The First National Assembly of Epidaurus (, 1821–1822) was the first meeting of the

Greek National Assembly The Greek national assemblies ( el, Εθνοσυνελεύσεις) are representative bodies of the Greek people. During and in the direct aftermath of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1832), the name was used for the insurgents' proto-parli ...

, a national representative political gathering of the Greek revolutionaries.

History

Monument First Greek National Assembly 01

The assembly opened in December 1821 at Piada (today Nea (New) Epidaurus). It was attended by representatives from regions involved in the

revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

against Ottoman rule. The majority of the representatives were local notables and clergymen from the Peloponnese,

Central Greece Continental Greece ( el, Στερεά Ελλάδα, Stereá Elláda; formerly , ''Chérsos Ellás''), colloquially known as Roúmeli (Ρούμελη), is a traditional geographic region of Greece. In English, the area is usually called Central ...

and the islands. In addition, a number of

Phanariotes Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots ( el, Φαναριώτες, ro, Fanarioți, tr, Fenerliler) were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumeni ...

and academics attended. However, a number of prominent revolutionaries, including

Alexander Ypsilantis Alexandros Ypsilantis ( el, Αλέξανδρος Υψηλάντης, Aléxandros Ypsilántis, ; ro, Alexandru Ipsilanti; russian: Александр Константинович Ипсиланти, Aleksandr Konstantinovich Ipsilanti; 12 Dece ...

and the most prominent military leaders were absent. Of the 59 representatives at the assembly, 20 were landowners, 13 were ship-owners, 12 were intellectuals, 4 were military leaders, 3 were archpriests, 3 were merchants. The first document adopted by the assembly proclaimed the independence of the Greek nation from the Ottoman Empire. The first paragraph was: :" ''In the name of the Holy and Indivisible Trinity''. :''The Greek nation, wearied by the dreadful weight of Ottoman oppression, and resolved to break its yoke, though at the price of the greatest sacrifice, proclaims today before God and man, by the organ of its lawful representatives, met in national assembly, its independence''." It also passed a number of other important documents, including: * The ''Provisional Regime of Greece'' (''Προσωρινό Πολίτευμα της Ελλάδος''), sometimes translated as ''Temporary Constitution of Greece'' (more commonly known as the Greek Constitution of 1822), which also included a ''

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

''. The Assembly elected a five-member executive on 15 January 1822, which was presided over by Alexandros Mavrocordatos. The executive in turn appointed the first government which had 8 ministries. The first legislature had 33 members. Another characteristic of the First National Assembly is the absence of any reference in the Constitution to the

Filiki Eteria Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends ( el, Φιλικὴ Ἑταιρεία ''or'' ) was a secret organization founded in 1814 in Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow the Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state. (''ret ...

, although

Dimitrios Ypsilantis Demetrios Ypsilantis (alternatively spelled Demetrius Ypsilanti; el, Δημήτριος Υψηλάντης, ; ro, Dumitru Ipsilanti; 1793August 16, 1832) was a Greek army officer who served in both the Hellenic Army and the Imperial Russian Ar ...

, brother of Alexandros Ypsilantis and official representative of the

, was appointed president of the legislature, a body controlled by the local notables.

List of delegates

References

Citations

Books

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:First National Assembly At Epidaurus 1821 in Greece 1822 in Greece 1st History of Argolis Peloponnese in the Greek War of Independence

History

List of delegates

See also

References

Citations

Books