The English Party (), was one of the three informal early Greek parties that dominated the political history of the

First Hellenic Republic The First Hellenic Republic () was the provisional Greek state during the Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire. From 1822 until 1827, it was known as the Provisional Administration of Greece, and between 1827 and 1832, it was known as ...

and the first years of the

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece (, Romanization, romanized: ''Vasíleion tis Elládos'', pronounced ) was the Greece, Greek Nation state, nation-state established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally ...

during the early 19th century, the other two being the Russian Party and the French Party.

History and party development

The creation and evolution of these Parties was the effect of the interest that the three

Great Powers A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power ...

(the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

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 ...

) displayed for Greek affairs. As a result, they counted on the hope that Greeks had, that by supporting them those countries would also help the

Greek Kingdom The Kingdom of Greece (, Romanization, romanized: ''Vasíleion tis Elládos'', pronounced ) was the Greece, Greek Nation state, nation-state established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally ...

to fulfill its expectations for economic progress and territorial expansion. The establishment of the English Party should probably be considered the action that some leaders of the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

took in June 1825, urged by Prince Alexander Mavrocordatos and

Georgios Kountouriotis Georgios Kountouriotis (; 1782 – 13 March 1858) was a Greek ship-owner and politician who served as prime minister from March to October 1848. Life He was born in 1782 on the Saronic island of Hydra to an Arvanite family. The family, appar ...

, to compose a letter, whereby Greece applied for protection to the

. The party lacked support in mainland Greece but was very powerful among the

Phanariotes Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots (, , ) were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar (Φανάρι, modern ''Fener''), the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is located, who traditionally occupied ...

and the wealthy shipowners of the Aegean Islands. During

Ioannis Kapodistrias Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (; February 1776 –27 September 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias, was a Greek statesman who was one of the most distinguished politicians and diplomats of 19th-century Europe. Kapodistrias's ...

' period it lost much of its influence due to the establishment of the other parties (French and Russian factions) and it was the main force of the opposition. It regained most of it after the arrival of King

Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants '' Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fr ...

, since the political sympathies of the principal

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

Josef Ludwig von Armansperg Josef Ludwig, Graf von Armansperg (; 28 February 1787 – 3 April 1853) served as the Interior and Finance Minister (1826–1828) and Foreign and Finance Minister (1828–1831) under Ludwig I of Bavaria, King Ludwig I of Bavaria in the government o ...

, lay with Britain. Its unquestioned leader was Prince Alexander Mavrocordatos, and the party quickly started to decline in influence after his death in 1865.

References

# Clogg, Richard; ''A Short History of Modern Greece''; Cambridge University Press, 1979; # John A. Petropulos; ''Politics and Statecraft in the Kingdom of Greece''; Princeton University Press, 1968 {{Reign of Otto (1832-1862) 1825 establishments in Greece Defunct political parties in Greece Greece–United Kingdom relations Monarchist parties in Greece Political parties established in 1825 Political parties with year of disestablishment missing Political parties disestablished in 1873