Kings of the Hellenes: The Greek Kings 1863-1974 [Paperback]

John Van Der Kiste (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 1994

This engaging book presents the lives of the Greek royal family between 1863 and 1974, during a period of turbulence, and shows both the benefits and disadvantages of the dynasty's close ties to the other royal houses of Europe.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing (June 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750921471
• ISBN-13: 978-0750921473
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,344,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Van der Kiste read Librarianship at Ealing Technical College, where he edited the students' journal Stamp Out. He has published over forty books, including titles on historical biography, local history and true crime, music, fiction, and edited a Christmas anthology. He lives in Devon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Hellenic monarchy: if it's Greek to you, read this book., November 13, 2000

By 

Dennis Tucker (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kings of the Hellenes: The Greek Kings 1863-1974 (Paperback)

This book provides an excellent overview of the history of the Greek monarchy.

How exactly did the Greek people come to be reigned over by a Danish prince and his heirs? Did a King of Greece really die from a monkey attack? The story of the Greek monarchy has a good mixture of everything that intrigues the typical royal-watcher, and Van Der Kiste tells it well.

You might find it refreshing that, in the chapters dealing with World War One, Van Der Kiste doesn't take a typical (jingoistic) pro-Allied stance. He presents the Hellenic involvement in that war from a Greek royalist perspective.

If the book is lacking, it's in the final chapters. As the author points out, a historian can only do so much justice to a topic as fresh as the royal family's current standing. The subject of the Greek monarchy in the past 60 years could fill another book.

Overall, this is a fine addition to Van Der Kiste's body of work, and a good starting point for anyone researching the subject.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The six kings of the Danish-Greek family., March 25, 2010

By 

Kevin M Quigg (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Kings of the Hellenes: The Greek Kings 1863-1974 (Paperback)

A nice little book about the history of the Greek Royal Family. Throughout many books about the Balkans, WWI, and WWII, I have read about all seven Greek kings. It was a pleasure to finally read about why Constantine and Paul ruled during several breaks. The Greeks threw out their kings regularly, and the two above ruled several times.

This also clears up how the Greeks were persuaded to fight in WWI. The Allies made them an offer they couldn't refuse. The Allies, particularly Greaat Britain fought Germany because of the guarantee for Belgium's borders. Well, the Allies violated Greek borders by landing troops on the coastline without the consent of the legal Greek government and then overthrew the king. They interfered with the Greek's government neutrality.

I wish the book would have went into the reign of Otto, the Bavarian first king of Greece. I also wished it would have gone into more depth on the end of the Constantine II's reign. This would have cleared up more on Greek history for me. Otherwise, this was a nice written book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, May 8, 2009

By 

Mary Jane Dorey (Hubbards, Nova Scotia, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kings of the Hellenes: The Greek Kings 1863-1974 (Paperback)

This is a wonderful work. I am very interested in Royalty and I find Mr. Van Der Kiste's work very informative.