On this day, on May 21, 1864, the Ionian Islands are united to Greece. They include:
The Ionian Islands spent centuries under Venetian, French, and Russian control. Following the Napoleonic Wars, the 1815 Treaty of Paris established the islands as a protectorate of the United Kingdom, known as the United States of the Ionian Islands.
While British rule modernized the islands' infrastructure, the local population maintained a strong desire for enosis (i.e. union) with Greece. In 1863, the British government agreed to cede the territory as a gesture of goodwill to celebrate the coronation of the new, pro-British Greek monarch, King George I.
The Treaty of London of 1864 formally finalized the transfer. This included Sason (Sazan) Island, which eventually became part of Albania. British troops evacuated the fortresses, and the Greek army arrived to hoist the flag of the Hellenic Kingdom. The unification expanded Greece's territory, integrated a culturally vibrant population, and marked the first successful expansion of modern Greece's borders since the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829).
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HCRI
The Ionian Islands spent centuries under Venetian, French, and Russian control. Following the Napoleonic Wars, the 1815 Treaty of Paris established the islands as a protectorate of the United Kingdom, known as the United States of the Ionian Islands.
While British rule modernized the islands' infrastructure, the local population maintained a strong desire for enosis (i.e. union) with Greece. In 1863, the British government agreed to cede the territory as a gesture of goodwill to celebrate the coronation of the new, pro-British Greek monarch, King George I.
The Treaty of London of 1864 formally finalized the transfer. This included Sason (Sazan) Island, which eventually became part of Albania. British troops evacuated the fortresses, and the Greek army arrived to hoist the flag of the Hellenic Kingdom. The unification expanded Greece's territory, integrated a culturally vibrant population, and marked the first successful expansion of modern Greece's borders since the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829).
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HCRI
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