republic · Greece and the Aegean
Septinsular Republic
Origins
In 1798-1799 a joint Russian-Ottoman expedition under Admiral Fyodor Ushakov drove the French from the Ionian Islands. The Treaty of Constantinople in 1800 created the Septinsular Republic of Corfu, Paxos, Lefkada, Ithaca, Cephalonia, Zakynthos and Kythira, under Ottoman suzerainty and Russian protection.
Rule and society
The republic was governed by a senate in Corfu dominated by the island nobility, under a series of constitutions; that of 1803 widened participation. Count Spyridon Theotokis presided over the senate, and the young Ioannis Kapodistrias, later the first governor of Greece, served as secretary of state. Greek became an official language alongside Italian.
Decline and legacy
At Tilsit in 1807 Russia ceded the islands to Napoleon, and they returned to French rule as the French Ionian Islands. The republic's experience of self-rule fed the ideas of the Greek national movement.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Septinsular Republic was a vassal of Ottoman Empire1800 CE – 1807 CE
- Septinsular Republic was a protectorate of Russian Empire1800 CE – 1807 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Septinsular Republic. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/septinsular-republic
- MLA
- “Septinsular Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/septinsular-republic. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Septinsular Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/septinsular-republic.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Septinsular Republic’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/septinsular-republic (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻