Republic of the Seven-Islands

The “ République of the Seven-Islands ” or “ République of the Ionian Islands ” is the name given to the entity gathering seven islands of the Ionian Mer (in the past Venetian), located between the Greece and the Italy, formed in 1800, under the protection of the Russia and the Ottoman Empire, that the France had been allotted to the Traité of Campo-Formio in 1797.

Not to confuse with the Heptanèse which was an area of Greece at the time of the Othoman domination, made up of the same islands.

The seven islands composing the Republic of the Seven-islands were:

The “Russian” period

The March 21st 1800, the Russian and the Ottoman Empire, in the Treated of Constantinople, agree to form the federative republic of the Seven-Islands. The tsar Alexandre Ier, whom one very says implied in the project of Constitution that he would have written, becomes the official guard of the young republic, while the Sultan Selim III obtains from it nominal suzerainty in exchange of a tribute of 75.000 piastres to pour all the three ans.
Because of their strategic importance, Russia sends a body of occupation in the islands which settles with Holy-Moor, but ground the guns known as “” remain under the responsibility of a Turkish civil servant appointed specifically by the Couch.

In the facts, the islands are perfectly autonomous. Their executive is consisted a Senate of twelve members disseminated between Corfou, Zante and Céphalonie, the three principal islands, while a prince-president, elected by the Senate represents the supreme authority. The magistrature is with the hands of the nobility, like all the other stations - keys. The clergy exerts only one moral authority on the country. Only one advanced of size: the Greek from now on is recognized like administrative language, after centuries of domination of the Italian . The religion considered as dominant also changes: Roman Catholicism is détrôné by orthodoxy grecque.
Ioannis Kapodistrias, future directing from independent Greece is one of the men who control the Republic. It is charged to organize the islands of Céphalonie, Holy-Moor and Ithaque. One allots also the constitution to him of 1803.

The Republic of the Seven-Islands is recognized by the French Republic, the Spain and the Austria in the treated of Amiens the March 25th 1802. But, as of the 18 Vendémiaire Year X (October 10th 1801), one of the provisions of a secret convention - of which the goal is to consolidate the peace of Lunéville and to guarantee the safety of Europe - signed by Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord for France and the Russian ambassador, the Count de Markov, for Russia, recognizes and guarantees the independence and the Constitution of the Republic of Seven-Island-Plain, and is appropriate that there would be no more foreign troops in these islands.

Whereas the Turks threaten to intervene to restore the preceding order, the situation becomes rather serious so that Talleyrand, Foreign Minister, take itself the feather and dispatch a report/ratio with the First Consul, according to which the situation is more than favourable with a French intervention: the Russians lost any influence, the Turks are detested, whereas the Britanniques have influence only in the cities and not in the campaigns. Talleyrand concludes his report/ratio by a sentence: France is the object of all the wishes.

The November 14th 1803, a new Constitution is promulgated. Of daring appearance, this Constitution is finally only one skilful copy of the first, holding all the capacities with the only class aristocrat. Indeed, only the nobility has the right to vote. The restrictions are however numerous: if it is necessary to be noble to be able to vote, it is also necessary to be born on the islands, of a legitimate union, to be Christian and have an important land income (of which the share varies according to the islands); in the absence of a land income, an university degree is suffisant.
During this time, the Diplomatie took the step, but remains tended: Talleyrand encouraged Bonaparte to temporize, because to intervene in Corfou means the resumption of European conflict. Also, one sent there an ambassador, the general Romieux, which has only little experiment on the matter.

Its reports/ratios are disillusioned and he suffers to have opposite him a powerful Russian party. The Russians indeed set up a subtle play of alliance with the local populations: their diplomatic representative is the count Georges Mocenigo, figure of the aristocratic party, born in Zante and of Venetian origin. He counts doges in his family. The disappearance of Sérénissime enabled him to obtain without difficulties Russian nationality. This nomination at the post of consul of the tsar gives him in fact all the capacities on the islands and it controls in fact.

The “French” period

In 1806, the Russian position is less and less solid in the islands. Ali Pasha de Janina dream then to increase its possessions while seizing the islands. It sends its secretary, Méhémet Guérini at Napoleon with Tilsit in order to obtain the downstream of France to its projects. At the same time, Napoleon proposes to the Tsar Alexandre Ier his support in exchange of the Ionian Islands.
Finally the archipelago returns to France after the Traité of Tilsit in 1807.
In August 1807, the general César Berthier arrives at Corfou and announces with the Senate that the islands pass under the protection of France. Nothing is changed in constitutional, administrative or legal operation of the Republic.

Berthier then integrates in his regular troops a few thousands of Albanians driven out of the continent by Ali Pasha. Colonel Minot is charged to order this “Albanian regiment” the purpose of which is to defend the islands because the Emperor had engaged so that no “soldier of French, Italian or Neapolitan line” does it. The experiment is a failure, the Albanians more accustomed to the guerilla of the mountains have evil to accept the military discipline. They are mutinent even with many recoveries, in particular in October 1809, when the British seize the islands.

The “British” period

Disappointed by the French attitude with Tilsit, Ali Pasha turns to the British to make lead his project to seize the Ionian Islands. It is thought that Kapodistrias was determining in the failure of Ali Pasha and the installation of protectorate britannique.
In 1809, the Britanniques occupy the islands, except for Corfou, vigorously defended by the general Donzelot until in 1814, date on which the treated of Paris place the islands Ioniennes under British protectorate. In 1819, the Sultan Mahmoud II recognizes this protectorate in exchange of the restitution of Parga.

“the republic of the Ionian islands with 200.000 inhabitants, a public revenue of 2 franc million, and a national militia from 4 to 5.000 men, could not maintain her independence; but England maintains approximately 2.400 troops there, and some frigates often come there to show the British house. It is ensured that the English government spends up to 50.000 pounds sterling with the maintenance of the fortifications, and with the part of the pay of the troops which is not with the load of the islanders. This price, it holds the keys of the Adriatic Sea, and supervises the Archipelago. ”

Indeed, whereas the Ionian Senate hopes for Congrès of Vienna would return to the Republic its freedom, this one is entrusted to the British who exert a narrow monitoring there. They then take the name of “Republic of the Ioniennes islands” in French, “United States off the Ionian Islands” in English, modern “Ηνωμένον Κράτος των Ιονίων Νήσων” in Greek, “Stati Uniti delle Isole Ionie” in Italian. One sometimes also quite simply says the “Ionian State” (“Ιονικόν Κράτος”). The general Campbell, first representative British in the islands after the Congress of Vienna announces that the Crown does not recognize the existence of free Ionian people and sets up military tribunals to choke any opposition. Its successor, Sir Thomas Maitland takes the title of “ Lord High Commissionner ” (“Lord High commissioner”, one says “Governor more often quite simply”) and decides the dissolution of the Senate ionien.
He makes adopt a constitution of the Republic of the Ionian Islands by a Constituent Assembly Ionian in December 1817. A Senate ( Gérousia ) of six members and a Parliament ( Ball ) of 42 deputies control the Republic, but all their decisions are submitted to the British Governor who has the right to veto (from where the nickname of “Abortionist” given to Maitland by the Greeks). The Senate is elected by the deputies of the Parliament, but its president is named by the Governor. The Parliament aristocratic and is elected by the various islands according to their population. The Governor is in charge with the Foreign affairs, the police force and the public health. He resides at Corfou and is represented by a Resident in each of the six other islands. This Resident dipose locally of the same capacities as the Governor.

The British, the successive governors mainly, are not very popular in the islands. Thus, Sir Thomas Maitland (1815-1824) is called “King Tom” by the British themselves. The Greeks, as for them, call it “the Abortionist” because of his attitude at the time of the Guerre of Greek independence. He indeed decides the neutrality of the islands at the time of the conflict, but made imprison the Greek patriots and orders even the execution of some of them. Its successor Sir Frederick Adam (1824-1835) makes himself unpopular because of his sumptuous expenditure. Whereas he married Corfiote and that he encourages arts (he supports the poet zantiote Dionýsios Solomós for example), one reproaches him for having almost led the Republic to the bankruptcy. Sir Howard Douglas (1835-1841) was one of the least unpopular, thanks to its action in favor of the local economy and because it obliges its civils servant to learn the modern Greek.

The modernization of the islands (roads, bridges, schools, university, hospitals, development of the trade and industry) date of the period britannique.
Corfou, Zante and Argostoli each one are equipped with a college and a college. Lord Guilford makes open the university of Corfou on May 29th, 1824. A library is created in Corfou. Sir Howard Douglas allows the installation of the Ionian Bank (which exists still nowadays) in order to encourage the loans with the local farmers. The Ionian legal system is copied from the British system. The direct taxes disappear almost completely, replaced by taxation of the imports and exports.

A first British attempt at autonomisation of the Republic of the Ioniennes islands takes place under the mandate of Lord Seaton (1843-1848). He thinks that the islands can be attached to the Greek Kingdom. He encourages the development of the political life: he grants freedom of the press and organizes free elections. Its freedoms are not appropriate for anybody: the party pro-English reproaches him for granting too much to be able to the Greeks; the Greek party finds its measurements insufficient and continuous to regard the British as oppressors. The Greek opposition is carried out by Andreas Mustoxidi.
The events of 1848 touch the Ionian Islands. The radicals, or “ Rhisospastes ”, carried out by Vlacco and Nodaro seek to shake the British yoke. The governor Sir Henry Ward issues the state of emergency and represses all the movements. However, to avoid any renewal of this phenomenon, the constitution of 1817 is modified in 1851 in order to grant more capacities to the institutions locales.
The task is not despite everything step easy for the following governors, whatever their qualities (Gladstone, future Prime Minister is governor of the islands a few months in 1858). The last governor, Sir Henry Stow, are as unpopular and as dictatorial as “King Tom”.

It is in 1864 that the the United Kingdom withdraws archipelago, and the May 21st this one is consequently attached to the Greece. This retrocession is more or less a British gift for the crowning of the new king de Grèce Georges Ier.

See too

External bonds

  • Text of the secret convention of the 18 Vendémiaire year X concluded between France and Russia

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