Mer-Égée (;
French for "
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...
") was one of three short-lived
French departments of Greece. 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 ...
.
History
The
department included the islands of
Zante (
Zakynthos
Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; ; ) or Zante (, , ; ; from the Venetian language, Venetian form, traditionally Latinized as Zacynthus) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands, with an are ...
),
Kythira and the
Strofades, as well as Dragamesto (modern
Astakos) on the Greek mainland. Despite its name, the department was mostly not in the Aegean, but the
Ionian Sea, apart from Kythira and its dependencies.
Its prefecture was at the town of
Zante (Zakynthos). The territories 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 except Dragamesto that was captured by
Ali Pasha, ruler of the
Pashalik of Yanina, and the department was officially disbanded in 1802.
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 Corcyre
*
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 ...
*
History of Zakynthos
References
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mer-Egee
Former departments of France in Greece
States and territories established in 1797
History of Zakynthos
1797 establishments in France
States and territories disestablished in 1798