HISTORY
Corfu History begins over 3.000 years ago and is turbulent and fascinating. Despite the numerous raids, attacks by barbarians, and conquests by Europeans during the medieval period, Corfu has managed to survive and keep intact its Greek identity while incorporating in its culture the best elements of civilizations that have passed from here.
Corfu has been inhabited since the Stone Age.
At that time it was part of the mainland, and the sea that today separates it from the mainland was only a small lake. It became an island after the rising of the sea due to glaciers melting at the end of the Ice Age in about 10.000-8000 BCE.
The Greek name of Kerkyra, according to Mythology, came from the Nymph Corcyra, a daughter of the river god Asopos. Corcyra was kidnapped by the god of the sea Poseidon who brought her here and gave her name to the island.
Corcyra transformed to Kerkyra later according to the Doric dialect.
The first residents in the 12th century BC were the Phaeacians, the first founder was Phaeakas and his grandson was the Homeric king Alkinoos.
According to Odyssey, King Alkinoos and his daughter Nausikaa helped Odysseus to return to Ithaca.
The Ancient times – the first Greek colonization
Officially, Corfu history starts about 775 BC, when we had the first Greek colonization by Dorians from Eretria of Euboea, soon followed by a large number of Dorian refugees from Korinth in 750 BC, who created a strong colony.
Soon, the Corinthians dominated the area around Corfu creating their own colonies.
They also build the ancient city of Corfu in the area where Garitsa and Kanoni are today.
Kerkyra (the Greek name for Corfu) was the first of the Greek city-states, to build a fleet of triremes in 492 BC.
The harbor was situated in the lagoon of Chalikiopoulos, where the airport is today. The home base of the strongest fleet of ancient Greece (second only to Athenian navy) with more than 300 triremes and other vessels.
The fast-growing colony quickly gained strength and openly challenged the metropolis of Korinth. Therefore the unhappy Corinthians sent their fleet to occupy the island of Corfu and regain control of this strategic region.
The first naval battle between Greeks took place in 680 BC and was a failure for the Corinthians.
After the battle both Corfu and Corinth sent ambassadors to Athens trying to gain their support. The Athenians preferred the great naval power of Corfu and chose to conclude a defensive alliance with the Corfiot’s.
The alliance continued during the Peloponnesian war and lasted more than a century.
Later in 375 BC, Corfu became a member of the Athenian Confederation and fought for Athenian interests during the entire Peloponnesian war.
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ROMAN ERA AND EARLY BYZANTINE PERIOD
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First Roman era (229 BCE– 379CE)
After the Peloponnesian War, internal political conflicts between democrats and oligarchs disintegrated the power of the state and the alliance with Athens.
The island for a short time was captured by Illyrian pirates, so the Romans took opportunity and captured Kerkyra in 229 BCE.
Romans gave autonomy to the Corfiot’s for exchange of they were allowed to use the island as a naval base.
Corfu followed the fate of all other Greek city-states, they accepted the sovereignty and protection of Rome.
Corfu was a part of the Roman empire.
After the death of emperor Constantine in 337CE the Roman empire was divided into three sections - the North (Spain, France, England), East (Constantinople and Asia Minor), and the West which included Greece, Italy, and Rome’s African territories.
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Early Byzantine period (379 CE– 562CE)
At the time of emperor Theodosius (339CE), the Roman empire was re-divided into East and West, Corfu then belonged to the Eastern empire known as early Byzantine, that period lasted for about three centuries.
During this period the whole island was badly protected and exposed to frequent barbarian raids and pirate invasions.
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MIDDLE AGES AND BYZANTINE PERIOD of Corfu history
East Roman Empire (Byzantine empire)
During this period, Corfu was attacked at 562 CE by the Goths. In this raid the Goths destroyed the ancient city of Corfu, leaving the ruins that today are called Paleopolis.
This was the end of the ancient city and the beginning of the medieval age for the island. The old city`s remaining inhabitants abandoned the location and fled further north to the natural promontory of land which later became the old fortress.
From there the new city slowly expanded to the area where the old Corfu town is today.
The period from 562 CE until 1267 CE is known today as the Byzantine period.
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Right after this Corfu was occupied by the Angevins.
That was a very difficult period in Corfu history, and the island was very vulnerable to the constant pirate attacks and the various appetites of its neighbors.
The multicultural Byzantine Empire was trying to protect it in every way moving here several mercenary guards of various races and peoples (Greeks, Syrians, Bulgarians, Byzantine soldiers).
That was the era when most fortresses, scattered around the island, were built such us Angelokastro fortress in northwestern Corfu, the fortress at Kassiopi, the fortress in Gardiki at the southwest, and other smaller ones.
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Τhe turbulent years after the Fourth Crusade (1204 CE – 1214 CE)
At 1204 CE Corfu was captured by the Normands of the 4rth crusade, followed by the Venetians for a short period until 1214 CE.
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The Despotate of Epirus (1214 CE – 1259 CE)
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From 1214 to 1259 CE, Corfu became part of the Byzantine domain of Epirus (A Duchy called Despotate of Epirus).
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The Period of Sicilian rulers (1259 CE – 1267 CE)
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During the turbulent period from 1259 to 1267 CE various Sicilian rulers attempted to claim Corfu.
The first who conquered the island was Manfred, king of Sicily.
After he was killed in a fight, his Franco-Cypriot adjutant named Philip Ginardo took over.
After he was murdered the island passed into the hands of his generals, the Garnerio brothers and Thomas Alamano - the surname Alamanos is widespread today in Corfu.
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The House of Anjou (1267 CE – 1386 CE)
At 1267 CE it was the turn of the Angevin King of Sicily Charles of the house of Anjou to conquer the island.
That was the era that large numbers of Jewish people, mainly from Spain, settled in Corfu and created the Corfiot Jewish community.
Charles of Anjou attempted to replace the Orthodox Christian faith with Roman Catholic. He tried to persecute all the Orthodox churches into Catholicism. But this attempt failed and stopped when the Venetians returned to the island.
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THE VENETIAN DOMINATION
IN CORFU 1386 – 1797 CE
The Council of Corfu felt friendly with the Venetians.
They didn`t expect serious protection from the collapsing Byzantine Empire, and because of the ever-present Turkish threat, they officially asked at 1386 CE for the protection of the Republic of Saint Markos (Venice).
Venetians knew that Corfu was a key strategic location to guard their naval interests in the region, and also a very fertile island for agriculture. Therefore they bought the island from the kingdom of Naples for 30,000 gold ducats.
Then disembarked their forces in Corfu led by the “Admiral of the Gulf,” Giovanni Miani.
In that turbulent era of Corfu History, there was no national awareness, and strange events happened, so, while the Venetians occupied the Old Fortress without resistance and secured their dominance over most of the island, in the north the fortresses of Angelokastro and Kassiopi were still controlled by some Angevins who did not agree with the sale of the island. Strangely many locals were supporting them and fought along the Angevins against the Venetians.
The Venetians sent an army to capture the two forts, and while Angelokastro surrendered almost immediately, the Angevins and Corfiot’s of Kassiopi resisted furiously. The Venetians got angry to such an extent that after the conquest of the castle they destroyed it completely and this is why today there are only remnants of that fortress.
Thus started the second long period of Venetian rule in Corfu that lasted more than 400 years.
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The constitution during the Venetian domination
Venetians established the feudalistic system to rule, there were three social classes, the nobility of aristocrats, the citizens (civili), and the poor people (popolari).
Agriculture had developed with the planting of many olive trees, Arts and Science were also evolving now that Corfu had links with one of the great empires.
The Venetian era left indelible marks on Corfu in all areas such as art, musical tradition, culture, the formation of the local linguistic idiom, Corfiot cuisine, and most noticeably the architecture of the city and the villages.
The constitution in Corfu, and in all the Ionian islands during the Venetian occupation was exclusive. All political power was in the hands of the nobility, the only Venetians were the General Proveditor of the Sea plus his another 3 subordinates.
All the rest were local nobles whose names were written in the Golden book (Libro d`Oro).
Centuries later during the era of the second Ionian state, only the people whose names appeared on this list were allowed to take their coffee on the Liston area !
Most of the names were nobles of Byzantine origin, Byzantine soldiers, and large landowners. But later many wealthy civilians who were able to offer financial support to the Treasury of the state were added too.
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The migration flow from Turkish-occupied Greece
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The Venetians did well to protect the city of Corfu, but despite their military measures in the first centuries they failed to protect the island’s countryside which saw many tragedies and often paid a heavy toll during barbarian raids.
Corfu also suffered from pirate attacks, especially during the first two major Turkish raids, one in 1537 and the second in 1571.
Following the raids of 1537 Corfu was almost deserted, and a few years later, in 1571 the Venetians lost Peloponnese, Crete, and Cyprus to the Turks.
This created an inevitable large wave of refugees from these areas looking for a new home, and the Ionian Islands were the ideal destination, so by this coincidence, the Turks indirectly helped to repopulate Corfu.
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All these populations introduced elements of their tradition and culture to Corfu, especially the Cretans who contributed much to the formation of the Corfu linguistic idiom.
After some time the Corfiot culture proved very strong, and all these people were absorbed into the local community and within a few years became regular Corfiot’s.
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The Venetian fortifications and the frequent Turkish raids
In this times, Corfu was the most important possession after Venice herself, especially after the loss of Peolopeneese, Crete and Cyprus, and therefore the Venetians decided to increase the island’s defenses.
The Venetians made the most ambitious defense plans, by constructing the largest and most modern fortifications for Corfu – in years 1576 to 1588 they built a new fortress on the hill of San Markos in the west of the Corfu town.
They joined the two fortresses with a wall that protected the whole city from the west. With powerful defensive systems they built four main city gates (Porta Reala, Porta Raymonda, gate of Spilia, gate of Saint Nicholas) for residents and two more gates for military purposes.
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THE TURKISH SIEGE OF 1716
The 1716 siege of Corfu was part of the Seventh Venetian-Turkish war.
Turkish forces estimated that were 45.000 - 50.000 men with 71 ships and with about 2,200 guns.
On the other side, the military forces of Venice were only 3.000 men. Corfu New fortress, where the big fights were held, had 144 guns and four mortars.
Marshal Johann Mattias Von Schulenburg who had the responsibility of Corfu defense, at first managed to successfully deal with the chaos that prevailed within the local population as the locals were trying in every way to leave the island or take refuge in the mountains.
He immediately ordered the recruitment of those who were able to fight.
The siege had begun on July 8th when the Turks landed in Ipsos and Gouvia and ended after many cruel and deadly battles on Saturday, August 22nd.
Meanwhile, on the 20th of August, an unprecedented storm scattered the Turkish ships and drowned many Turkish soldiers and sailors.
This storm and the salvation of the city were attributed by the common people to a miraculous intervention by St. Spyridon, and ever since then, there has been a litany and a procession of Saint Spiridon on 11th August.
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But despite people’s beliefs, the historic truth is that the causes for Turkish defeat were military, first the strong resistance by the defenders up to the last minute, and second the defeat and destruction of the Ottoman army in Peterwardein by Eugene of Savoy. Both incidents forced the Turks to retreat.
Fighting alongside Corfiot’s were Venetians, Germans, Italians, 4 Maltese ships, 4 Papal galleys, 2 galleys from Genoa, 3 galleys from Tuscan, 5 Spanish galleys, and even Portuguese forces who also participated before the end of the siege.
The Jews of the city showed great courage in fighting, equipped at the expense of the Corfiot Jewish community, and fought under the leadership of the son of Rabbi himself.
Marshal Schulenburg was honored for his determination and bravery to life pension from the Senate of Venice and his statue can still be seen at the entrance of the Old Fortress.
The Turkish failure in Corfu was a historical event of enormous importance, a landmark that influenced the historical course of all Europe and especially of Greece.
Very few know that without the bravery of Corfiots and many Europeans the course of the Turks certainly would have not stopped here and the Ottoman Empire could expand instead of collapsing, with obvious implications for the nascent Greek nation and Europe itself.
This was the last of many Turkish attempts to expand their empire into Europe.
The period of Venetian rule left many positive elements in the culture and civilization, but was also marked by many dark spots.
But certainly, Corfu was very important to Venice and remained an integral territory of the State until the fall of Venice to the French.
THE IONIAN STATE
(Sept insular Republic) 1800-1807
The Venetian period was followed by the first French occupation in 1797. It was the end of the feudal system, and the people burned the book of Gold (Libro d`oro) where all Aristocrats were listed.
In a symbolic gesture, the Libro d`oro was burned in all Ionian islands.
The initial euphoria after the arrival of the French, who were welcomed as liberator s, quickly turned to severe distress due to French arrogance towards the locals and the heavy taxation. Followed by a period of instability, people were divided, the Nobles began to exploit the popular discontent against the French, and began to plot for the occupation of Corfu by the Russians.
They succeeded in 1799 when a strange alliance of Russians and Turks occupied Corfu.
The Russian admiral Ousakof, of aristocratic origin, immediately restored the privileges of the nobility and later on the 21st of March 1800, at the instigation of Ioannis Kapodistrias (foreign minister of Russia) founded the Ionian State, also known as the Sept insular Republic.
This was the first independent Greek state, something that Kapodistrias envisioned as a harbinger of the rebirth of a Greek state.
It was a federation of the seven larger island states, Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos (Zante), Paxos, Lefkada, Ithaka, and Kythyra, also included all other smaller Ionian islands, the capital was Corfu.
This state remained until 1807 when the French under Napoleon returned and stayed until 1814.
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UNITED STATES OF IONIAN ISLANDS 1815-1864
In 1815 Corfu went under British rule, the seven Ionian Island states declared their independence under British protection. The official name of the new protectorate was: “United States of Ionian islands” with Greek as the official language and Corfu town as the capital.
The first “Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands” was Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Maitland.
During this period the Ionian Academy, the Reading Society, and the public library were established.
Under British rule the local economy was well developed, the palace of Saint Michael and George was built and also the road network of the island was expanded.
Many other projects and significant improvements to the island’s infrastructure were made during this period
Ioannis Kapodistrias and his role in the history of Corfu
The first governor of modern Greece Ioannis Kapodistrias (Corfu airport = Ioannis Kapodistrias), an offspring of an aristocratic family, was born on the island and after his education left for Russia of the Tsars. There he made a brilliant career reaching the office of foreign minister, a position that allowed him to participate actively in many European political affairs.
One of them was the creation of the state entity and constitution of Switzerland, something for which the Swiss are honored him.
Regarding the historical course of Corfu, his only involvement was his diplomatic role in the occupation of the island by the alliance of the Russians and Turks when they took over the island from the French domination in 1800.
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MODERN TIMES, UNION WITH GREECE
On 21 May 1864 after the London treaty and the positive vote of the Ionian Parliament, Corfu and all Ionian islands united with Greece.
It was one of the most important turning points in the history of Corfu, the turbulent historical past of the island ended, so ends the prominence of Corfu as the capital of the Ionian State.
The emergent Greek state could not afford the existence of two centers of economic and cultural strength, so in the battle with Athens Corfu lost its university, its fame, its cultural lead and after just 40 years became a Greek provincial town.
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But the memories of the glorious past remain and this is what makes Corfu unique, a Greek town that does not look like the others.