The Treaty of Constantinople established the Septinsular Republic, the first autonomous Greek state since the Byzantine Empire fell in 1453.
Key Facts
- Treaty signed
- 2 April 1800
- Signatories
- Ottoman Empire and Russian Empire
- Territory comprised
- Seven Ionian Islands off western Greece
- Republic survived until
- 1807, annexed under Treaty of Tilsit
- Constitution issued
- "Byzantine Constitution", replaced by 1801
- Prior Greek statehood
- None since fall of Byzantine Empire in 1453
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797, the Ionian Islands passed to French control. French anti-clerical policies and republican ideals alienated the local Greek population and nobility. In 1798, a joint Russo-Ottoman military expedition expelled the French, culminating in the capture of Corfu in 1799, prompting island representatives to seek self-governance from both Constantinople and Saint Petersburg.
The Treaty of Constantinople, signed on 2 April 1800 between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, formally established the Septinsular Republic as a federal state under Ottoman suzerainty. A conservative 'Byzantine Constitution' was simultaneously issued, enshrining the political dominance of the islands' nobility. In practice, Russian influence over the new republic far exceeded that of the Ottomans.
The Septinsular Republic became the first autonomous Greek polity since 1453, offering a model of Greek self-governance. Domestic tensions led to a new constitution as early as 1801. The republic endured until 1807, when Napoleon's French Empire annexed the Ionian Islands under the Treaty of Tilsit, ending the experiment in Greek autonomy.
Political Outcome
Establishment of the Septinsular Republic as a federal state under Ottoman suzerainty with a conservative nobility-dominated constitution
Ionian Islands under French Revolutionary control following the fall of Venice in 1797
Ionian Islands constituted as the autonomous Septinsular Republic under Ottoman suzerainty and Russian influence