HISTORY OF CORFU

One of the few significant events in this period, was the spreading of Christianity in Corfu during the 1st centrury AD. The Corfiots received the word of the new religion from the apostles Jason and Sossipatros, who have ever since been honoured with gratitude.

At this stage the official language of the East Roman Empire was Latin. However within the Greek territories Latin began to disappear and the Greek language started taking over. This development indicated the start of a new awareness – differentiating it from the West. A turning point in this evolution was the decision taken by Leon the Isaurian in 733, to remove the church of Western Greece (Illyria, Ipirus, and Corfu) from the Pope’s jurisdiction, and to place it under the patriarchy of Constantinople. It was an act that underlined the differences and oppositions of the two worlds, Greek and Latin, an opposition that would finally lead to the schism of the two churches.

ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANISATION

With the abolition of the administrative division of the Eastern Roman state, the Byzantine Empire was organized into: the ‘Archi’ which was the emperor; into ‘Themata’ i.e. large geographical areas under the supervision of a general; and finally into provinces which were ruled by the Byzantine ‘Eparchos’. Corfu was a province within the ‘Thematos’ of Kefallinias.

The province was divided into ‘Klimata’ and the Klimata were subdivided into ‘Episkepsis’. Each Episkepsi incorporated a small number of villages with its own administrator. A certain amount of Episkepsis formed the so-called ‘Klima’ which had no administrative authority. It has been speculated that the names of certain villages, such as ‘Klimatia’, ‘Episkepsi’, ‘Episkopiana’ and ‘Episkopi’ originate from the words ‘Klima’ and ‘Episkepsi’ respectively.

BYZANTINE TAXATION

The continuous, never-ending wars of the Byzantine State required enormous military expenditures that had to be covered with heavy taxation of the Provinces.

During the period of the Byzantine Empire, Corfu made important contributions to the coffers of the state. This did not necessarily mean that the state offered an equal proportion of care and protection, except when raiders or conquerors looted or captured the island at which time the state took care to recapture her in order not to be deprived of her taxes.

It was a situation, which many times dangerously stretched the relationship between the two and created an economic drain on the island’s resources.

RAIDS AGAINST BYZANTIUM AND CONQUERORS

During the first years of the Byzantine Empire, Corfu suffered raids by the Sicilian tyrants, Sergio and Grigorota. Later, towards the middle of the 9th century, the Saracens, under their leader, Savva, landed on Corfu, plundering but not managing to capture the fort.

In 1032 Barbary pirates from Africa looted and burnt the island.

During all these raids the presence of the Byzantines was immediate and affective.

1080 and onwards was a period of hardship and exchange of foreign occupiers.

The Norman king of Southern Italy, Robert Guiscard seized the island and established his own guard, which, with his departure from the island in order to continue his drive through the rest of Greece, was quickly neutralised by the Corfiots.

He returned in 1081, recapturing the whole island without managing to take the fort of Corfu. The three-year attempt of the Normans terminated in the destruction of their fleet by the Byzantines in the harbour of Corfu.

In 1103, Crusaders on their way to Palestine landed and looted Corfu without holding onto her.

In 1147 Corfu passed into the hands of the Norman king of Sicily, Rogiro.

Meanwhile the Byzantine Emperor, Emmanuel Comninos, offered a huge military force in order to recapture Corfu. After a two-year siege he had to leave empty handed, having come up against the resistance of the Normans and the Corfiots.

He returned later and took over the island after many deadly battles and stubborn resistance from the Corfiot army.

A few years later, in 1185, the Sicilian fleet, having conquered the whole of Western Greece as far as Thessalonika, reached Corfu with admiral Margariti as leader. Corfu was captured and made up, along with Dirachio, Kefallinia and Zakinthos, his fiefdom until 1194 when he was captured and blinded by the emperor, Erik the sixth.

After the overthrow of Margaritis’ hegemony and until 1199, the Ionian Islands became a hideout for Frankish knights who were, in reality, nothing more than common pirates.

The island, in name only, belonged to the Byzantine Empire. The Corfiots, worn out from Frankish raids and aware of the inability of Byzantium to protect them, accepted the rule of the Genoese pirate, Leon Capillo or Vetrano who was well known for his anti-Byzantine feelings but also for his impeccable behavior towards the Corfiots.

He incorporated Corfu into the state of Genoa.

In 1204 Frankish Crusaders conquered Constantinople, overthrowing, temporarily, the Byzantine Empire.