Principality of Samos

{{Short description|Autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire from 1834 to 1912}} {{expand Greek|topic=hist|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox country | native_name = {{native name|ota|Sisam İmâreti}} {{native name|el|Ηγεμονία της Σάμου}} | conventional_long_name = Principality of Samos | common_name = Samos | era = | status = Autonomous state under [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[suzerainty]] | status_text = | empire = Ottoman Empire | government_type = [[Principality]] | year_start = 1834 | year_end = 1912 | event_start = | date_start = | event_end = Official act of Union with Greece | p1 = Military-Political System of Samos | flag_p1 = Flag of the Administration of Samos.svg | s1 = Kingdom of Greece | flag_s1 = Hellenic Kingdom Flag 1935.svg | image_flag = Princely Flag of the Principality of Samos (1834–1912).svg | image_flag2 = Flag_of_the_Principality_of_Samos_(1834–1912).svg | flag = List of Greek flags | image_coat = Coat of arms of Principality of Samos.svg | coat_alt = Coat of Arms | image_map = 2011 Dimos Samou.png | image_map_caption = Location of the Principality of Samos | capital = [[Samos (town)|Chora]], later [[Vathy, Samos|Vathy]] | common_languages = [[Modern Greek|Greek]] | religion = [[Greek Orthodoxy]], [[Sunni Islam]] | representative1 = [[Stefan Bogoridi]] | year_representative1 = 1834–1850 (first) | representative2 = [[Grigorios Vegleris]] | year_representative2 = 1912 (last) | title_representative = Prince of Samos | legislature = Assembly of Samos | house1 = Senate | type_house1 = | house2 = Chamber of Deputies | today = {{Flag|Greece}} }} The '''Principality of Samos''' ({{langx|el|Ηγεμονία της Σάμου}}, {{Transliteration|el|Igemonía tis Sámou}}; {{langx|ota-Latn|Sisam İmâreti}};<ref name=YoungV1p113>{{cite book|author=Young, George|title=[[Corps de droit ottoman; recueil des codes, lois, règlements, ordonnances et actes les plus importants du droit intérieur, et d'études sur le droit coutumier de l'Empire ottoman]]|publisher=[[Clarendon Press]]|volume=1|year=1905|language=fr|page=[https://archive.org/details/corpsdedroitott01turkgoog/page/n142 113]}}</ref> {{langx|tr|Sisam Beyliği}}) was an autonomous tributary state of the [[Ottoman Empire]] from 1834 to 1912. The island of [[Samos]] had participated in the [[Greek War of Independence]] since 1821 and had successfully resisted several Ottoman and [[History of Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty|Egyptian]] attempts to occupy it, but it was not included within the boundaries of the newly independent [[Kingdom of Greece|Greek state]]. Instead in 1834 the island was granted self-governance as a semi-independent state.

Tributary to the Ottoman Empire, forced to pay annual sum of [[Pound (currency)|£]]2700, it was to be governed by a Prince of Christian Greek descent, but nominated by the [[Sublime Porte]]. The Prince was to be assisted in his function as chief executive by a Senate composed of 4 members. These members were chosen by the Prince out of eight candidates nominated by the four districts of the island: [[Vathy, Samos|Vathy]], Chora, [[Marathokampos]], and [[Karlovasi]]. The actual legislative power belonged to a chamber of 36 deputies, presided over by the [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek-Orthodox]] Metropolitan. The seat of the government was the port city of Vathy.{{sfn|Bunbury|Caspari|Gardner|1911|p=116}} [[File:Depiction of the appointment of the Prince of Samos on November 3, 2022.jpg|thumb|Portrait depicting the appointment of [[Ion Ghica]] as Prince of Samos]] [[File:Arms of the Principality of Samos (variant).jpg|thumb|Variant of the Coat of Arms of Samos ca. 1860-1880]]

With the outbreak of the [[First Balkan War]], [[Themistoklis Sofoulis]] landed on the island with a group of exiled Samians and swiftly took control: the Ottoman garrison withdrew to [[Anatolia]], and on 24 November 1912, the island's parliament officially declared ''[[Enosis]]'' with Greece. The unification took place officially on 2 March 1913.{{citation needed|date=April 2013}}

==History== {{Main|History of Samos}} {{expand section|date=April 2026}} [[File:1912 1lepton Samos Ellas SG9 Yv9.jpg|thumb|Stamp issued by the Government of Samos, overprinted ELLAS in December 1912]]

During the [[Greek War of Independence]] Samos formed its own [[Military-Political System of Samos|autonomous administration]] under the leadership of [[Lykourgos Logothetis]]. Following the [[Burning of the Ottoman flagship off Chios|burning of the Ottoman flagship]] by [[Konstantinos Kanaris]] and the successes of the [[Hydra (island)|Hydriots]] in the naval theatre of the war, the plans for the invasion of the island were abandoned by the Ottomans, and Samos held out until the end of the war. Following the [[Treaty of Constantinople (1832)|Treaty of Constantinople]] and the [[London Conference of 1832|London Conference]] in 1832, the island was given to the Ottomans, but held an advantageous position as self-governed and ruled by a Greek governor nominated by the [[Sublime Porte]], who bore the title of "Prince of Samos", but was supported by a Greek council and assembly.{{sfn|Bunbury|Caspari|Gardner|1911|p=117}}

The capital of the island was, until the early 20th century, a place called Chora, about {{convert|2|mi|km}} away from the shore, but after the changes in Samos' political condition, the capital was transferred to [[Vathy, Samos|Vathy]], situated at the head of a deep bay on the north coast of the island, which became the residence of the Prince and the seat of the government.{{sfn|Bunbury|Caspari|Gardner|1911|p=117}}

[[File:Oath of office of Stephanos Mousouros as Prince of Samos.jpg|thumb|Image of [[Stephanos Mousouros]] taking the oath of office as Prince of Samos]]

The authors of the "Samos" article in the [[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition]] thought the prosperity of the island in 1911 bore witness to the wisdom of the semi-independent arrangement. Its principal export was its wine, which was celebrated in ancient times and still enjoyed a high reputation in the Levant. Its exports also consisted of silk, oil, raisins and other dried fruits.{{sfn|Bunbury|Caspari|Gardner|1911|p=116}} The population in 1900 was about 54,830 people, not including the 15,000 Samians living on the Greek mainland. The predominant religion was Greek Orthodoxy. The metropolitan district included Samos and [[Ikaria]]. In 1900 there were 634 foreigners on the island (523 Greek citizens, 13 Germans, 29 French, 28 Austrians and 24 of other nationalities).{{sfn|Bunbury|Caspari|Gardner|1911|p=116}} [[File:Samian Gendarmerie 1899.jpg|thumb|Men of the Princely [[Gendarmerie]] of Samos in 1899]] [[File:Flag bearer of the Samian Gendarmerie.jpg|thumb|Flag bearer of the Samian Gendarmerie]]

Pro-Greek agitators and the reaction of the pro-autonomy faction led to increased tensions, and in May 1908, the Prince [[Andreas Kopasis]], asked for the intervention of the [[Military of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman military]]. The ensuing riots left several dead. With the outbreak of the [[First Balkan War]], [[Themistoklis Sofoulis]] landed on the island with a group of exiled Samians and forced the Ottoman garrison to withdraw from the island. On 11/24 November 1912, the island's parliament officially declared enosis with Greece. The unification took place officially on 2 March 1913. Sofoulis remained for a while as the president of the interim government of Samos until April 1914, when he was appointed [[Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace|Governor]] of [[Macedonia (Greece)|Macedonia]].{{citation needed|date=April 2013}}

==List of Princes of Samos== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width: 80%" ! width=4% | Portrait ! width=25% | Name ! width=9% | Birth ! width=9% | Death ! width=9% | From ! width=9% | Until ! width=15% | Notes |- |align="center"|[[File:StefanBogoridi2.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Stefan Bogoridi|Stephanos Vogoridis]] |align="center"|1775 |align="center"|1859 |align="center"|January 1833 |align="center"|1850 |align="center"| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|[[Alexandros Kallimachis]] |align="center"|1800 |align="center"|1876 |align="center"|1850 |align="center"|1854 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Ion Ghica.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Ion Ghica]] |align="center"|1817 |align="center"|1897 |align="center"|April 1854 |align="center"|1859 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Miltiadis Aristarchis, Prince of Samos.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Miltiadis Aristarchis]] |align="center"|1809 |align="center"|1893 |align="center"|1859 |align="center"|1866 |align="center"| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|[[Pavlos Mousouros]] |align="center"|1810 |align="center"|1876 |align="center"|1866 |align="center"|1873 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Georgios Georgiadis Cappadocia.JPG|80px]] |align="center"|[[Georgios Georgiadis (Prince of Samos)|Georgios Georgiadis]] (acting) |align="center"|1866 |align="center"| |align="center"|1873 |align="center"|1873 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Konstantinos Adosidis Pasha.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Konstantinos Adosidis]] |align="center"|1818 |align="center"|1895 |align="center"|1873 |align="center"|1874 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Konstantinos Fotiadis, Prince of Samos.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Konstantinos Photiadis]] |align="center"|1830 |align="center"|1897 |align="center"|1874 |align="center"|1879 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Konstantinos_Adosidis_Pasha.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Konstantinos Adosidis]] (again) |align="center"|1818 |align="center"|1895 |align="center"|4 March 1879 |align="center"|1885 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Каратодори.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Alexander Karatheodori Pasha|Alexandros Karatheodoris]] |align="center"|1833 |align="center"|1906 |align="center"|1885 |align="center"|1895 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Georgios Verovits, Prince of Samos.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Georgios Verovits]] |align="center"|1845 |align="center"| |align="center"|1895 |align="center"|1896 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Stephanos Mousouros, Prince of Samos.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Stephanos Mousouros]] |align="center"|1841 |align="center"|1906 |align="center"|July 1896 |align="center"|1899 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Vagiannis Konstantinos Cappadocia.JPG|80px]] |align="center"|[[Konstantinos Vagianis]] |align="center"|1846 |align="center"|1919 |align="center"|7 March 1899 |align="center"|1900 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Michail Grigoriadis, Prince of Samos.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Michail Grigoriadis]] |align="center"|1841 |align="center"| |align="center"|16 August 1900 |align="center"|1902 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Alexandros Mavrogentis.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Alexandros Mavrogenis]] |align="center"|1845 |align="center"|1929 |align="center"|12 March 1902 |align="center"|5 May 1904 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Ioannis Vithynos, Prince of Samos.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Ioannis Vithynos]] |align="center"|1847 |align="center"|1912 |align="center"|5 May 1904 |align="center"|1906 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Konstantinos Karatheodoris, Prince of Samos.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Konstantinos Karatheodoris]] |align="center"|1841 |align="center"|1922 |align="center"|July 1906 |align="center"|September 1907 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Georgios Georgiadis Cappadocia.JPG|80px]] |align="center"|[[Georgios Georgiadis (Prince of Samos)|Georgios Georgiadis]] |align="center"|1866 |align="center"| |align="center"|August 1907 |align="center"|January 1908 |align="center"| |- |align="center"|[[File:Andreas Kopasis, Prince of Samos.jpg|80px]] |align="center"|[[Andreas Kopasis]] |align="center"|1856 |align="center"|1912 |align="center"|January 1908 |align="center"|22 March 1912 |align="center"| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|[[Grigorios Vegleris]] |align="center"|1862 |align="center"|1948 |align="center"|April 1912 |align="center"|August 1912 |align="center"| |- |}

==Gallery== [[File:The flag of the Principality of Samos on November 3, 2022.jpg|thumb|Flag of the Principality of Samos from the [[National Historical Museum, Athens|National Historical Museum of Athens]]]] [[File:Arms of Samos (Maria Ghica-Sturdza's version).png|thumb|Coat of arms of Samos]] [[File:Carte poștală ilustrând Prinții de Samos.jpg|thumb|Illustration depicting the Princes of Samos from 1 January 1900]] [[File:Lieutenant of the Samian Gendarmerie.jpg|thumb|Lieutenant of the Samian Gendarmerie]] [[File:Samian Gendarmerie 1902.jpg|thumb|Samian Gendarmerie on a 1902 postal card]] [[File:Samian Gendarmerie on postal card.JPG|thumb|Samian Gendarmerie on a postal card]] [[File:Principality of Samos stamp with coat of arms.jpg|thumb|Stamp with the coat of arms of Samos]] [[File:Escutcheon of the Greek Consulate on Samos.jpg|thumb|[[Escutcheon (heraldry)|Escutcheon]] of the Greek Consulate on Samos]] [[File:Ottoman ship sunk Vathy 1912.jpg|thumb|The yacht "Ih Sanieh" of the Prince of Samos, scuttled and torpedoed on 4 Aprill 1912 during the [[Italo-Turkish War]]]] [[File:Samos, from Flags of All Nations, Series 2 (N10) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands MET DP841392.jpg|thumb|1890 cigarette advertisement depicting Samos]]

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==References== ;Attribution {{EB1911 |first=Edward Herbert |last=Bunbury |first2=Maximilian Otto Bismarck |last2=Caspari |first3=Ernest Arthur |last3=Gardner |wstitle=Samos|volume=24|pages=116–117}}

==External links== {{commons category|Principality of Samos}} * {{cite web | url = http://www.vathi.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=33 | script-title=el:Η Σάμος Αυτόνομη Ηγεμονία (1834-1912) | publisher = Municipality of Samos | access-date = 19 May 2012 |language=el}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samos, Principality of}} [[Category:Ottoman Greece]] [[Category:States and territories established in 1834]] [[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1912]] [[Category:Political history of Greece]] [[Category:History of Samos|Principality]] [[Category:Tributary states of the Ottoman Empire]]