HISTORYOFKEFALONIA

Accordingtomythology,theislandofKefaloniawasnamedafterthemythicalpersonaof
Kefaloswhowasamixtureoftwodifferentmythicalpeople.HewasthesonofDionand
DiomedaandMercury,orthesonofPandionandKreoussa,orErsi.ThegoddessJolovedking
Kefalosand,inordertomakehimhers,shemadehimdoubttheloyaltyanddevotionofhis
wife,Prokris.Joencouragedhimtoappearbeforehiswifewearingadisguise,andtoseduceher
withgifts.ProkrisgaveintoKefalosandwhensherealizedwhohereallywas,sheleft,crying
desperately.AfterProkriswanderedaroundCrete,shereturnedtoAthenswherethegoddess
Dianaagreedtohelpherwinbackherhusband.Unfortunately,whilehunting,Kefalossawthe
movementofProkrisbehindthetreesand,mistakingherforprey,heaimedatherandkilled
her.Desperatefromhismisfortune,KefalosleftAthens.HemetAmphetryonandhelpedhim
defeattheTelevoesandtheTafious.Inreturn,AmphetryonofferedKefalosthisisland,whichhe
called"Kefalonia".Accordingtoanotherlegend,theislandwasnamedafterKefalinesof
Kefalanes,anationinwesternGreece.ManystudentsclaimthatKefalinesweretheUlysse's
peoplethushiskingdomwasontheislandofKefalonia.Thosewhoagreewiththisoption,spell
theisland'snamewithtwo"ls".
I.PREHISTORICPERIOD
ExcavationsindicatethattheislandofKefaloniahasbeeninhabitedsince10,000BC.The
existenceofPaleolithiccivilizationsontheislandisverified.TheMycenaeantombswhichwere
broughttolightduringtheexcavations,indicatethattheislandthrivedduringtheMycenaean
years,around1,600BC,aphenomenonnotobservedforanyotherIonianisland.Thisoccurred,
amongotherreasons,becauseoftheenormouscornproductionontheisland,aswellas
Kefalonia'scommercialcontactswithIthakiandthetownofNidri,inLefkada.Accordingto
anothertradition,theislandofKefaloniawasintroducedtothemycenaeancivilizationby
emigrantstotheSouthernPeloponnese,WesternGreeceandAttica.Thisisindicatedbysimilar
findingsfromtheseareas.
II.ANTIQUITY
HerodotusisthefirsthistorianevertorefertotheislandbythenameofKefalinia,while
Thucydidescalledtheisland"Tetrapoli"(:Fourcities),becauseofthetownsofPali,Sami,Kranea
(aliasKrani)andProni,whichthrivedduringthemycenaeanyears.Themostsignificantofallthe
citieswasSami,onthenortheasternpartoftheisland.Paliwassituatedonthewestern
peninsula,inthelocationofPalaiokastro;KraniwassituatedbytheLagoonofKoutavoswhere
Argostolistandstoday;andProniwassituatedonthesoutheasternpartoftheisland.Thefour
citieswerenotrelatedtoeachotherandhadseparatecoinsandregimes.Theinhabitantsofthe
islandsworshippedtheOlympianGodsandperformedsacrificesinthetemplesinorderto
pleasethegods.HesiodusreferstothetempleofAiniosZeusonmountAino,whilethe
existenceofasecondtempleofZeus,isalsomentionedontheislesouthofKefalonia.Kefalonia
participatedinthePersianWars,inthebattleofPlataies(479BC)andinthePeloponnesian
War,supportingbothSpartaandAthens,aseverycitysupporteditspoliticalpreference.In218

BC,kingPhilipfromMacedoniaattackedtheislandandattemptedtooccupyit,butAthens
helpedKefaloniadefeathim.
III.THEROMANYEARS
In187BC,theRomansoccupiedtheislandofKefalonia.Despitetheresistanceofthelocals,the
RomansconqueredtheislandanddestroyedSami.DuringtheRomanRule,theinhabitantsof
Kefaloniawereconstantlythreatenedwithraidsbypiratesandconquerorswhotookawaytheir
fortunes,thusmakinglifeontheislandimpossible.In50BC,theislandwasruledbyGaius
Antonios.Inthesecondchristiancentury,PopliusAeliusAdrianusofferedtheislandasapresent
toAthens,andtheisland,theareasurroundingSamiinparticular,progressedeconomically.
IV.BYZANTINEERA
DuringtheByzantineEra,theislandofKefaloniawasoftenraidedbypirates.Theisland,along
with64otherprovincesand935cities,belongedtotheByzantineemperor.Inthe10thcentury
AD,ConstantinosPorfyrogenitosindicatedthattheislandwaspartofthe"SchemeofKefalonia",
whichwasestablishedbytheLeonVI?,astheremainingsealsprove.TheByzantineEraendedin
1085,whenRobertGuscardattemptedtooccupytheisland.
V.THEFRANKYEARS
In1084,theadventurerRobertGuiscardattemptedtooccupytheislandofKefalonia,buthedid
notsucceed,asthelocalsfoughtsuccessfullyagainsthim.Hethenretiredtothevillageof
Fiskardowhere,yearslater,hediedafternamingthevillageafterhimself.Consequently,the
NormandnobleBoimondtookviolentrevengeagainstthelocalswhodaredtoresistGuiscard.In
1103and1125,theCrusadersattackedtheisland.Kefaloniawasbrieflyoccupiedbythe
NormandRogerB?,in1147,buttheByzantineemperorManuel,withthehelpoftheVenetians,
defeatedRogerB?.Nineyearslater,ManuelsignedatreatyforpeaceandreleasedtheIonian
Islands,includingKefalonia,totheNormands.In1185,theSicilianKingGullielmoB?gave
KefaloniatoAdmiralMargaritoni,aspartofthe"PalatianCountryofKefaloniaandZakynthos".
Margaritoni'ssuccessorwasappointedin1194.HewasthepirateMatteoOrsini,whoconstantly
raidedthesurroundingareas.TheOrsinifamilywiththehelpofamultitudeofroguesand
murdersruledtheislandfor150years,whentheyweresucceededbytheTokosdynasty,in
1357.Kefaloniawasruledbythisdynastyuntil1479,whenTurksconqueredtheisland.
VI.VENETIANRULE
In1500,theVenetiansandtheSpanish,violatingthetreatyverifyingTurkishdominionupon
Kefalonia,attackedandconqueredtheisland.VenetianRulelasted300yearswiththehelpof
localnobleswhoweregrantedaseriesofprivileges,whilethecommonpeoplelivedinpoverty.
In1538,theTurkpirateHairedinBarbarossaattackedKefalonia,causingseveredamagewhile
capturing13,000slaves.Inspiteofthis,hundredsofpeoplefromthemainlandcametothe
island,fortifyingtheGreekpresenceinthearea.DuringthelastyearsoftheVenetianRule,
therewereseveredisputesbetweentherichfamiliesoftheisland.TheVenetianRuleendedin
1797,whentheFrenchoccupiedtheisland.

VII.FRENCHRUSSIANRULE
On28June1797,theFrenchoccupiedtheislandofKefalonia.Napoleonmadethelocalsbelieve
thathewouldliberatetheIonianIslands.Thebookdescribingthenamesandtheprivilegesof
thenobles,"Librod'oro",wasburntinthesquareofArgostoli,whilethepeoplecelebrated.The
FrenchruleoftheIonianIslandsbecameofficialwiththeTreatyofKamboformioon17October
1797.TheIonianIslandsbecamepartoftheFrenchStateon1November1797.Thefollowing
year,thealliedfleetoftheRussians,theTurksandtheEnglishdefeatedtheFrenchatAboukir
andtheirfleetdisembarkedatArgostoli,whereagovernmentwasappointed,itspresident
beingK.Horafas.On21March1800,inConstantinople,the"IonianState"wasfoundedunder
theSultan'ssupervision.Therichnoblesoftheislandweregrantedexclusiveprivilegesfor
ruling,afactwhichcausedinsurrectionsonalltheIonianIslands,whichwereviolently
suppressedbytheconquerors.In1802,bypopulardemand,Kefalonia'selectionstookplaceand
new,democraticallyelectedrepresentativeswerecharged,on23December1803,withthe
creationofanewConstitutionwhichwouldlaterestablishthe"DemocracyoftheIonian
Islands".In1807,theIonianIslandscameundertheFrenchruleagain,andFieldMarshal
Berthieuxwasincommand.Afterseveralchanges,the"DemocracyoftheIonianIslands"was
maintainedandpeoplehopedforapeaceful,normallife.Unfortunately,theirhopedidnotlast
forlong,astheEnglishoccupiedZakynthos,on19September1809.
VIII.ENGLISHOCCUPATION
On19September1809,theEnglishoccupiedZakynthosandlater,inspiteoftheFrench's
objection,alltheIonianIslands,cameunderEnglishoccupation,whichbecameofficialwiththe
establishmentofthe"UnitedStatesoftheIonianIslands",withtheTreatyofParis.Accordingto
thistreaty,theIonianIslandsweretobeunderthecommandoftheEnglishLordCommissioner.
DuringtheEnglishOccupation,Kefaloniaobtainedsignificantconstructions,suchasthebridge
ofDrapanowhichjoinsArgostoliwiththeLagoonofKoutavos,aconstitutionsupervisedby
CharlesPhilippedeBoss?fromSwitzerland.TheConstitutionof28December1817imposeda
seriesofunpopularmeasureswhichmadethelocal'slifeevenmoredifficult.Thepeopleof
Kefalonia,alongwithotherinhabitantsoftheIonianIslands,resistedthedespoticruleofthe
Englishbyfoundingsecretcommitteesandsecretlymountinginsurrections.
IX.THEREVOLUTIONOF1821ENGLISHOCCUPATIONUNION
AlthoughtheislandofKefaloniaremainedundertheEnglishOccupation,thelocalsparticipated
activelyintheGreekRevolutionagainstTurkishRule.SomeofthefightersfromKefaloniawere
ConstantinosandAndreasMetaxas,GerasimosandDionissiosFokas,DemetriosHoidas,
GerasimosOrfanosandLoukasValsamakis.ThemostsignificanteventinwhichKefalonia
participatedwasthebattleofLalas,inHelia.There,withthehelpofthePeloponnesianarmy,
AndreasandConstantinosMetaxasdefeatedtheTurkswhoinvadedthevillageon24June1821.
Atthattime,theIonianCommissionerwasCharlesNapier,ademocratwhosupervised
significantconstructionsinKefalonia,oneofthembeingthebuilding"Markato"atLixouri,which
initiallyhousedtheisland'sCourt.On14September1848,duetopopulardemand,Ionian
CommissionerSeatongrantedthepeoplesignificantprivileges.ThenextCommissioner,George

Eward,wishedtochangetheConstitution,yethewaspreventedbytheConservatives.Anew
seriesofinsurrectionsforcedQueenVictoriatoproclaimelectionsin1850,afterwhichthefirst
Parliamentwasestablished.TheParliament'sdurationwasshort,asitdissolvedaftertheunion
oftheIonianIslandswiththerestofGreece.ThecrisisoftheEnglishpolicyregardingGreece
andthepeople'sinsurrectionsforcedEnglandtosecedefromthedominionoftheIonianIslands
andon23September1863,theParliamentvotedinfavoroftheirunionwiththerestofGreece.
On21May1864,ThrasivoulosZaimisofficiallyreceivedtheIonianIslandsfromHenryStorcks.
X.MODERNYEARS
DuringWorldWarII,KefaloniawasoccupiedbytheItaliansin1941andtheItalianarmysettled
ontheisland.ThepeopleofKefaloniawereactivelyinvolvedintheGreekResistanceandfought
forthecountry'sliberation.InSeptember1943,theGermanItaliancombatinKefalonia,caused
bytheItalians'refusaltowithdrawfromtheisland'sruleinfavouroftheGermans,cost9,500
Italiansoldierstheirlives.Tenyearslater,in1953,theearthquakewhichrockedtheIonian
Islands,causedseveredamagetoKefalonia.ThemajorityofthehousesinArgostolicollapsed
andthelocalsfoughthardtorestoretheirlife.