Septinsular Republic
Encyclopedia
The Septinsular Republic was an island republic
that existed from 1800 to 1807 under nominal Ottoman
sovereignty in the Ionian Islands
. It was the first time Greeks
had been granted even limited self-government since the fall of the last remnants of the Byzantine Empire
to the Ottomans in the mid-15th century. Whilst a part of the First French Empire
, the republic was known in French
as or .
The seven islands constituting the Republic were:
authority for centuries. With the Treaty of Leoben
(18 April 1797), the French Republic gained the islands, a move finalised with the 1797 Treaty of Campo Formio
, which formally abolished the Venetian state.
The islands now formed part of the départements Mer-Égée
, Ithaque
and Corcyre
. The arrival of the French sparked great enthusiasm among the islands' inhabitants, and was marked by acts such as the burning of the Libro d'Oro
, the abolition of aristocratic privileges and the adoption of the French Constitution of 1795
.
The French then proceeded to strengthen the defences of Corfu. By the end of the 18th century, it was the strongest fort in Europe, with more than a thousand French cannons placed on its walls.
Despite several progressive measures adopted by the French administration, heavy taxation and the undisciplined behaviour of French soldiers soon alienated the population. This discontent was used by a joint Russo
-Ottoman force under Admiral Ushakov
to evict the French from the islands.
In March 1799, the city of Corfu
fell after a four-month , ending French rule. This was the beginning of the Septinsular Republic.
by the Sultan, establishing the Septinsular Republic as a tributary state to the Ottoman Empire. The Winged Lion
of St. Mark on its flag indicated that it was supposed to be a successor state to the Venetian Republic, recently abolished by Napoleon. In fact, political power was exercised more by murder and vendetta than through the Senate.
The Republic according to the first article of the constitution is "one and aristocratic" — original text:
The Republic existed practically as a Russian protectorate
largely because the population saw the Russians as their Orthodox
co-religionists. The political experience of administering the Republic was hugely important for the young Ioannis Kapodistrias
, who thereby attracted Russian patronage, and would later became the first president of an independent Greece. Jervis gives a copy of the constitution (presumably the second) in his book. The franchise was restricted to males of legitimate Christian birth on the islands, who did not keep a shop or practise any mechanical art and could read and write. They also required a minimum yearly income which varied between the islands from 1800 ducats on Corfu to 315 ducats on Ithaca. People with the franchise are normally referred to as nobles but this term probably exaggerates their wealth.
In secret articles of the 1807 Treaty of Tilsit, they were ceded by Russia to Napoleon's French Empire
, an expeditionary force led by general taking control of the islands in August 1807. Unlike their Adriatic neighbour the Illyrian provinces
, the Seven Islands were not annexed by France, keeping their institutions of government and the Ionian Senate, under the occupation of French forces led by Governors General Berthier and, after March 1808, .
and then in 1803 Greek
became, along with Italian, one of the two official languages of the republic. During the Venetian period, Italian was used for official purposes in the islands but it was also widely spoken in the cities, whereas in the countryside people continue to speak Greek. The only island in which Italian (Venetian) had a wider spread was Cefalonia, where a greater number of people had adopted Venetian as their first language.
The constitution of the Septinsular Republic was printed in Greek by the patriarchal press in Constantinople
, using many loanwords from Italian for technical terms. However, the new constitution approved in 1803 was drafted in Italian. The text of the constitution is prefaced by the report of the committee that drafted it, which states that: "the noble, rich and harmonious Hellenic dialect, having been exiled by the Venetians, should be recalled to the dominion and become the language of administration and the interpreter of the active citizens." This issue was considered to be so important that it was even given a separate article (Art. 211) in the constitution. According to the article Greek shall replace Italian as the working language in public acts by the year 1820.
Even these days, on these islands, people speak a "dialect"
(it's called an "idiom" by Greek scholars because of the small difference with Greek) strongly influenced by the Italian (Venetian) language. Many words but also the accent are different from the Greek Koine
. In addition to that, according to the statistics of the Greek Ministry of Education, Italian, which was introduced to Greek schools in 2008, was chosen as a second foreign language mainly in the Ionian Islands.
, with a small number of Jews
on Corfu, Zante and even smaller on Cefalonia. The majority were Eastern Orthodox. However, there was a significant number of Catholics, especially on Corfu, Zante and Cefalonia. The Constitution of 1803, recognises the Orthodoxy as the dominant denomination; it also states that the Roman Catholic denomination is recognised and protected. The Constitution also provides for the enactment of a law defining the privileges of the Jews
residing in the State.
Today, the population totals 261,930, the vast majority belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church
. The remainder includes 6,615 Roman Catholics, a few thousand Jews, a number of Protestants (largely Baptists and Anglicans; many Britons live on the islands) and a small number of Muslim
immigrants.
of November 5, 1815, the islands were formed into the "United States of the Ionian Islands
" under British protection. The colonial government lasted for half a century until 1864, when the islands were gifted to the Kingdom of Greece
.
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
that existed from 1800 to 1807 under nominal Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
sovereignty in the Ionian Islands
Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese, i.e...
. It was the first time Greeks
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
had been granted even limited self-government since the fall of the last remnants of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
to the Ottomans in the mid-15th century. Whilst a part of the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
, the republic was known in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as or .
The seven islands constituting the Republic were:
- KerkyraCorfuCorfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
(Corfu) - PaxiPaxiPaxi or Paxoi is the name given to the smallest group of the Ionian Islands . In Greek it is a plural form and it refers to a complex of islands, the largest of which are Paxos and Antipaxos...
(Paxos) - LefkadaLefkadaLefkada, or Leucas or Leucadia , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Greece, connected to the mainland by a long causeway and floating bridge. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Lefkada . It is situated on the northern part of the island,...
(Leucada/Santa Maura) - KefaloniaKefaloniaThe island of Cephalonia, also known as Kefalonia, Cephallenia, Cephallonia, Kefallinia, or Kefallonia , is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece, with an area of . It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit...
(Cefalonia) - IthakiIthacaIthaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and...
(Ithaca) - ZakynthosZakynthosZakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...
(Zante) - KythiraKythiraCythera is an island in Greece, once part of the Ionian Islands. It lies opposite the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is administratively part of the Islands regional unit, which is part of the Attica region , Greece.For many centuries, while naval travel was the only means...
(Cythera/Cerigo)
Background
By the late 18th century the Ionian Islands had been under VenetianIonian Islands under Venetian rule
The Ionian Islands were a maritime and overseas possession of the Republic of Venice from the mid-14th until the 18th century. The conquest of the islands took place gradually. The first to be captured was Cythera and the neighboring islet of Anticythera, in 1363. Twenty-three years later, Corfu...
authority for centuries. With the Treaty of Leoben
Treaty of Leoben
The Treaty of Leoben was signed on 17 April 1797 by Napoleon Bonaparte. It was a preliminary accord that contained many secret clauses. From these clauses, Austria would lose the Austrian Netherlands and Lombardy in exchange for the Venetian territories of Istria and Dalmatia...
(18 April 1797), the French Republic gained the islands, a move finalised with the 1797 Treaty of Campo Formio
Treaty of Campo Formio
The Treaty of Campo Formio was signed on 18 October 1797 by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of revolutionary France and the Austrian monarchy...
, which formally abolished the Venetian state.
The islands now formed part of the départements Mer-Égée
Mer-Égée
Mer-Égée was a one of three short-lived French départements in present Greece. It came into existence after Napoleon's conquest in 1797 of the Republic of Venice, when Venetian Greek possessions such as the Ionian islands fell to the French Directory.It included the islands of Zante , Kythira and...
, Ithaque
Ithaque
Ithaque was one of three short-lived French départements in present Greece. It came into existence after Napoleon's conquest in 1797 of the Republic of Venice, when Venetian possessions such as the Ionian islands fell to the French Directory...
and Corcyre
Corcyre
Corcyre was one of three short-lived French départements in present Greece. It came into existence after Napoleon's conquest in 1797 of the Republic of Venice, when Venetian possessions such as the Ionian islands fell to the French Directory. It consisted of the island of Kerkyra , and its...
. The arrival of the French sparked great enthusiasm among the islands' inhabitants, and was marked by acts such as the burning of the Libro d'Oro
Libro d'Oro
The Libro d'Oro , once the formal directory of nobles in the Republic of Venice, is now a respected, privately-published directory of the nobility of Italy ....
, the abolition of aristocratic privileges and the adoption of the French Constitution of 1795
French Constitution of 1795
The Constitution of 22 August 1795 was a national constitution of France ratified by the National Convention on 22 August 1795 during the French Revolution...
.
The French then proceeded to strengthen the defences of Corfu. By the end of the 18th century, it was the strongest fort in Europe, with more than a thousand French cannons placed on its walls.
Despite several progressive measures adopted by the French administration, heavy taxation and the undisciplined behaviour of French soldiers soon alienated the population. This discontent was used by a joint Russo
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
-Ottoman force under Admiral Ushakov
Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov
Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov was the most illustrious Russian naval commander and admiral of the 18th century.- Life and naval career :...
to evict the French from the islands.
In March 1799, the city of Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
fell after a four-month , ending French rule. This was the beginning of the Septinsular Republic.
Administration
In 1800, the so-called "Byzantine" Constitution was approved in ConstantinopleConstantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
by the Sultan, establishing the Septinsular Republic as a tributary state to the Ottoman Empire. The Winged Lion
Winged lion
Winged lion can refer to* Shedu in Sumerian and Akkadian mythology* The emblem of the Republic of Venice** Flag of the short-lived Septinsular Republic, derived from the above** Logo of Assicurazioni Generali, derived from the above...
of St. Mark on its flag indicated that it was supposed to be a successor state to the Venetian Republic, recently abolished by Napoleon. In fact, political power was exercised more by murder and vendetta than through the Senate.
The Republic according to the first article of the constitution is "one and aristocratic" — original text:
The Republic existed practically as a Russian protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
largely because the population saw the Russians as their Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
co-religionists. The political experience of administering the Republic was hugely important for the young Ioannis Kapodistrias
Ioannis Kapodistrias
Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias |Academy of Athens]] Critical Observations about the 6th-Grade History Textbook"): "3.2.7. Σελ. 40: Δεν αναφέρεται ότι ο Καποδίστριας ήταν Κερκυραίος ευγενής." "...δύο ιστορικούς της Aκαδημίας κ.κ...
, who thereby attracted Russian patronage, and would later became the first president of an independent Greece. Jervis gives a copy of the constitution (presumably the second) in his book. The franchise was restricted to males of legitimate Christian birth on the islands, who did not keep a shop or practise any mechanical art and could read and write. They also required a minimum yearly income which varied between the islands from 1800 ducats on Corfu to 315 ducats on Ithaca. People with the franchise are normally referred to as nobles but this term probably exaggerates their wealth.
In secret articles of the 1807 Treaty of Tilsit, they were ceded by Russia to Napoleon's French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
, an expeditionary force led by general taking control of the islands in August 1807. Unlike their Adriatic neighbour the Illyrian provinces
Illyrian provinces
The Illyrian Provinces was an autonomous province of the Napoleonic French Empire on the north and east coasts of the Adriatic Sea between 1809 and 1816. Its capital was established at Laybach...
, the Seven Islands were not annexed by France, keeping their institutions of government and the Ionian Senate, under the occupation of French forces led by Governors General Berthier and, after March 1808, .
Languages
The official language was at first the Italian languageItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and then in 1803 Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
became, along with Italian, one of the two official languages of the republic. During the Venetian period, Italian was used for official purposes in the islands but it was also widely spoken in the cities, whereas in the countryside people continue to speak Greek. The only island in which Italian (Venetian) had a wider spread was Cefalonia, where a greater number of people had adopted Venetian as their first language.
The constitution of the Septinsular Republic was printed in Greek by the patriarchal press in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, using many loanwords from Italian for technical terms. However, the new constitution approved in 1803 was drafted in Italian. The text of the constitution is prefaced by the report of the committee that drafted it, which states that: "the noble, rich and harmonious Hellenic dialect, having been exiled by the Venetians, should be recalled to the dominion and become the language of administration and the interpreter of the active citizens." This issue was considered to be so important that it was even given a separate article (Art. 211) in the constitution. According to the article Greek shall replace Italian as the working language in public acts by the year 1820.
Even these days, on these islands, people speak a "dialect"
Varieties of Modern Greek
The linguistic varieties of Modern Greek can be classified along two principal dimensions. First, there is a long tradition of sociolectal variation between the natural, popular spoken language on the one hand and archaizing, learned written forms on the other. Second, there is regional variation...
(it's called an "idiom" by Greek scholars because of the small difference with Greek) strongly influenced by the Italian (Venetian) language. Many words but also the accent are different from the Greek Koine
Dimotiki
Demotic Greek or dimotiki is the modern vernacular form of the Greek language. The term has been in use since 1818. Demotic refers particularly to the form of the language that evolved naturally from ancient Greek, in opposition to the artificially archaic Katharevousa, which was the official...
. In addition to that, according to the statistics of the Greek Ministry of Education, Italian, which was introduced to Greek schools in 2008, was chosen as a second foreign language mainly in the Ionian Islands.
Religion
Most of the people on these islands during this period were ChristiansChristendom
Christendom, or the Christian world, has several meanings. In a cultural sense it refers to the worldwide community of Christians, adherents of Christianity...
, with a small number of Jews
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
on Corfu, Zante and even smaller on Cefalonia. The majority were Eastern Orthodox. However, there was a significant number of Catholics, especially on Corfu, Zante and Cefalonia. The Constitution of 1803, recognises the Orthodoxy as the dominant denomination; it also states that the Roman Catholic denomination is recognised and protected. The Constitution also provides for the enactment of a law defining the privileges of the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
residing in the State.
Today, the population totals 261,930, the vast majority belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
. The remainder includes 6,615 Roman Catholics, a few thousand Jews, a number of Protestants (largely Baptists and Anglicans; many Britons live on the islands) and a small number of Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
immigrants.
Aftermath
In 1809–10, the British took all the islands except Corfu, where a French garrison persisted until 1814. In the Treaty of ParisTreaty of Paris (1815)
Treaty of Paris of 1815, was signed on 20 November 1815 following the defeat and second abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte. In February, Napoleon had escaped from his exile on Elba; he entered Paris on 20 March, beginning the Hundred Days of his restored rule. Four days after France's defeat in the...
of November 5, 1815, the islands were formed into the "United States of the Ionian Islands
United States of the Ionian Islands
The United States of the Ionian Islands was a state and amical protectorate of the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1864. It was the successor state of the Septinsular Republic...
" under British protection. The colonial government lasted for half a century until 1864, when the islands were gifted to the Kingdom of Greece
Kingdom of Greece
The Kingdom of Greece was a state established in 1832 in the Convention of London by the Great Powers...
.
See also
- List of Greek countries and regions
- Corfiot ItaliansCorfiot ItaliansCorfiot Italians are a population from the Greek island of Corfu with ethnic and linguistic ties to the Republic of Venice. Their name was specifically established by Niccolò Tommaseo during the Italian Risorgimento...
- Republic of VeniceRepublic of VeniceThe Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
- United States of the Ionian IslandsUnited States of the Ionian IslandsThe United States of the Ionian Islands was a state and amical protectorate of the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1864. It was the successor state of the Septinsular Republic...