Greek head of state referendum, 1862
Encyclopedia
The Greek head of state referendum, 1862, was held in December 1862 on the issue of the form and identity of the Greek head of state
. The results were announced in February the following year. Of the 240,000 votes reported, the vast majority were in favour of appointing Prince Alfred of the United Kingdom
, later Duke of Edinburgh
, as king. He received over 95% of the reported votes. The previous king, Otto
, who had been deposed in a popular revolt, received one vote. There were six votes for a Greek candidate and 93 for a Republic.
Despite the apparently overwhelming result, the Great Powers of Britain
, France
and Russia
refused to permit any member of their respective royal families to accept the Greek throne. Eventually, Prince William of Denmark
, who had received six votes in the referendum, was appointed as the new "King of the Hellenes".
was deposed in a popular revolt, but while the Greek people rejected Otto, they did not seem averse to the concept of monarchy per se. Many Greeks, seeking closer ties to the pre-eminent world power, Great Britain
, rallied around the idea that Prince Alfred
, the second son of Queen Victoria
and Prince Albert, could become the next king. British Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston
believed that the Greeks were "panting for increase in territory", hoping that the election of Alfred as king would also result in the incorporation of the Ionian Islands
, which were then a British protectorate, into an enlarged Greek state.
The London Conference of 1832
, however, had prohibited any of the Great Powers' ruling families from accepting the crown of Greece, and in any event, Queen Victoria was adamantly opposed to the idea. Nevertheless, the Greeks insisted on holding a plebiscite on the issue of the head of state in November 1862. It was the first referendum ever held in Greece.
in February. The number of votes differs slightly between reports, and the total votes reported sometimes exceeds the total in the official list. Differences arise through inaccuracies, misprints, and delays in the collection and count of votes. Votes were rarely if ever secret, and there were no uniformally printed ballot papers. Votes generally took the form of signed petitions.
in Germany in 1893.
At George's enthronement, to the great joy of the Greeks, the British government announced that they would cede the Ionian Islands
to Greece as a goodwill gesture.
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
. The results were announced in February the following year. Of the 240,000 votes reported, the vast majority were in favour of appointing Prince Alfred of the United Kingdom
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and reigned from 1893 to 1900. He was also a member of the British Royal Family, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha...
, later Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
, as king. He received over 95% of the reported votes. The previous king, Otto
Otto of Greece
Otto, Prince of Bavaria, then Othon, King of Greece was made the first modern King of Greece in 1832 under the Convention of London, whereby Greece became a new independent kingdom under the protection of the Great Powers .The second son of the philhellene King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Otto ascended...
, who had been deposed in a popular revolt, received one vote. There were six votes for a Greek candidate and 93 for a Republic.
Despite the apparently overwhelming result, the Great Powers of Britain
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, France
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
and Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
refused to permit any member of their respective royal families to accept the Greek throne. Eventually, Prince William of Denmark
George I of Greece
George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers...
, who had received six votes in the referendum, was appointed as the new "King of the Hellenes".
Prelude
In October 1862, King Otto of GreeceOtto of Greece
Otto, Prince of Bavaria, then Othon, King of Greece was made the first modern King of Greece in 1832 under the Convention of London, whereby Greece became a new independent kingdom under the protection of the Great Powers .The second son of the philhellene King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Otto ascended...
was deposed in a popular revolt, but while the Greek people rejected Otto, they did not seem averse to the concept of monarchy per se. Many Greeks, seeking closer ties to the pre-eminent world power, Great Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
, rallied around the idea that Prince Alfred
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and reigned from 1893 to 1900. He was also a member of the British Royal Family, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha...
, the second son of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
and Prince Albert, could become the next king. British Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston
Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC , known popularly as Lord Palmerston, was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister in the mid-19th century...
believed that the Greeks were "panting for increase in territory", hoping that the election of Alfred as king would also result in the incorporation of the Ionian Islands
Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese, i.e...
, which were then a British protectorate, into an enlarged Greek state.
The London Conference of 1832
London Conference of 1832
The London Conference of 1832 was an international conference convened to establish a stable government in Greece. Negotiations between the three Great Powers resulted in the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece under a Bavarian Prince. The decisions were ratified in the Treaty of Constantinople...
, however, had prohibited any of the Great Powers' ruling families from accepting the crown of Greece, and in any event, Queen Victoria was adamantly opposed to the idea. Nevertheless, the Greeks insisted on holding a plebiscite on the issue of the head of state in November 1862. It was the first referendum ever held in Greece.
Results
The results were announced to the Greek National AssemblyGreek National Assembly
The Greek National Assemblies are representative bodies of the Greek people. During and in the direct aftermath of the Greek War of Independence , the name was used for the insurgents' proto-parliamentary assemblies...
in February. The number of votes differs slightly between reports, and the total votes reported sometimes exceeds the total in the official list. Differences arise through inaccuracies, misprints, and delays in the collection and count of votes. Votes were rarely if ever secret, and there were no uniformally printed ballot papers. Votes generally took the form of signed petitions.
| Summary of the November 1862 Greek plebiscite | Votes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Prince Alfred Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and reigned from 1893 to 1900. He was also a member of the British Royal Family, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha... |
230,016 | |
| Prince Leuchtenberg Duke of Leuchtenberg Duke of Leuchtenberg was a title created by Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria and awarded to his son Maximilian Philipp Hieronymus. Little is known about this title until its re-creation by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria on 14 November 1817 and awarded to his son-in-law Eugène de Beauharnais... |
2,400 | |
| An Orthodox King | 1,917 | |
| The Emperor of Russia Alexander II of Russia Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881... |
1,841 | |
| Grand Duke Nicholas Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia Nicholas Romanov may refer to:* Nicholas I of Russia , third son of Paul I & Tsaritsa Maria Fedorovna; younger brother of Alexander I, ascended 1825... |
1,821 | |
| A King Monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected... |
1,763 | |
| Prince Nicholas of Russia | 1,741 | |
| Long Live the Three Powers | 482 | |
| Grand Duke Constantine Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia was the second son of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.During the reign of his brother Alexander II, Konstantin was an admiral of the Russian fleet and reformed the Russian Navy. He was also an instrumental figure in the emancipation of the serfs... |
478 | |
| Prince Napoleon Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte, Prince Français, Count of Meudon, Count of Moncalieri ad personam, titular 3rd Prince of Montfort was the second son of Jérôme Bonaparte, king of Westphalia, by his wife Catherine, princess of Württemberg... |
345 | |
| An Imperial Prince of France | 246 | |
| A Republic Republicanism Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context... |
93 | |
| A Russian Prince | 14 | |
| Prince Amadeo of Italy | 13 | |
| An Imperial Prince of Russia | 9 | |
| Romanoff | 8 | |
| Comte de Flandre Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders align="right"|Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders was the third born son of King Leopold I of the Belgians and his wife Louise d'Orléans . He was born at the Château de Laeken, near Brussels, Belgium... |
7 | |
| Prince William of Denmark George I of Greece George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers... |
6 | |
| Prince Ypsilantis Ypsilantis The Ypsilantis were a Greek Phanariote family which grew into prominence and power in Constantinople during the last centuries of Ottoman Empire and gave several short-reign hospodars to the Danubian Principalities... |
6 | |
| General Garibaldi Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and... |
3 | |
| The Duke of Aumale | 3 | |
| The Emperor Napoleon Napoleon III of France Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte... |
2 | |
| A Prince of Sweden | 2 | |
| Prince Joinville | 1 | |
| General M'Mahon | 1 | |
| Eynard the Philhellene Jean-Gabriel Eynard Jean-Gabriel Eynard was a Swiss banker.-Biography:Jean-Gabriel Eynard although belonging to a family who had settled in Switzerland since the 17th century was actually born in Lyon France - where his father owned a business - on December 28 1775... |
1 | |
| Otho I Otto of Greece Otto, Prince of Bavaria, then Othon, King of Greece was made the first modern King of Greece in 1832 under the Convention of London, whereby Greece became a new independent kingdom under the protection of the Great Powers .The second son of the philhellene King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Otto ascended... |
1 | |
| Total number of voters | 241,202 | |
Aftermath
Despite the apparently overwhelming support for Alfred, and the declaration by the Assembly that Alfred was elected as king, the Great Powers refused to alter their position, and Alfred declined the throne. The runner-up, Prince Leuchtenberg, as well as several of the other candidates, were also unacceptable to the Great Powers since they were members of the French and Russian royal families, also excluded from contention by the London Conference. The Greeks and Great Powers considered alternative candidates, and their choice eventually fell to Prince William of Denmark. William was elected unanimously by the Greek Assembly, became "George I, King of the Hellenes", and reigned for the next 50 years. Prince Alfred was created Duke of Edinburgh by his mother in 1866, and became the reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and GothaSaxe-Coburg and Gotha
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha served as the collective name of two duchies, Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha, in Germany. They were located in what today are the states of Bavaria and Thuringia, respectively, and the two were in personal union between 1826 and 1918...
in Germany in 1893.
At George's enthronement, to the great joy of the Greeks, the British government announced that they would cede the Ionian Islands
United States of the Ionian Islands
The United States of the Ionian Islands was a state and amical protectorate of the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1864. It was the successor state of the Septinsular Republic...
to Greece as a goodwill gesture.