The Ionian State: Way to union

Author: Dimitrios Zerdes (Student of History and Archaeology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens)

 The widespread feeling in favor of change would soon take on political dimensions. Maitland’s successors in the post of High Commissioner did not support the demands of the Ionian Islanders, until the appointment of John Colborne, Baron Seaton, as High Commissioner in 1843 changed the situation. Colborne promoted reforms aimed at the smooth functioning of the Ionian State. His first initiatives focused on improving the educational system and strengthening the position of farmers. Perhaps the most important reform was that of 22 May 1848, following Colborne’s proposal, which aimed to abolish restrictions on the freedom of the press. Preventive censorship ceased to exist, and gradually the first political newspapers began to appear, already from the beginning of 1849. Such newspapers were “The Liberal”, “The Regeneration”, “The Union”, and others. For the first time, official criticism of the British High Commission was expressed through the press. At the same time, the establishment of political clubs was permitted. These reforms were destined to contribute to the emergence of national sentiment.

The clubs that were created established for the first time in 1846 the 25th of March and the 3rd of September as dates worthy of celebration, in an effort to keep pace with the Greek state. In particular, the Revolution of 3 September 1843 in Greece, which aimed at the granting of a Constitution, deeply influenced the thinking of the Ionian Islanders. Social unrest continued to exist and would soon erupt. The Epitaphios procession in 1848 in Kefalonia turned into a popular protest. Beyond the chanting of slogans in favor of Greece, the people’s aim was to prevent Metropolitan Spyridon Kontomichalos from performing the customary supplication during the procession in front of the High Commissioner’s residence. This custom had been in force since 1836 and was considered servile.

Following this first public display of discontent, two armed uprisings took place. The first, the so‑called “Revolt of the Cross,” broke out on 14 September 1848, the day of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. The movement was to erupt in Argostoli, where armed peasants would enter the town with the aim of arresting the political leadership, abolishing the Protectorate, and creating a local police force to maintain law and order. However, disagreements among the leaders of the movement, combined with the timely mobilization of the security forces, doomed the effort to failure. In addition to Argostoli, a similar movement had been planned in Lixouri. There, the peasants encountered minimal resistance from the local police. Some policemen defected to the side of the rebels, while others retreated. The town was temporarily captured, the prisoners were freed, and the Greek flag was raised. Eventually, the movement was suppressed by a military detachment that arrived in Lixouri from Argostoli by sea. By 23 September, all the rebellious areas had been placed under British control. This was followed by the Skala uprising on 15 August 1849. Led by Bompotis, Vlachos, and Father‑Nodaros, the rebels cut off communication between Skala and Argostoli and turned against the landowners, committing acts of violence. On 19 August, the rebels began their march toward Argostoli, while at the same time rumors about the brutality of the movement spread through the surrounding areas, terrorizing the inhabitants. The rebels clashed with the security forces, resulting in some withdrawing and others fleeing to nearby villages. A small group changed course toward Lixouri, but there the trio split over whether or not they should surrender. In the end, Bompotis surrendered to the authorities and named his accomplices. In October, Vlachos and Father‑Nodaros were arrested and hanged, while Bompotis was sentenced to life imprisonment. Although these two movements did not achieve their goal, they demonstrated that national sentiment was strong and that the Ionian Islanders were ready to do whatever was necessary.

In the meantime, Colborne had been replaced by Henry George Ward, a man of more conservative principles than his predecessor. Gradually, the first political parties began to take shape. The three dominant groups were the supporters of the British presence, those whom ordinary citizens disparagingly called “underworld figures”, essentially made up of people who had a relationship of vested interest with the British. The other two factions shared the same ultimate goal, namely the union of the Ionian Islands with Greece, but differed in the means to achieve it. The reformists sought union gradually, first with the departure of the British and then with the creation of their own Constitution. Finally, the Radicals, bearers of liberal ideas, aimed at an immediate union with Greece.

After the formation of the parties, developments were rapid. Elections were called and held in February 1850, from which the 9th Parliament emerged. A historic moment for the new Parliament was 26 November 1850, when the Radical MP Ioannis Typaldos Dotoratos Kapeletos delivered the so‑called resolution of union, the product of a conference of the party’s MPs. In response, Ward suspended the work of Parliament for an entire year, pressing for the formation of a pro‑British parliament. Beyond this, heavy pressure was exerted on MPs, and the Radical MPs Ilias Zervos and Ioannis Momferratos were eventually exiled. In December 1851, Parliament was dissolved by decision of Ward, with the aim of electing a new one. However, there had already been a widespread exclusion from the electoral rolls of individuals known to support the Radical party. The Parliament that emerged was fully controlled by the Reformists, and the exile of Zervos and Momferratos was condemned. Ward handed over his post in July 1855 to John Young. In 1857, the two exiled prominent politicians finally returned to Kefalonia, while in 1859 the post of High Commissioner was assumed by Henry Storks, who would prove to be the last High Commissioner. The Ionian question was also being discussed in England, in the House of Lords, and many were in favour of a possible union. The authority of each High Commissioner to declare the beginning of the parliamentary term was now openly questioned, while at the same time every attempt to reform the Constitution was treated as a potential obstacle to a future union.

It had now become clear that the question of the Ionian Islands had entered its final phase of resolution. The High Commissioner no longer seemed able to control the resolutions of the Parliament. Indicatively, a law was passed according to which those who arrived from Greece in the Heptanese for permanent settlement would have the possibility of being naturalized. In November 1862, after the flight of King Otto, the British Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, informed his Greek counterpart Charilaos Trikoupis that, provided the new monarch of the country was someone acceptable to England, they would be willing to consent to union with the Heptanese. Palmerston’s ultimate goal was, of course, to control Greece through a ruler friendly to England. On 1 August 1863, a Protocol was signed in London by which Austria, France, Prussia and Russia gave their consent to the lifting of the Protectorate. On 19 September the thirteenth and last Parliament was formed, and on 16 May 1864 the abolition of the High Commission was signed. On 21 May, the High Commissioner Storks announced the withdrawal of the British troops, the end of the Protectorate and the union of the islands with Greece. After decades of struggles and sacrifices, the Heptanese would henceforth form part of the independent Greek state and share the fortunes of the Greek people.

Βιβλιογραφία:

-ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΥ ΕΘΝΟΥΣ (Νεώτερος Ελληνισμός από 1833 ως 1881) – ΕΚΔΟΤΙΚΗ ΑΘΗΝΩΝ

-ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ ΤΩΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΩΝ (Νεώτερος Ελληνισμός, 1827-1862) – ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΔΟΜΗ

-ΝΕΑ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ (Από το 1204 έως τις αρχές του 21ου αιώνα) – Απόστολος Ε. Βακαλόπουλος – ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΗΡΟΔΟΤΟΣ

-ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΑΝΑΤΟΛΙΚΗΣ ΕΥΡΩΠΗΣ 1740-1918 (Αυτοκρατορίες, έθνη και εκσυγχρονισμός) –Ian D. Armour– ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ ΕΠΙΚΕΝΤΡΟ

Οπτικό Υλικό:

https://ardin-rixi.gr/archives/225537

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