George I of Greece

Born in Copenhagen on 24 December 1845, George seemed headed for the Royal Danish Navy when the Greek National Assembly deposed King Otto and elected him monarch at 17 — backed by Britain, France, and Russia. He married Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia in 1867, founding a new Greek dynasty with ties threading through European royalty: his sisters Alexandra and Dagmar married into the British and Russian lines, making Edward VII and Alexander III his brothers-in-law, and linking him to five future kings. His 50 years on the throne — the longest in modern Greek history — brought terri…