On October 2, 1920, King Alexander of Greece was walking through the grounds of the royal estate at Tatoi, near Athens, when an extremely bizarre accident unfolded.

Alexander was accompanied by his German shepherd, Fritz, when the dog became involved in a fight with a Barbary macaque kept on the estate. Alexander tried to intervene and separate the animals.

Instead, another monkey attacked him.

Alexander suffered several deep bites, including injuries to his leg and torso. The wounds were cleaned and dressed, but they soon became infected. Within hours, he developed a fever, and his condition deteriorated rapidly.

The king remained seriously ill for more than three weeks. His doctors considered amputating his leg, but the operation was not performed. Alexander eventually developed sepsis and died on October 25, 1920, at just 27 years old.

His death had consequences far beyond the bizarre circumstances of the accident. Alexander had become king after his father, Constantine I, was forced into exile in 1917. After Alexander’s death, Greece entered another political crisis, and the monarchists won the November 1920 election, paving the way for Constantine’s return.

There was an additional twist: Alexander’s wife, Aspasia Manos, was pregnant when he died. Their daughter, Alexandra, was born in 1921, several months after her father’s death.