Corcyre (; archaic
French for "
Corfu
Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...
"; ) was one of three short-lived
French departments of Greece.
History
It came into existence after
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
's
conquest in 1797 of the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
, when Venetian Greek possessions such as the
Ionian islands
The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a archipelago, group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , ''Heptanēsa'' or , ''Heptanē ...
fell to the
French Directory
The Directory (also called Directorate; ) was the system of government established by the Constitution of the Year III, French Constitution of 1795. It takes its name from the committee of 5 men vested with executive power. The Directory gov ...
. It consisted of the islands of
Kerkyra (
Corfu
Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...
) and
Paxoi, as well as the cities of
Butrint and
Parga on the adjacent mainland. Its prefecture was in the
City of Corfu. The island was lost to
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
after the
Siege of Corfu (1798–1799) and the department was officially disbanded in 1802. Also, Butrint was
captured in 1798 by
Ali Pasha, ruler of the
Pashalik of Yanina.
During the
renewed French control in 1807–1814, the department was not re-established, the constitutional form of the former
Septinsular Republic being kept.
Administration
Commissioners
The Commissioner of the Directory was the highest state representative in the department.
See also
*
Department of Mer-Égée
*
Department of Ithaque
*
French rule in the Ionian Islands (1797–1799)
*
Treaty of Campo Formio
The Treaty of Campo Formio (today Campoformido) was signed on 17 October 1797 (26 Vendémiaire VI) by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of the French Republic and the Austrian monarchy, respectively. The trea ...
References
*
*
*
{{Annexed departments of the French First Republic
Former departments of France in Greece
States and territories established in 1797
History of Corfu
1797 establishments in France
States and territories disestablished in 1799