Ithaque (;
French for "
Ithaca") 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 included the islands of
Ithaca,
Cephalonia
Kefalonia or Cephalonia (), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallonia (), 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 is also a separate regio ...
and
Lefkada
Lefkada (, ''Lefkáda'', ), also known as Lefkas or Leukas (Ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Λευκάς, ''Leukás'', modern pronunciation ''Lefkás'') and Leucadia, is a Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island in the Ionian Sea on the ...
, as well as the cities of
Preveza
Preveza (, ) is a city in the region of Epirus (region), Epirus, northwestern Greece, located on the northern peninsula of the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. It is the capital of the Preveza (regional unit), regional unit of Preveza, which is the s ...
,
Arta and
Vonitsa on the adjacent mainland. Its prefecture was at
Argostoli
Argostoli (, Katharevousa: ) is a town and a municipality on the island of Kefalonia, Ionian Islands (region), Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is one of the three municipalities on the island. It has been the capi ...
on Cephalonia. The islands were 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 ...
in 1798 and the department was officially disbanded in 1802. Also Preveza, Arta and Vonitsa were
captured in 1798 by
Ali Pasha, ruler of the
Pashalik of Yanina.
During the
renewed French control of the area in 1807–1809, the department was not re-established, the constitutional form of the
Septinsular Republic being kept.
Administration
Commissioner
The Commissioner of the Directory was the highest state representative in the department.
See also
*
Department of Mer-Égée
*
Department of Corcyre
*
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
*
*
{{Authority control
Former departments of France in Greece
States and territories established in 1797
History of Cephalonia
Ithaca
Lefkada
1797 establishments in France
States and territories disestablished in 1798