1862 Greek head of state referendum

In October 1862, King Otto of Greece was deposed in a popular revolt, hoping that the election of Alfred as king would also result in the incorporation of the Ionian Islands, which were then a British protectorate, into an enlarged Greek state. The London Conference of 1832, however, had prohibited any of the Great Powers' ruling families from accepting the crown of Greece, and in any event, Queen Victoria was adamantly opposed to the idea. Nevertheless, the Greeks insisted on holding a plebiscite on the issue of the head of state in November 1862. It was the first referendum ever held in Greece. ==Results==

The results were announced to the Greek National Assembly in February 1863. Votes were rarely if ever secret, and there were no uniformly printed ballot papers. Voters could write the name of their preference for king, and votes generally took the form of signed petitions. ==Aftermath==

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. Prince Alfred was created Duke of Edinburgh by his mother in 1866, and became the reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in Germany in 1893. At George's enthronement, the British government announced that they would cede the Ionian Islands to Greece as a goodwill gesture. ==Notes==