Greek Constitution of 1844

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In the name of the Holy, Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity...are the first words of the Greek Constitution of 1844.

The Greek Constitution of 1844

The box the Consitution of 1844 was kept in.

The first constitution of the Kingdom of Greece was the Greek Constitution of 1844. On 3 September 1843, the military garrison of Athens, with the help of citizens, rebelled and demanded from King Otto the concession of a Constitution.

The Constitution that was proclaimed in March 1844 came from the workings of the "Third of September National Assembly of the Hellenes in Athens" and was a Constitutional Pact, in other words a contract between the monarch and the Nation. This Constitution re-established the Constitutional Monarchy and was based on the French Constitution of 1830 and the Belgian Constitution of 1831.

Its main provisions were the following: It established the principle of monarchical sovereignty, as the monarch was the decisive power of the State; the legislative power was to be exercised by the King - who also had the right to ratify the laws - by the Parliament, and by the Senate. The members of the Parliament could be no less than 80 and they were elected for a three-year term by universal suffrage. The senators were appointed for life by the King and their number was set at 27, although that number could increase should the need arise and per the monarch's will, but it could not exceed half the number of the members of Parliament.

The ministers' responsibility for the King's actions is established, who also appoints and removes them. Justice stems from the King and is dispensed in his name by the judges he himself appoints.

Lastly, this Assembly voted the electoral law of 18 March 1844, which was the first European law to provide, in essence, for universal suffrage (but, only, of course, for men).

Despite the fact that Otto accepted the establishment of a Constitutional regime, he was not inclined to enforce it and by breaking both the spirit and the letter of the Constitution he tried to gather as much power as he possibly could. On the night of October 10, 1862, the rising wave of discontent led the people and the military to rebel and to decide Otto's deposition.

External links

Scanned original of the 1844 Constitution (in Greek)

Constitution of Greece

Constitutional rights	Proportionality Independent authorities Vertical power of human rights Rule of law Social state

History of the Constitution	Constitution of 1822 Constitution of 1823 Constitution of 1827 Constitution of 1832 Constitution of 1844 Constitution of 1864 Constitution of 1911 Constitution of 1925 Constitution of 1927 Constitution of 1948 Constitution of 1952 Constitution of 1968 Constitution of 1973

Present constitution	Constitution of 1974 1986 amendment 2001 amendment 2008 amendment

Interpretation of the Constitution	Interpretative principles Paramountcy Supreme Special Court

Reign of Otto (1832–1862)

Notable People	Bavarians: Josef Ludwig von Armansperg Ignaz von Rudhart Georg Ludwig von Maurer Karl von Abel Carl Wilhelm von Heideck Christoforos Nezer Greeks: Dimitrios Kallergis Constantine Kanaris Theodoros Kolokotronis Ioannis Kolettis Yiannis Makriyiannis Andreas Metaxas Anastasios Polyzoidis Spyridon Trikoupis Theoklitos Farmakidis Architects: Eduard Schaubert Stamatios Kleanthis Theophil Hansen Christian Hansen (architect) Friedrich von Gärtner Leo von Klenze

Early Greek Parties	Russian Party French Party English Party

Events	London Conference of 1832 3 September 1843 Revolution Greek Constitution of 1844 Crimean War Epirus Revolt of 1854

Influence	Greek legal system Greek academic art of the 19th century

Structures	National Gardens of Athens Old Royal Palace National Observatory of Athens Syntagma Square Old Parliament House, Athens

Established	Church of Greece Hellenic Gendarmerie Greek Archaeological Service Court of Cassation (Greece) Council of State (Greece) Athens School of Fine Arts Archaeological Society of Athens Greek Evangelical Church

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