Greek Crown Jewels

When Otto of Bavaria became the first King of Greece in 1832 when the great European powers forced the militarily chastened Ottoman Empire to formally accept its independence, he had no crown or associated jewels. The crown, orb, sceptre and sword were ordered in Paris (Fossin et Fils Goldsmiths); the sword, however, was made by Jules Manceaux. The regalia arrived in Greece in 1835. Their model were the regalia of Bavaria but they did not have any precious stones (especially the crown) and thus they resemble funerary European regalia. They were made of precious metals, mainly gold and perhaps partly silver. Otto, as all kings of Greece after him, was never crowned. When Otto was overthrown in a coup in 1862 and fled, he took the jewels back with him to Bavaria.

In 1959, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria presented the Greek Crown Jewels (also called the Greek Regalia) back to King Paul of Greece. Greek monarchs since Otto had not been crowned. Nevertheless the Crown Jewels of Otto were accepted and remain in Greece.

Greece

Greece (ⁱ/ɡriːs/ GREESS; Greek: Ελλάδα, Elláda [eˈlaða]), officially the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Ellīnikī́ Dīmokratía [eliniˈci ðimokraˈti.a]) and known since ancient times as Hellas (/ˈhɛləs/; Greek: Ελλάς, Ellás), is a country located in southeastern Europe. According to the 2011 census, Greece's population is around 10.8 million. Athens is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Thessaloniki, which is commonly referred to as the co-capital.

Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Situated on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north and Turkey to the northeast. Greece consists of nine geographic regions: Macedonia, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, the Aegean Islands (including the Dodecanese and Cyclades), Thrace, Crete, and the Ionian Islands. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km (8,498 mi) in length, featuring a vast number of islands, of which 227 are inhabited. Eighty percent of Greece is mountainous, with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 2,918 metres (9,573 ft).

Greece (European Parliament constituency)

In European elections, Greece is a constituency of the European Parliament, currently represented by twenty-one MEPs. It covers the member state of Greece.

Current MEPs

As of October 2007

1981

The 1981 European election was a by-election held after Greece joined the European Communities in 1981. The rest of the EC had voted in 1979.

1984

The 1984 European election was the second European election and the first time Greece voted with the rest of the Community.

1989

The 1989 European election was the third election to the European Parliament and was held on June 15 for Greece.

1994

The 1994 European election was the fourth election to the European Parliament and was held on June 12 for Greece.

Source:

1999

The 1999 European election was the fifth election to the European Parliament and was held on June 13 for Greece.

Sources:

2004

The 2004 European election was the sixth election to the European Parliament and was held on June 13 for Greece. The ruling New Democracy party made strong gains, while the opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement made smaller gains, both at the expense of minor parties.

Greece (disambiguation)

Greece may refer to:

See also