The Military-Political System of Samos ( el, Στρατοπολιτικόν Σύστημα Σάμου) was a provisional regime that existed in the island of

Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a sepa ...

during the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

. Samos rose up against Ottoman rule on 18 April 1821, under the leadership of

Konstantinos Lachanas Konstantinos or Constantinos (Κωνσταντίνος, ''Konstantínos'') is a Greek male given name. * Konstantinos (born 1972), occultist * Konstantinos "Kosta" Barbarouses (born 1990), New Zealand footballer * Konstantinos Chalkias (born 1 ...

. In May 1821, the Samiot leader Lykourgos Logothetis formalized the provisional administrative regime of the island, with the promulgation of the "Military-Political Organization of the Island of Samos" (Στρατοπολιτικός Διοργανισμός της Νήσου Σάμου). This constitutional document organized both the executive-legislative and military administration of the island. At the apex of the system was a Governor-General (Γενικός Διοικητής), assisted by three Political Judges (Πολιτικοί Κριτές) who were elected by a General Assembly of the island, composed of the elected

ephor The ephors were a board of five magistrates in ancient Sparta. They had an extensive range of judicial, religious, legislative, and military powers, and could shape Sparta's home and foreign affairs. The word "''ephors''" (Ancient Greek ''ép ...

s of each village, and the Secretary of the Administration (Γραμματεύς του Διοικητηρίου). There were also a Police President, Harbour Masters and Customs officials. The island's military was organized into four chiliarchies, with the Governor-General as the commander-in-chief. Logothetis appointed four of his closest aides as the first chiliarchs, who appointed subordinate

pentakosiarch Pentakosiarch ( gr, πεντακοσιάρχης, pentakosiarches; in Modern Greek usually πεντακοσίαρχος, ''pentakosiarchos''), meaning "commander of 500". is a Greek military rank. Antiquity It was first adopted in the infantry of t ...

s, and they in turn appointed subordinate hekatontarchs, etc. Nevertheless, the Greek provisional government that emerged from the

First National Assembly at Epidaurus The First National Assembly of Epidaurus (, 1821–1822) was the first meeting of the Greek National Assembly, a national representative political gathering of the Greek revolutionaries. History The assembly opened in December 1821 at Piada (t ...

attempted to abolish the separate Samian institutions with its law on provincial administration 30 April 1822, and impose an appointed governor, Kyriakos Moralis. This led to a short civil war on the island, with the supporters of the local system winning out. With the exception of a short period in 1828–1830, during the governorship of

Ioannis Kapodistrias Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (10 or 11 February 1776 – 9 October 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias ( el, Κόμης Ιωάννης Αντώνιος Καποδίστριας, Komis Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias; russian: � ...

, when Samos was administered as part of the Province of the

Eastern Sporades Eastern Sporades (Greek: ''Ανατολικές Σποράδες'') or Eastern Islands (Greek: ''Ανατολικοί Νήσοι'') was the name of one of the thirteen divisions (administrative districts) created in 1828 with the administrative div ...

, the island retained its autonomous political system. Due to its proximity to the

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

n shore and its distance from the main centres of the Greek Revolution on the Greek mainland, Samos was particularly vulnerable to Ottoman attack. With the crucial assistance of the Greek revolutionary fleet, the Samians were successful in repelling three Ottoman attempts at recapturing the island, in July 1821, August–September 1824 and July–August 1826. The island, however, was not incorporated into the independent

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label= Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, wh ...

. Instead, the island resumed its separate government until it was transformed into an autonomous tributary principality in 1834.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Samos, System of Political institutions of the Greek War of Independence States and territories established in 1821 Political history of Greece 1821 establishments in Greece History of Samos 1834 disestablishments in Europe