CURRENCY
1861, 100 lepta = 1 drachma.
1944, 100 old drachma = 1 new drachma. 

Before 1850
Site of the first major European civilization. After the decline of Greek power in the 4th century BC, conquered first by the Macedonians and then by the Romans in 146 BC. Following invasion by the Crusaders in 1204, divided into small governments and then captured by the Turks in 1456, immediately after the fall of Constantinople. Greece remained a Turkish province until the War of Independence (1821-8), during which Greece held the Turks at bay, though in danger of being subdued, until the Allied fleet defeated the Turks at Navarino in 1827. The Turks evacuated Morea, the province of southern Greece, in October 1828, and independence was acknowledged by the Treaty of Adrianople in September 1829. There was no public postal service under Turkish control, but by 1850 a limited civil post existed. Letters for overseas were carried by the captains of visiting ships.

1850-71  FIRST STAMPS ISSUED 1 October 1861. 

Greek territory was limited by the first treaty with Turkey and although this had been accepted when the kingdom was proclaimed, the boundaries paid no attention to similarities of race and language. As a result, many minor uprisings took place in Thessaly and Epirus. 

First stamp issue was printed in Paris, but the plates were subsequently transferred to Athens, where printing were produced from November 1861.Parts of present-day Greece, which were still under Turkish rule, used Turkish stamps until transferred.

1871-1914 Greece was not happy with the outcome of the Treaty of San Stefano, although it obtained southern Epirus. As a result of a further uprising the Turkish sultan proposed a rectification of the frontiers in July 1878. Eventually a convention was signed by Turkey and Greece at Constantinople in July 1881 and Thessaly was ceded to Greece. Greece supported the national uprising in Crete (q.v.) in the 1890s. Also supported the other Christian countries in the Balkans during the first Balkan War. As a result, Greece gained territory in Macedonia and western Thrace. In the second Balkan War, Greece occupied southern Albania and Thrace and issued overprinted stamps for these areas.

Macedonia (before 1914)The town of Kavalla was occupied by the Greeks in 1913 and stamps of Bulgaria were released overprinted in Greek on 1 July 1913. This area reverted to Greece in 1914 and Greek stamps were used.

Western Thrace (before 1914)
Area on the northern edge of the Aegean Sea and west of the Maritsa river which had been administered by Turkey until the first Balkan War. It was occupied by Bulgarian troops and awarded to Bulgaria after the Treaty of London. However, in the second Balkan War the Greeks invaded the province and occupied Dedeagatz (now Alexandropoulos) and Gumultsina (now Komotini). In the former, Bulgarian stamps were issued overprinted, and in the latter, Turkish stamps. Overprints, in Greek, were issued in both places in July-August 1913 but were withdrawn when Greek troops withdrew at the end of September.In October the Muslim inhabitants of western Thrace formed an autonomous republic and issued their own stamps. However, the area was awarded to Bulgaria by the Treaty of Bucharest, and Bulgarian stamps were used until 1918.

1914-18
Following the British repulse at Gallipoli in 1915, Allied forces were landed at Salonica and in August 1916 the line was stabilized on the Greek frontier. Although Allied forces were actually fighting on Greek soil. Greece entered the war on 30 June 1917 and assisted in the break-out from the Salonica front in 1918. During this period military posts of France and Britain operated in Salonica but the British P0 in Salonica had been closed in 1914.

1918-39
After the defeat of Bulgaria, western Thrace was occupied by Allied troops and overprinted stamps were issued in January 1920. Under the terms of the Treaty of Sevres in August 1920, Greece obtained western Thrace from Bulgaria and was given a mandate for the Turkish part of eastern Thrace except for Constantinople itself. This region was later incorporated into Greece. Overprinted stamps were issued in July 1920 and for the occupation of Adrianople (Edirne) in August.The Greek-Turkish War broke out in May 1919 when the Allies landed a Greek Army at Smyrna (see Turkey). The Greek Army remained in Asia Minor until defeated by the Turkish Nationalists under Kemal Ataturk in September 1922. As a result of the Treaty of Lausanne, eastern Thrace was returned to Turkey.

1939-45
Greece remained neutral until invaded by Italy from Albania on 29 October 1940. The Greeks counter-attacked and occupied part of southern Albania including Koritza, until the German invasion in April 1941. Overprinted stamps were issued for this area on 10 December 1940.British troops were sent to Greece to support the assault on the Italians in February 1941 and they brought their Field POs with them. More British forces arrived in March. The German assault came from Bulgaria on 6 April 1941 and quickly overran Greece. The last British troops were evacuated to Crete on 2 May, which was itself invaded by German paratroops on 20 May. The last Allied ships left southern Crete on 31 May when Greece fell under Axis control.

Greek stamps continued to be used throughout the territory until independence was regained in October 1944. First stamps with the new currency were issued on 11 November 1944. However, the transition to peace was difficult and Communist guerrilla leaders paid scant attention to the new government. Although Russian nonintervention had been agreed, once the last German troops left on 1 November 1944 internal disorder threatened and various partisan groups refused to hand over their weapons. The British troops quickly defeated the Communists once they were withdrawn from Athens and a truce was agreed on 11 January 1945. British Field POs were again used in Greece during this period.

1 1945 to date 
By plebiscite, the Greek people voted for a return of the Greek monarchy in September 1946. However, King Constantine was deposed in June 1973 and the second republic was formed. Since that date there have been many changes of government control, but the postal service has remained intact and stamps have not reflected these changes.

Greece became a member of NATO in 1952 and of the European Union in January 1983.

1 Mount Athos
An ecclesiastical centre on the most easterly promontory of the Khalkidhiki peninsula in Macedonia.

In 1915-16, the Allies were considering the occupation of this area to protect the eastern flank of the Salonica position, and, in anticipation, prepared a series of stamps intended for issue on 25 January. These were produced on board a naval vessel and are interesting in that they bear the language and currency of three different alphabets: English, Greek and Russian.

1Ionian Islands 

1CURRENCY
1859, sterling.
1941, Italian.
1943, 1000 centesimi = 1 lira = 8 drachma.