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United States of the Ionian Islands
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Capital | Corfù[1] | ||
| Largest city - 1856 (est.) |
Corfù 15,900[2] |
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| Official language | Greek[3] Italian in circumstances[4] |
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| Government | Federal republic under protection | ||
| Area - Total |
4,694 km² (1,813 sq. miles)[5] |
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| Population - 1864 (est.) - Density |
236,000[5] 50.3 /km² (130 /sq. mile) |
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| Independence - Protectorate - Constitution - Annexation |
9 November 1815 26 August 1817 28 May 1864 |
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| Currency | Obol (1818-33) Greek lepton (1833 - 1864) |
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The United States of the Ionian Islands (Greek: Ηνωμένον Κράτος των Ιονίων Νήσων, Italian: Stati Uniti delle Isole Ionie) was a former state and amical protectorate of the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1864. It is located in modern Greece, to whom it was ceded as a gift at the end of the protectorate.
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Prior to the French Revolutionary Wars, the Ionian Islands had been part of the Republic of Venice. With the dissolution of that polity under the 1797 Treaty of Campo Formio, it was annexed into the French Republic. Between 1798 and 1799, the French were driven out by a joint Russo-Turkish force. The occupying forces founded the Septinsular Republic, which lasted from 1800 until 1807. The Ionian Islands were re-annexed by the French into the Illyrian Provinces, in which they remained until 1815.
The Congress of Vienna agreed to place the Ionian Islands under the exclusive protection of the United Kingdom. Despite British military administration, the Austrian Empire was guaranteed equal commercial status to the UK. The arrangement was solidifed with the ratification of the 'Maitland constitution' on 26 August 1817, which created a federation of the seven islands.
On 29 March 1864, the United Kingdom, Greece, France, and Russia signed the Treaty of London, pledging the transfer of sovereignty to Greece upon ratification. Thus, on 28 May, by proclamation of the Lord High Commissioner, the Ionian Islands were united with Greece.[6]
As its name suggests, United States of the Ionian Islands was a federation. It included seven island states:
| State | Capital | Members elected |
|---|---|---|
| Corfù | Corfù | 7 |
| Cephalonia | Argostoli | 7 |
| Cerigo | Kythira | 1 or 2[7] |
| Ithaca | Vathy | 1 or 2[7] |
| Paxò | Gaios | 1 or 2[7] |
| Santa Maura | Lefkada | 4 |
| Zante | Zakynthos | 7 |
The government was organised under the leadership of a Lord High Commissioner, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the British government. In total, ten men served in this capacity, including William Gladstone as a Lord High Commissioner Extraordinary.
The Ionian Islands had a bicameral legislature, titled the 'Parliament of the United States of the Ionian Islands' and composed of the Legislative Assembly and the Senate.[8]
- Order of St Michael and St George, an extant British chivalrous order created in honour of the protectorate
- ^ Constitution of the Ionian Islands, Article II
- ^ Lahmeyer, Jan (14 April 2004). Greece: Urban population. Populstat. Retrieved on July 21, 2006.
- ^ Constitution of the Ionian Islands, Article IV
- ^ Constitution of the Ionian Islands, Article V
- ^ a b Treaty of London. Greek Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 2005-03-08. Retrieved on July 21, 2006.
- ^ Hertslet, Edward. The map of Europe by treaty (PDF), p. 1609. Retrieved on July 21, 2006.
- ^ a b c Cerigo, Ithaca, and Paxos each elected one member, but the three elected a second member in rotation. Constitution of the Ionian Islands, Article VI
- ^ Constitution of the Ionian Islands, Article VII
- Constitution of the Ionian Islands. University of Kassel. Retrieved on July 21, 2006.