The United States of the Ionian Islands was a Greek state and amical protectorate of the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1864. The successor state of the Septinsular Republic, it covered the territory of the Ionian Islands, as well as the port of Parga on the Greek mainland. It was ceded by the British to Greece as a gift to the newly enthroned King George I, apart from Parga, which had been sold to Ali Pasha of Ioannina in 1819.
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United States of the Ionian Islands in the context of Vathy, Ithaca
Vathy (Greek: Βαθύ) or Vathi is the largest settlement on the Greek Ionian island of Ithaca and the seat of the Ithaca regional unit. It is located in the southern part of the island, in a deep natural harbour. According to the 2021 census, it has a population of 1,693.
In the Middle Ages, Ionian islands were subject to frequent pirate raids, which forced inhabitants to build settlements inland. Vathy was only formed in the 16th century, during the late Venetian rule, when the families living uphill in the settlement of Palaiochora ('old town'), began moving down to Vathi. In 1807, the French built a fortress on the Loutsa hill at the port entrance. The dockyard at the port operated throughout the 19th century, and over 200 ships were built during the period. Wealth from shipbuilding, trade and fishing caused expansion of population and house construction. During the British rule in the 19th century, the population rose to about 5,000. However, in the 1920s the naval activity dwindled, and the economy of Vathy stagnated.
United States of the Ionian Islands in the context of French rule in the Ionian Islands (1807–1814)
The second period of French rule in the Ionian Islands (Greek: Δεύτερη Γαλλοκρατία των Επτανήσων) began in August 1807, when the Septinsular Republic, a Russian protectorate comprising the seven Ionian Islands, was occupied by the First French Empire in accordance with the Treaty of Tilsit. The French annexed the Republic but maintained most of its institutions for local governance. In 1809–10, the British occupied the southernmost islands, leaving only Corfu, Paxoi, and the mainland exclave of Parga in French hands. The British also imposed a naval blockade on the French-ruled islands, which began to suffer from famine. Finally, the British occupied Paxoi in late 1813 and Parga in March 1814. Following the Abdication of Napoleon, the French governor-general in Corfu, François-Xavier Donzelot, capitulated and the French garrison was evacuated. In 1815, the islands became a British protectorate, the United States of the Ionian Islands.