The Greece of 1832 would be hard to recognize today. The kingdom covered the Peloponnese, Central Greece and the Cyclades, and stopped well short of the present northern border. Corfu, Thessaloniki, Crete and Rhodes all belonged to other states.
Greece began in 1832 as a small kingdom in the south of the Balkans. It grew in five rounds, in 1864, 1881, 1912 to 1913, 1919 to 1920 and 1947, and it lost Eastern Thrace and the Smyrna zone in 1922 and 1923.
Key Takeaways
The Ionian Islands (1864) and Thessaly (1881) came through diplomacy, not war.
The Balkan Wars raised the kingdom’s area by roughly two-thirds to nearly double, depending on the source.
Greece gained Western Thrace after World War I.
Defeat in Asia Minor led to an exchange of at least 1.6 million people.
The Dodecanese, ceded in 1947, were the last addition.
Year
What changed
How
Area in nearest census year
1832
Peloponnese, Central Greece, Cyclades
Treaty of Constantinople
n/a
1864
Ionian Islands
Ceded by Britain
50,211 km² (19,387 sq mi), 1870
1881
Thessaly and part of Epirus
Ceded by the Ottomans
63,606 km² (24,558 sq mi), 1889
1912 to 1913
Macedonia, Epirus, Crete, eastern Aegean islands
Balkan Wars
121,794 km² (47,025 sq mi), 1913
1919 to 1920
Western Thrace, Eastern Thrace, Smyrna zone
Post-war treaties
149,150 km² (57,587 sq mi), 1920
1922 to 1923
Eastern Thrace and Smyrna zone lost
Treaty of Lausanne
129,880 km² (50,147 sq mi), 1928
1947
Dodecanese
Treaty of Paris
131,957 km² (50,949 sq mi), 1951
How did Greece become a kingdom in 1832?
The revolt began in 1821, and the London Protocol of 1830 declared independence. The 1832 Treaty of Constantinople then formed the kingdom within its first borders. On 7 May 1832 Britain, France and Russia agreed to make Otto of Bavaria its king.
How did Greece grow before the Balkan Wars?
Britain handed over the Ionian Islands in 1864, ending an administration that began in 1815. In 1881 the Ottomans ceded Thessaly and part of Epirus, after talks held under Great Power supervision.
How much did the Balkan Wars add?
Greece joined Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria against the Ottomans in 1912, then fought Bulgaria in 1913. Macedonia, Epirus, Crete and the eastern Aegean islands became known as the New Lands. One count has the area rising from 64,790 to 108,610 km² (25,016 to 41,935 sq mi), a gain of about 68%. Another has it going from 63,211 to 120,308 km² (24,406 to 46,451 sq mi), a gain of about 90%. The same source notes that Western Thrace went to Bulgaria in 1913.
What happened after World War I?
Western Thrace, Eastern Thrace and the Smyrna zone came under Greece by 1920, which pushed the census area to 149,150 km² (57,587 sq mi). Smyrna was awarded under the Treaty of Sèvres.
What did Greece lose in 1922 and 1923?
After the defeat in Asia Minor, the Treaty of Lausanne ended Greek control of the Smyrna zone and Eastern Thrace. A convention signed on 30 January 1923 moved about 1,221,489 Greek Orthodox Christians out of Turkey and 355,000 to 400,000 Muslims out of Greece. The census area fell to 129,880 km² (50,147 sq mi) by 1928.
When did Greece get the Dodecanese?
Italy had held the islands since 1912. The Treaty of Paris, signed on 10 February 1947, ceded them to Greece. Britain handed over administration on 31 March 1947, and a ceremony on 7 March 1948 sealed the union. The Hellenic Army calls it the last addition to the national territory.
