August 13-29 Athens hosts the 2004 Summer Olympics. 2007June-SeptemberJune through September: Western Peloponese and southern Euobea are ravaged by lethal infernos.
God damn, this is a lot easier for era-specific journals.
He's been around longer but I started his history at the fall of Byzantine because anything before that concerns Mama Greece as far as my head canon is concerned.
If I'm leaving anything out or have something wrong, please tell me and I'll add/fix it right away!