Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 03.djvu/157

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CONSTANTINE XII. 121 CONSTANTINE TOLMEN alone for his debaucheries. He allowed the Turks to increase their territories at his expense, and to establish themselves in Persia. CONSTANTINE XII., surnamed Du- cas, succeeded, in 1059, Isaac Comnenus, who had adopted him. In his reign the Scythians ravaged the empire, and some cities were destroyed by earthquakes. He died in 1067. CONSTANTINE XIII., the last of the Greek emperors, succeeded to the throne in 1448. He was killed in bravely de- fending Constantinople against Mahomet II., who in 1453 besieged the city with 300,000 men. Constantine displayed great valor, but the city was taken and thus ended the Greek empire. CONSTANTINE, FLAVIUS JULIUS, a privatt soldier, who was raised by the army in Britain to the imperial dignity in 409, on which he crossed over to Gaul, and conquered that country and Spain. He fixed nis court at Aries, where he was besieged by Constantius, the general of the Emperor Honorius, to whom he sur- rendered on the promise that his life would be spared; but it was basely vio- lated, and both Constantine and his son were put to death, 411 A. D. CONSTANTINE I., King of Greece, born in Athens, eldest son of King George I. and Olga, daughter of the Rus- sian Grand-Duke Constantine Nikolaye- vitch, and niece of the Russian Czar, Nicholas I. He was reared in the Greek Orthodox faith and educated in Germany, at Leipzig and Berlin. In 1889 he mar- ried Princess Sophia, sister of Emperor William II. of Germany. In 1897 he took command in the field of the Greek armies engaged in the war against Tur- key, with the result that he was held largely responsible for the disasters which befell the Greek forces in that campaign. In 1912-1913 he largely re- trieved his military reputation by his successful operations against the Turks before Saloniki, when he was again in full command of the Greek forces. On March 9, 1913, his father. King George I., was assassinated in Saloniki, and on March 21 follovdng Constantine ascended the throne. On the outbreak of the World War (1914) he immediately showed himself in sympathy with the Central Empires, for which reason he came into constant friction with the Al- lies, who had been invited by the Greek Premier, Venizelos, to land a force in Macedonia for operations against the Turks. King Constantine persisted in his pro-German policy so assiduously that finally, on June 12, 1917, under pres- sure from the Allies, he abdicated in favor of Prince Alexander, his second oldest son, the Crown Prince being also CONSTANTINE I. OF GREECE regarded as infected with his father's sympathies. He lived in retirement in Switzerland until he was recalled by a vote of the people held on Dec. 5, 1920. CONSTANTINE I., King of Scotland from 458 to 479. Constantine II., king from 858 to 871. Constantine TIL, king from 903 to 943. Constantine IV., usurped the throne, and was killed by the brother of Kenneth, 1062. CONSTANTINE, NIKOLAEVITCH, the second son of the Emperor Nicholas of Russia, and brother of the Emperor Alexander II., grand-duke and great ad- miral of Russia; born in St. Petersburg, Sept. 21, 1827. In the war of 1854-1856, he had the defenses of the Baltic intrust- ed to his care, in conjunction with Ad- miral Liitke; but the policy of the em- peror hardly allowed the prince any dis- play of courage or ability. He was made Viceroy of Poland in 1862. He died in St. Petersburg, Jan. 24, 1892. CONSTANTINE TOLMEN, a great oblong stone, 33 feet long, 18 wide, and 14 thick, poised on the points of two up- right rocks in Cornwall, England.