[set of two volumes] When in 1864 Prince Christian IX of Denmark arrived in Greece as the new King in place of Otto, who had been removed by the British in 1862, he could not have anticipated at that moment that the new dynasty would last at least a hundred years, until the death of King Paul I in 1964.
After taking the name GEORGE I, the new king embraced the Orthodox doctrine from the outset and created the conditions under which he wished to exercise his duties, replacing the inscription: "BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING OF THE GREEKS" that Otto had established with his own: "MY STRENGTH IS THE LOVE OF MY PEOPLE." All subsequent descendants of George I faithfully maintained the meaning of the above inscription.
Both his successor Constantine II and the subsequent Kings, in order, Alexander I, George II, and Paul I, always stood by their people, meaning all Greeks, in keeping with the oath they had taken when they assumed their duties, and for this reason often provoked both the wrath and jealousy of the politicians who, although elected, did not always keep the promises they had made to win the votes of the Greek people.
The two-volume work of historian and author Mr. Kων. Barbis primarily refers to the period during which the royal couple Paul and Frederica dutifully exercised their duties and remained in the memory of the Greek people as the kings "of moderation and understanding."
Mr. Kων. Barbis, with his rich experience, having studied Greek history for many years, accurately records and presents in this work all the significant events that marked Greek history, both during World War II and later during the Greek Civil War, in which the royal couple Paul and Frederica participated, always placing the interests of the homeland and the Greek people at the forefront.
Furthermore, he provides unknown details for the general public regarding the personal life of the Royal Family, from 1947 when King Paul I officially assumed his duties until his death in March 1964.
Specifically, he details extensively about Queen Frederica, with whom the author had the fortune of conversing several times during that period, drawing useful information from her regarding events that occurred behind the scenes in which the Queen played a leading role, either by personally corresponding with influential figures of that era seeking their contribution for the benefit of Greece or creating, on her own initiative, the conditions under which Greek children could safely survive under her protection, such as with the children's villages she established during the time when the E.L.A.S. partisans posed a major threat to every Greek family with underage children.
In conclusion, with this book, the historical truth regarding the institution of monarchy is restored, albeit belatedly, which may no longer be valid in Greece after the 1974 referendum; however, the figures who embodied it until then have often been defamed in the conscience of the Greek people by certain "professional" politicians for obvious reasons, the main one being that they regarded the Kings as an obstacle to their political careers because they were always guardians of the regime, in contrast to most political leaders who wanted and still want to implement the regime according to their personal ambitions in order to govern Greece unimpeded.
