The Greek King Who Died From a Monkey Bite
On this day 106 years ago, October 25, 1920, King Alexander of Greece died at just 27 years old from an infection caused by a monkey bite. It remains one of the strangest deaths in European royal history.
Alexander became king in 1917 under unusual circumstances. The Allied powers pressured his father, King Constantine I, to step down over his neutral stance during World War I. His elder brother George was passed over for being considered too pro-German, so Alexander, the second son, was placed on the throne at 24. He fell in line with Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, and Greece entered the war on the side of the Entente.
A second monkey attacked him, biting him on the calf and hand — the wounds were initially dismissed as minor.
The incident that killed him was almost absurd in its randomness. While walking the palace grounds at Tatoi, outside Athens, his dog got into a fight with a Barbary macaque belonging to a palace resident. When Alexander stepped in to break it up, a second monkey attacked him, biting him on the calf and hand. The wounds were cleaned and initially dismissed as minor.
Within days the infection worsened dramatically. Doctors diagnosed a streptococcal infection that progressed into full sepsis. He slipped into a coma on the night of October 11 and died the afternoon of October 25.
His personal life had already caused a scandal. He had married Aspasia Manos, the daughter of a Greek army colonel, against intense opposition from the court and the government. The marriage was never officially recognized during his lifetime. Aspasia, widowed at 25, gave birth to their only daughter, Alexandra, five months after his death.
Alexander was the son of King Constantine I and Queen Sophia, who was the sister of Kaiser Wilhelm II. He was 27 years old when he died.
