Page 41 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Corfu & the Ionian Islands

Moments in History ❮❮ 39

British Protectorate
7 TOP 10 HISTORICAL FIGURES
(1814–64)
The 1815 Treaty of Paris placed the
Ionian Islands under British pro tec­
tion. During this time the British
High Commissioner and an elected
assembly worked together to
improve the islands’ infrastructure.
Union with Greece
8
(1864)
Ionian residents wanted a union with
Greece after the country gained its
inde pen dence in 1830. Britain Empress Elisabeth of Austria
eventually agreed to relinquish 1 Nikolaos Doxaras
the islands, and the Ionians became Doxaras (1706–75), a prominent
provinces of the Kingdom of painter whose work combined
Greece in 1864. Byzantine and Italian influences,
spent most of his life on Zákynthos.
Axis Occupation (1941)
9 2 Sir Thomas Maitland
During World War II, the Axis
Sir Thomas (1759–1824) was the first
alliance, which included Germany, British Lord High Commissioner of the
Japan and Italy, took control of Ionians, from 1815 to 1823.
Greece. The Italians claimed sole 3 Ioannis Capodistrias
power in 1941, but the Germans Born in Corfu, Capodistrias (1776–1831)
evicted them in 1943 and killed most led Greece to independence and was
of the Jewish popu lation. the Greek Republic’s first premier.
4 Sir Frederick Adam
Major Earthquake (1953)
0 Sir Frederick (1781–1853) was the
second Lord High Commissioner of
The most significant event
in the recent history of the Ionian the Ionians, from 1824 to 1831.
Islands was the devastating earth­ 5 Dionýsios Solomós
Zákynthos-born poet Dionýsios
quake of 1953. It recorded 7.2 on the Solomós (1798–1857) wrote the
Richter scale and des troyed entire Greek national anthem.
towns on Zákynthos and Kefalloniá. 6 Empress Elisabeth of Austria
Many towns have since been rebuilt Empress of Bavaria and later of Austria,
to earthquake­proof standards. Elisabeth (1837–98) had Corfu’s
Achílleion Palace built in the 1890s.
Earthquake ruins in Zákynthos, 1953 7 King George I
King George I of Greece (1845–1913)
used Corfu’s Mon Repos Estate as his
summer residence.
8 Kaiser Wilhelm II
The last German emperor, Wilhelm II
(1859–1941), bought the Achílleion
Palace after Elisabeth of Austria died.
9 Ioannis Metaxas
Born in Ithaki, Metaxas (1871–1941)
ruled as a dictator of Greece from
1936 until his death.
10 Aristotle Onassis
Billionaire ship-owner Onassis
(1906–75), once the richest man in
Greece, bought tiny Skorpios, off
Ithaki, as a private hideaway. He is
buried there.

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