George II of Greece

George II of Greece was born on July 19, 1890, at the royal villa at Tatoi, near Athens, as the eldest son of Crown Prince Constantine of Greece and Princess Sophia of Prussia. He had two younger brothers and three sisters. He pursued a military career, training with the Prussian Guard and serving in the Balkan Wars as a member of the 1st Greek Infantry. He became the crown prince in 1913, after the assassination of his grandfather, King George I. In 1917, following the National Schism over Greece's involvement in World War I, George and his father were forced into exile by Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, who favored the Allies. His younger brother Alexander was installed as king. George and his father returned to Greece in 1920, after Alexander's death and Venizelos' defeat in the general election. Constantine resumed the throne, but was pressured to abdicate again in 1922, after the disastrous outcome of the Greco-Turkish War. George succeeded him as King George II, but faced political turmoil and social unrest. In 1923, a failed royalist coup led to his exile to Romania. In 1924, Greece was declared a republic and George was formally deposed and stripped of his Greek nationality. George remained in exile until 1935, when a royalist coup restored the monarchy. He returned to Greece and resumed his royal duties. He supported Ioannis Metaxas's self-coup in 1936, which established the authoritarian, nationalist and anti-communist 4th of August Regime. George was seen as a symbol of national unity and stability, but also faced criticism for his endorsement of Metaxas's dictatorship. In 1941, Greece was invaded by Nazi Germany and its allies, forcing George into his third exile. He left for Crete and then Egypt, before settling in London, where he headed the Greek government-in-exile. He maintained close relations with Britain and its leader Winston Churchill, who regarded him as a loyal ally and friend. He also supported the Greek resistance movement against the Axis occupation. In 1946, after the end of World War II, George returned to Greece amid a civil war between the royalist government and the communist rebels. A plebiscite confirmed his restoration to the throne by a narrow margin. He tried to reconcile the divided nation and promote democracy, but faced opposition from both sides of the conflict. He died of arteriosclerosis on April 1, 1947, at the age of 56. He had no children from his marriage to Elisabeth of Romania, which ended in divorce in 1935. He was succeeded by his younger brother Paul.