# Principality of Samos

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Principality_of_Samos
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Principality_of_Samos.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Samos
> Source revision: 1353220577
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire from 1834 to 1912

You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Greek. (April 2026) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must follow the LLM translation guideline, revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Greek Wikipedia article at [[:el:Ηγεμονία της Σάμου]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template {{Translated|el|Ηγεμονία της Σάμου}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Principality of Samos Sisam İmâreti (Ottoman Turkish) Ηγεμονία της Σάμου (Greek) 1834–1912 Flag Coat of arms Location of the Principality of Samos Status Autonomous state under Ottoman suzerainty Capital Chora, later Vathy Common languages Greek Religion Greek Orthodoxy, Sunni Islam Government Principality Prince of Samos • 1834–1850 (first) Stefan Bogoridi • 1912 (last) Grigorios Vegleris Legislature Assembly of Samos • Upper house Senate • Lower house Chamber of Deputies History • Established 1834 • Official act of Union with Greece 1912 Preceded by Succeeded by Military-Political System of Samos Kingdom of Greece Today part of Greece

The **Principality of Samos** ([Greek](/source/Greek_language): Ηγεμονία της Σάμου, *Igemonía tis Sámou*; [Ottoman Turkish](/source/Ottoman_Turkish_language): *Sisam İmâreti*;[1] [Turkish](/source/Turkish_language): *Sisam Beyliği*) was an autonomous tributary state of the [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire) from 1834 to 1912. The island of [Samos](/source/Samos) had participated in the [Greek War of Independence](/source/Greek_War_of_Independence) since 1821 and had successfully resisted several Ottoman and [Egyptian](/source/History_of_Egypt_under_the_Muhammad_Ali_dynasty) attempts to occupy it, but it was not included within the boundaries of the newly independent [Greek state](/source/Kingdom_of_Greece). 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 [£](/source/Pound_(currency))2700, it was to be governed by a Prince of Christian Greek descent, but nominated by the [Sublime Porte](/source/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](/source/Vathy%2C_Samos), Chora, [Marathokampos](/source/Marathokampos), and [Karlovasi](/source/Karlovasi). The actual legislative power belonged to a chamber of 36 deputies, presided over by the [Greek-Orthodox](/source/Greek_Orthodox_Church) Metropolitan. The seat of the government was the port city of Vathy.[2]

Portrait depicting the appointment of [Ion Ghica](/source/Ion_Ghica) as Prince of Samos

Variant of the Coat of Arms of Samos ca. 1860-1880

With the outbreak of the [First Balkan War](/source/First_Balkan_War), [Themistoklis Sofoulis](/source/Themistoklis_Sofoulis) landed on the island with a group of exiled Samians and swiftly took control: the Ottoman garrison withdrew to [Anatolia](/source/Anatolia), and on 24 November 1912, the island's parliament officially declared *[Enosis](/source/Enosis)* with Greece. The unification took place officially on 2 March 1913.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## History

Main article: [History of Samos](/source/History_of_Samos)

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding missing information. (April 2026)

Stamp issued by the Government of Samos, overprinted ELLAS in December 1912

During the [Greek War of Independence](/source/Greek_War_of_Independence) Samos formed its own [autonomous administration](/source/Military-Political_System_of_Samos) under the leadership of [Lykourgos Logothetis](/source/Lykourgos_Logothetis). Following the [burning of the Ottoman flagship](/source/Burning_of_the_Ottoman_flagship_off_Chios) by [Konstantinos Kanaris](/source/Konstantinos_Kanaris) and the successes of the [Hydriots](/source/Hydra_(island)) 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](/source/Treaty_of_Constantinople_(1832)) and the [London Conference](/source/London_Conference_of_1832) 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](/source/Sublime_Porte), who bore the title of "Prince of Samos", but was supported by a Greek council and assembly.[3]

The capital of the island was, until the early 20th century, a place called Chora, about 2 miles (3.2 km) away from the shore, but after the changes in Samos' political condition, the capital was transferred to [Vathy](/source/Vathy%2C_Samos), 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.[3]

Image of [Stephanos Mousouros](/source/Stephanos_Mousouros) taking the oath of office as Prince of Samos

The authors of the "Samos" article in the [*Encyclopædia Britannica* Eleventh Edition](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_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.[2] 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](/source/Ikaria). In 1900 there were 634 foreigners on the island (523 Greek citizens, 13 Germans, 29 French, 28 Austrians and 24 of other nationalities).[2]

Men of the Princely [Gendarmerie](/source/Gendarmerie) of Samos in 1899

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](/source/Andreas_Kopasis), asked for the intervention of the [Ottoman military](/source/Military_of_the_Ottoman_Empire). The ensuing riots left several dead. With the outbreak of the [First Balkan War](/source/First_Balkan_War), [Themistoklis Sofoulis](/source/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 [Governor](/source/Ministry_of_Macedonia_and_Thrace) of [Macedonia](/source/Macedonia_(Greece)).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## List of Princes of Samos

Portrait Name Birth Death From Until Notes Stephanos Vogoridis 1775 1859 January 1833 1850 Alexandros Kallimachis 1800 1876 1850 1854 Ion Ghica 1817 1897 April 1854 1859 Miltiadis Aristarchis 1809 1893 1859 1866 Pavlos Mousouros 1810 1876 1866 1873 Georgios Georgiadis (acting) 1866 1873 1873 Konstantinos Adosidis 1818 1895 1873 1874 Konstantinos Photiadis 1830 1897 1874 1879 Konstantinos Adosidis (again) 1818 1895 4 March 1879 1885 Alexandros Karatheodoris 1833 1906 1885 1895 Georgios Verovits 1845 1895 1896 Stephanos Mousouros 1841 1906 July 1896 1899 Konstantinos Vagianis 1846 1919 7 March 1899 1900 Michail Grigoriadis 1841 16 August 1900 1902 Alexandros Mavrogenis 1845 1929 12 March 1902 5 May 1904 Ioannis Vithynos 1847 1912 5 May 1904 1906 Konstantinos Karatheodoris 1841 1922 July 1906 September 1907 Georgios Georgiadis 1866 August 1907 January 1908 Andreas Kopasis 1856 1912 January 1908 22 March 1912 Grigorios Vegleris 1862 1948 April 1912 August 1912

## Gallery

Flag of the Principality of Samos from the [National Historical Museum of Athens](/source/National_Historical_Museum%2C_Athens)

Coat of arms of Samos

Illustration depicting the Princes of Samos from 1 January 1900

Lieutenant of the Samian Gendarmerie

Samian Gendarmerie on a 1902 postal card

Samian Gendarmerie on a postal card

Stamp with the coat of arms of Samos

[Escutcheon](/source/Escutcheon_(heraldry)) of the Greek Consulate on Samos

The yacht "Ih Sanieh" of the Prince of Samos, scuttled and torpedoed on 4 Aprill 1912 during the [Italo-Turkish War](/source/Italo-Turkish_War)

1890 cigarette advertisement depicting Samos

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-YoungV1p113_1-0)** Young, George (1905). *[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](/source/Corps_de_droit_ottoman%3B_recueil_des_codes%2C_lois%2C_r%C3%A8glements%2C_ordonnances_et_actes_les_plus_importants_du_droit_int%C3%A9rieur%2C_et_d'%C3%A9tudes_sur_le_droit_coutumier_de_l'Empire_ottoman)* (in French). Vol. 1. [Clarendon Press](/source/Clarendon_Press). p. [113](https://archive.org/details/corpsdedroitott01turkgoog/page/n142).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBunburyCaspariGardner1911116_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBunburyCaspariGardner1911116_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBunburyCaspariGardner1911116_2-2) [Bunbury, Caspari & Gardner 1911](#CITEREFBunburyCaspariGardner1911), p. 116.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBunburyCaspariGardner1911117_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBunburyCaspariGardner1911117_3-1) [Bunbury, Caspari & Gardner 1911](#CITEREFBunburyCaspariGardner1911), p. 117.

## References

**Attribution**

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the [public domain](/source/Public_domain): Bunbury, Edward Herbert; Caspari, Maximilian Otto Bismarck; Gardner, Ernest Arthur (1911). "[Samos](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Samos)". In [Chisholm, Hugh](/source/Hugh_Chisholm) (ed.). *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition)*. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 116–117.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Principality of Samos](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Principality_of_Samos).

- [Η Σάμος Αυτόνομη Ηγεμονία (1834-1912)](http://www.vathi.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=33) (in Greek). Municipality of Samos. Retrieved 19 May 2012.

v t e Ottoman Greece Ethnarchy Rum Millet Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople People Ottoman Greeks Greek Muslims Phanariotes Dragomans Klephts Proestoi Major centres Cities: Patras Thessaloniki Ioannina Missolonghi Tripolizza Larissa Islands: Chios Hydra Spetses Division Rumelia Eyalet Ioannina Eyalet Salonica Eyalet Morea Eyalet Eyalet of the Archipelago Janina Vilayet Salonica Vilayet Vilayet of the Archipelago Ottoman Crete Sanjaks Sanjak of Kavala Sanjak of Drama Sanjak of Salonica Sanjak of Tirhala Sanjak of Eğriboz Sanjak of Ioannina Sanjak of Preveza Sanjak of Inebahti Karli-Eli Sanjak of Nakşa Berre Sanjak of Sakız Sanjak of Rhodes Autonomies Principality of Samos (1834) Cretan State (1898) Military Ottoman Armatoles Klephts Outside the Empire Iacob Heraclid Stratioti Greek Battalion of Balaklava Lambros Katsonis Greek Legion Albanian Regiment 1st Regiment Greek Light Infantry Alexandros Ypsilantis Wars/Battles Ottoman conquest Thrace Thessalonica Constantinople Morea Lesbos 1st Ottoman–Venetian War Negroponte 2nd Ottoman–Venetian War Preveza 3rd Ottoman–Venetian War 4th Ottoman–Venetian War Lepanto 5th Ottoman–Venetian War (Cretan War) Candia 6th Ottoman–Venetian War (Morean War) 7th Ottoman–Venetian War Morea Corfu Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) Orlov Revolt Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarja Souliote wars Greek War of Independence Morea expedition Epirus Revolt of 1854 Cretan Revolt (1866–1869) Cretan Revolt (1897–1898) Greco-Turkish War (1897) Macedonian Struggle First Balkan War Influence on culture Orthodoxy in Greece (1453–1821) Greek folk music Rebetiko Greek cuisine Modern Greek Enlightenment People: Rigas Feraios Eugenios Voulgaris Anthimos Gazis Theophilos Kairis Schools: Kaplaneios School Athonite Academy Evangelical School of Smyrna New Academy (Moscopole) Monuments Alaca Imaret Mosque Aslan Pasha Mosque Bey Hamam Çelebi Sultan Mehmed Mosque Fethiye Mosque (Athens) Fethiye Mosque (Ioannina) Hafiz Ahmed Agha Library Karipeion Melathron Osman Shah Mosque Tzistarakis Mosque White Tower of Thessaloniki Yeni Mosque, Thessaloniki Greeks outside the Empire Communities: London Venice Trieste Marseille Livorno Odesa Vienna Bucharest Alexandria Schools: Flanginian School Princely Academy of Bucharest

v t e Administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire c. 1365 – 1867 (eyalets) Africa Algiers Egypt Muhammad Ali dynasty Habesh Zeila Tripolitania Tunis Anatolia Adana Aidin Anatolia Ankara Childir Diyarbekir Dulkadir Erzurum Hüdavendigâr Karaman Kars Kastamonu Kurdistan Rum Trebizond Van Europe Adrianople Archipelago Bosnia Budin Crete Egir Herzegovina Kanije Kefe Morea Niš Podolia Rumelia Salonica Silistra Temeşvar Uyvar Varat Widdin Yanina Levant Aleppo Cyprus Damascus Jerusalem Sidon Mount Lebanon Tripoli Arabia Yemen Lahsa Mesopotamia Baghdad (Mamluk of Iraq) Mosul Basra Rakka Shahrizor 1867–1922 (vilayets and mutasarrıfates) Africa Tripolitania Anatolia Adana Aidin Angora (Ankara) Archipelago Bitlis Constantinople (Istanbul) Diyarbekir Erzurum Hüdavendigâr Kastamonu Konya Mamuret-ul-Aziz Sivas Trebizond (Trabzon) Van Europe Adrianople (Edirne) Bosnia Constantinople Crete Danube East Rumelia Janina Kosovo Manastir Salonica Scutari Levant Aleppo Beirut Mount Lebanon Syria Jerusalem Arabia Hejaz Yemen Mesopotamia Baghdad Mosul Basra Vassals and autonomies Vassals Cossack Hetmanate Ottoman Ukraine Crimean Khanate Khanate of Kazan Principality of Moldavia Sharifate of Mecca Republic of Ragusa Serbian Despotate Duchy of Syrmia Principality of Transylvania Principality of Wallachia Principality of Romania Principality of Serbia Principality of Bulgaria Kingdom of Imereti Septinsular Republic Sultanate of Aceh Principality of Guria Principality of Svaneti Principality of Mingrelia Principality of Abkhazia Samtskhe-Saatabago Mount Lebanon Emirate Autonomies Cretan State Khedivate of Egypt Kurdish emirates Mamluk of Iraq Eastern Rumelia Principality of Samos

[37°44′00″N 26°59′00″E / 37.7333°N 26.9833°E / 37.7333; 26.9833](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Principality_of_Samos&params=37.7333_N_26.9833_E_source:wikidata)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Principality of Samos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Samos) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Samos?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.