Principality of Samos

The Principality of Samos (Greek: Ηγεμονία της Σάμου, Igemonía tis Sámou; Ottoman Turkish: Sisam İmâreti; Turkish: Sisam Beyliği) was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire from 1834 to 1912. The island of Samos had participated in the Greek War of Independence since 1821 and had successfully resisted several Ottoman and Egyptian attempts to occupy it, but it was not included within the boundaries of the newly independent Greek state. Instead in 1834 the island was granted self-governance as a semi-independent state.

Tributary to the Ottoman Empire, forced to pay annual sum of £2700, it was to be governed by a Prince of Christian Greek descent, but nominated by the Sublime Porte. The Prince was to be assisted in his function as chief executive by a Senate composed of 4 members. These members were chosen by the Prince out of eight candidates nominated by the four districts of the island: Vathy, Chora, Marathokampos, and Karlovasi. The actual legislative power belonged to a chamber of 36 deputies, presided over by the Greek-Orthodox Metropolitan. The seat of the government was the port city of Vathy.

With the outbreak of the First Balkan War, Themistoklis Sofoulis landed on the island with a group of exiled Samians and swiftly took control: the Ottoman garrison withdrew to Anatolia, and on 24 November 1912, the island's parliament officially declared Enosis with Greece. The unification took place officially on 2 March 1913.[citation needed]

History

During the Greek War of Independence Samos formed its own autonomous administration under the leadership of Lykourgos Logothetis. Following the burning of the Ottoman flagship by Konstantinos Kanaris and the successes of the Hydriots in the naval theatre of the war, the plans for the invasion of the island were abandoned by the Ottomans, and Samos held out until the end of the war. Following the Treaty of Constantinople and the London Conference in 1832, the island was given to the Ottomans, but held an advantageous position as self-governed and ruled by a Greek governor nominated by the Sublime Porte, who bore the title of "Prince of Samos", but was supported by a Greek council and assembly.

The capital of the island was, until the early 20th century, a place called Chora, about 2 miles (3.2 km) away from the shore, but after the changes in Samos' political condition, the capital was transferred to Vathy, situated at the head of a deep bay on the north coast of the island, which became the residence of the Prince and the seat of the government.

The authors of the "Samos" article in the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition thought the prosperity of the island in 1911 bore witness to the wisdom of the semi-independent arrangement. Its principal export was its wine, which was celebrated in ancient times and still enjoyed a high reputation in the Levant. Its exports also consisted of silk, oil, raisins and other dried fruits. The population in 1900 was about 54,830 people, not including the 15,000 Samians living on the Greek mainland. The predominant religion was Greek Orthodoxy. The metropolitan district included Samos and Ikaria. In 1900 there were 634 foreigners on the island (523 Greek citizens, 13 Germans, 29 French, 28 Austrians and 24 of other nationalities).

Pro-Greek agitators and the reaction of the pro-autonomy faction led to increased tensions, and in May 1908, the Prince Andreas Kopasis, asked for the intervention of the Ottoman military. The ensuing riots left several dead. With the outbreak of the First Balkan War, Themistoklis Sofoulis landed on the island with a group of exiled Samians and forced the Ottoman garrison to withdraw from the island. On 11/24 November 1912, the island's parliament officially declared enosis with Greece. The unification took place officially on 2 March 1913. Sofoulis remained for a while as the president of the interim government of Samos until April 1914, when he was appointed Governor of Macedonia.[citation needed]

List of Princes of Samos

Gallery

Notes

Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Bunbury, Edward Herbert; Caspari, Maximilian Otto Bismarck; Gardner, Ernest Arthur (1911). "Samos". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 116–117.

External links

• (in Greek). Municipality of Samos.

37°44′00″N 26°59′00″E/37.7333°N 26.9833°E/ 37.7333; 26.9833