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“Only a monarchy!”
As he rigidly looked around the room at the seated diplomats, the British Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston felt his sideburns flare in austerity. “There are more than enough noble families in Europe that could provide a suitable monarch for this young country that has only recently shed 400 years of Turkish control and brutality.” As he turned to France and Russia, the other “Great Powers”, it struck him that he was Great Britain’s mouthpiece in deciding the fate of a sovereign European government. The diplomats exchanged tense glances.
“We must find a young prince from a good family and give unto him the reins of power. In time he will find his wisdom with the help of our power in counsel, finances, and military.” Palmerston sat down at the table, put on his spectacles, and began to search through a stack of papers. “Ah, how about young Leopold, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg - would he not make a great prince for the Greek State?”
“A moment, if you please…”
The quiet voice penetrated the silence and surprised the Foreign Secretary - in fact, every man in the room turned to see from where the sound began its flight. It was Baron Rothschild, the financial genius of the English Crown, whose leaden opinion carried unspeakable weight. “Unfortunately the Rothschild Bank cannot possibly satisfy the requirements of Prince Leopold. He already requested an absurd amount of 60 million francs in exchange for promising safety on northern borders. In addition, the young monarch has repeatedly stated that he preferred to assume the Kingship of newly-formed Belgium - something to do with staying closer to his own homeland. We certainly cannot lend gigantic sums to a King that threatens unpredictability in his decision making.” After Rothschild returned to stony silence, Lord Palmerston drew a deep breath, saying, “So be it, let us seek out other candidates.”
“And how about Prince Otto, the son of Ludwig, King of Bavaria?” All eyes again sought out the speaker, who revealed himself to be Colonel Carl Wilhelm von Heideck, a brave soldier and national hero. Arising, this iron-willed man began to address the court of diplomats: “The prince is young and full of life, adores Greece, and above all, has the the support of Ludwig with his Bavarians and his money. The King has already endured vast financial expenditure - mind you, more than any other European monarch - directed toward sustaining the Greek struggle for independence and now should deserve to see the fruits of his effort. What better gift than to see his own son hold the reins of power?”
Not a bad idea, thought Palmerston, one that would favor the Germans - his gaze remained fixed on the speaker. “And what does the Prince of Bavaria, a Roman Catholic, have in common with the Greek traditions, language, religion? The populace would surely reject such a foreign King.” Inclining his head proudly, Colonel von Heideck flared back in quick rebuttal: “The honorable Lord forgets that Prince Otto himself is a direct descendant of the royal Greek dynasties. His ancestor, Duke John II was also a direct descendant of the Komnenos and Laskaris dynasties. As for the language and traditions, the prince is young and eager to learn it all!”
Lord Palmerston arose with conviction: “Are there any other suggestions?” - the resulting silence from the court could not be clearer - "Then it is decided! Send word to Munich immediately, and may the prince assume his position without delay. This assembly is adjourned.” The court of diplomats begun to dissociate in a relieved flurry of activity. The Lord then turned to the Russian and French diplomats, saying, “As for us, we must turn our discussion to the future borders of the new kingdom…”
So in 1832 the Great Powers - Britain, France, and Russia - decided the fate of Greece without consulting a single Greek individual. On the seventh of May, the decision was made to install Prince Otto of Bavaria as the King of a newly independent Greece. King Ludwig signed the Coronation agreement on May 27th and on August 8th, the Greek Assembly signed its final approval of appointing Otto as King. Despite loving the country and heritage with all his heart, Otto never became the shining beacon of stability and hope for the Greek people. This eventually brought with it the storms of uprising and the shame of abdication… but this is the story to come.
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German Talers since 1800 by John S. Davenport
Bavaria, King Ludwig Series (1825 - 1848).
Taler 1832, PRINCE OTTO.
Davenport 568, KM 761, Thun 60, AKS 127, J.42.
Commemorative - for the selection of Prince Otto of Bavaria as first king of Greece.
Obverse: Head of the Ludwig I to the right, LUDWIG I KOENIG VON BAYERN. ZEHN EINE FEINE MARK
Reverse: OTTO PRINZ V. BAYERN GRIECHENLANDS ERSTER KOENIG, Prince Otto receiving crown from Greece, 1832 below.
PCGS MS 63.
28.0600 g., 0.83300 Silver, 0.7515 oz. ASW.
This is another example of the "Historical Talers" of King Ludwig I of Bavaria - to Commemorate the Prince Otto to be chosen as first King of Greece. This is another high-quality collectible -MS 63 grade per NGC is well-deserved for this gorgeous coin with clear uncirculated fields, amazing sharp detail of the design and satin luster through the surfaces. Touch of spotty toning gives extra appealing look. Couple tiny scratches on obverse did not affect the grade. Great collectible and investment item!