Paul I of Greece (Crown of the Emperor)

Paul I (Greek: Παῦλος, Pávlos; 14 December 1901 – 6 March 1964) was King of the Hellenes from 1947 until his death in 1964.

Soon after Paul's accession, the Marxist insurrection which led to fighting in Northern Greece in the Spring of 1946, exploded into a full scale Civil War. Under heavy guard, Paul and Frederica toured Northern Greece in the summer of 1947. Queen Frederica appealed for support for a Northern Provinces Welfare Fund to be set up to help orphans and families threatened with having their children abducted if they did not support the Marxists. During that same summer, Paul fell ill with typhoid fever and was unable to visit Epirus, where the Greek army sustained attacks by the Marxists on the town of Konitsa on the Christmas of 1947. Queen Frederica acted as a substitute for him at formal events and went to the Konitsa war zone and she would be awarded the Greek Military Cross for her bravery. The Civil War ended in the summer of 1949, with the victory of the national army in the mountains close to the Albanian frontier. One tenth of the population became homeless as a result of the bloody conflict.

Paul and Frederica inspired growing affection for the monarchy by their work in helping to promote reconciliation after the Civil War, and by their swift identification with the victims of a series of devastating earthquakes between 1953 and 1955. Realizing that the harsh rule of the militaristic government, could lead to further unrest, Paul staged a coup against Ioannis Metaxas and restored democracy in the nation.

Paul passed away on 6 March 1964.