1862 Greek head of state referendum: Difference between revisions

|[[Nicholas Maximilianovitch, 4th Duke of Leuchtenberg|Prince Leuchtenberg]]

|[[Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (1831–1891)|Grand Duke Nicholas]]

Despite the apparently overwhelming support for Alfred, and the declaration by the Assembly that Alfred was elected as king, the Great Powers refused to alter their position, and Alfred declined the throne. The runner-up, Prince Leuchtenberg, as well as several of the other candidates, were also unacceptable to the Great Powers since they were members of the French and Russian royal families, also excluded from contention by the London Conference.<ref name=clogg/> The Greeks and Great Powers considered alternative candidates, and their choice eventually fell to Prince William of Denmark, who was the second son of KingPrince [[Christian IX of Denmark|Christian IXof Denmark]]. William was elected unanimously by the Greek Assembly, becoming "George I, King of the Hellenes", and reigned for the next 50 years.<ref>Woodhouse, p. 170</ref> Prince Alfred was created Duke of Edinburgh by his mother in 1866,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=23119|page=3127|date=25 May 1866}}</ref> and became the reigning Duke of [[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] in Germany in 1893.<ref>e.g. ''Statesman's Yearbook 1898''</ref>

At George's enthronement, to the great joy of the Greeks, the British government announced that they would cede the [[United States of the Ionian Islands|Ionian Islands]] to Greece as a goodwill gesture.<ref>''[[The Times|The Times (London)]]'', 8 June 1863, p. 12, col. C</ref>