Greek Crown Jewels
Encyclopedia
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 brought with him from Bavaria some of his ancestral Wittelsbach
dynasty crown jewels
: a crown
, orb and sceptre
which he declared to be the Crown Jewels of Greece. However, when he was overthrown in a coup in 1862 and fled, he took "his" 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.
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...
became the first King of Greece in 1832 when the great European powers forced the militarily chastened Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
to formally accept its independence, he brought with him from Bavaria some of his ancestral Wittelsbach
Wittelsbach
The Wittelsbach family is a European royal family and a German dynasty from Bavaria.Members of the family served as Dukes, Electors and Kings of Bavaria , Counts Palatine of the Rhine , Margraves of Brandenburg , Counts of Holland, Hainaut and Zeeland , Elector-Archbishops of Cologne , Dukes of...
dynasty crown jewels
Crown jewels
Crown jewels are jewels or artifacts of the reigning royal family of their respective country. They belong to monarchs and are passed to the next sovereign to symbolize the right to rule. They may include crowns, sceptres, orbs, swords, rings, and other objects...
: a crown
Crown (headgear)
A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art, the crown may be shown being offered to...
, orb and sceptre
Orb and Sceptre
Orb and Sceptre is a march composed for orchestra by composer William Walton. It was written for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953.-Structure:...
which he declared to be the Crown Jewels of Greece. However, when he was overthrown in a coup in 1862 and fled, he took "his" jewels back with him to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
.
In 1959, Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
Albrecht Luitpold Ferdinand Michael, Duke of Bavaria, of Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine of the Rhine , was the son of Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria and his first wife, Duchess Marie Gabrielle in Bavaria. He was the one surviving child from that marriage...
presented the Greek Crown Jewels (also called the Greek Regalia) back to King Paul of Greece
Paul of Greece
Paul reigned as King of Greece from 1947 to 1964.-Family and early life:Paul was born in Athens, the third son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He was trained as a naval officer....
. Greek monarchs since Otto had not been crowned
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
. Nevertheless the Crown Jewels of Otto were accepted and remain in Greece.