The Treaty of London in 1864 resulted in Great Britain ceding the
United States of the Ionian Islands to Greece. Britain had held an
amical protectorate over the islands since the 1815
Treaty of Paris.
The federated United States of the Ionian Islands included seven islands off the coasts of
Epirus
sq, Epiri rup, Epiru
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = Historical region
, image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinri ...
and the
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge which ...
, that had
remained in
Venetian
Venetian often means from or related to:
* Venice, a city in Italy
* Veneto, a region of Italy
* Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area
Venetian and the like may also refer to:
* Venetian language, a Romance language s ...
hands until 1797 and escaped
Ottoman rule. Of the seven, six lay in the
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including ...
, off the western coast of the Greek mainland. These six states were
Corfù (Kerkyra),
Ithaca
Ithaca most commonly refers to:
*Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey''
*Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca
*Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College
Ithaca, Ithaka ...
,
Paxò,
Cephalonia
Kefalonia or Cephalonia ( el, Κεφαλονιά), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallenia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It ...
,
Zante (Zakynthos) and
Santa Maura
Lefkada ( el, Λευκάδα, ''Lefkáda'', ), also known as Lefkas or Leukas (Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, ''Leukás'', modern pronunciation ''Lefkás'') and Leucadia, is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Gr ...
(Lefkas).
Cerigo (Kythera) was also a state of the federation, although it is situated southeast of the
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge which ...
.
Ever since Greece had
become independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1832, the people of the Ionian islands had pressed for ''
enosis
''Enosis'' ( el, Ένωσις, , "union") is the movement of various Greek communities that live outside Greece for incorporation of the regions that they inhabit into the Greek state. The idea is related to the Megali Idea, an irredentist conc ...
'' with Greece. At a Cabinet meeting in 1862, British Foreign Secretary
Palmerston Palmerston may refer to:
People
* Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer
* Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston
** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman and ...
decided to cede the islands to Greece. This policy was also favoured by
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
. The practical reasoning was that maintenance of ownership in the area was too expensive. Besides, the islands did not have great strategic importance; Britain would still maintain a strategic presence in the Mediterranean from the island of
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
.
The decision to cede the islands was also influenced by the accession to the Greek throne of the Danish prince
George, a committed Anglophile. Indeed, in a
referendum in November 1862, the Greeks had elected Queen Victoria's second son,
Prince Alfred, as their King, partly in the hope of receiving the Ionian Islands.
After long negotiations with Greece, the Treaty of London was signed by Greek delegate
Charilaos Trikoupis on 29 March 1864. On 2 May 1864 the British departed and the Ionian Islands became three provinces of the Kingdom of Greece, although Britain retained use of the port on Corfu.
This can be seen as the first example of voluntary
decolonization
Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on separatism, in ...
by Britain.
See also
*
Treaties of London
Further reading
* Anderson M. S. ''The Eastern Question 1774–1923, A Study in the International Relations'' (London, 1983).
* Paschalidi, Maria. "Constructing Ionian identities: the Ionian Islands in British official discourses; 1815-1864" (PhD dissertation. UCL (University College London), 2010
online
* Xenos, Stephanos Th. ''East and West: A Diplomatic History of the Annexation of the Ionian Islands to the Kingdom of Greece'' (Trübner, 1865
online
External links
Details of the 1864 Treaty of London
{{History of the Ionian Islands, state=expanded
History of Greece (1863–1909)
London (1864), Treaty of
1864 treaties
1864 in London
London (1864), Treaty of
Treaties involving territorial changes
Greece–United Kingdom relations
History of the Ionian Islands
1864 in British law
March 1864 events
Decolonization