The first dynasty in Greece after its independence in 1830 was
founded in 1833 with Otto, the son of Ludwig I of Bavaria. In 1836 Otto married
Amalia, the daughter of the Grand Duke of Oldenburg. The people of Greece
anticipated that the marriage would result in an heir to the throne, establishing
the new dynasty. The failure of the royal couple to produce an heir was a major
reason for their subsequent abdication. For many years both were subjected to
repeated examinations by Greek and German physicians, especially Amalia, who
was considered to be largely responsible for the infertility. In this paper we
discuss possible diagnoses and describe the various treatments suggested for, and
applied to, the infertility. We also review the consequent political controversies
and the problems created among the royal families of Europe who wanted to
replace the Wittelsbach dynasty with another royal line – a situation that led, in
1863, to the succession of the Danish Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
dynasty to the Greek throne.
