Ninety years after his death, Eleftherios Venizelos remains one of Greece’s most influential political figures, having reshaped the country territorially, politically and diplomatically.

The romance was legendary: Alexander, who had ascended the throne amid civil unrest, married Aspasia—no royal, a simple Greek commoner. His family saw it as an affront to dynastic order and feared it might shift Greece’s monarchy forever.

The assassination attempt of Eleftherios Venizelos in Paris caused major upheaval in Greece, especially because erroneous reports said he had died.