The expulsion of Constantine VI : the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Greek-Turkish relations, 1924-1925

Abstract

The decisive victory of the Turkish nationalist forces over Greece in August 1922 and the ensuing Treaty of Lausanne of July 1923 introduced a radical change in the relationship between the Turkish government and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The expulsion of Patriarch Constantine VI and the controversy over the exchangeability of the Orthodox archbishops put to test the Lausanne decision to allow the Ecumenical Patriarchate to remain in its historic seat as a purely religious institution. The whole incident caused a further deterioration in the Greek-Turkish relations and brought the two countries as the brink of yet another war.