marehist.gr
Enable Javascript to continue

Kefalonia

The island of Kefalonia has emerged as one of the most important maritime centres of the Greek seas. Its maritime and commercial presence dates back to the beginning of the 18th century and continues until today.



Through the research program PENED 2003 we aimed to a systematic and thorough research and study of the terms and conditions that enabled the island of Kefalonia to become one of the most important maritime centres of the Greek and Mediterranean seas, during the 18th and 19th century. The primary focus of our research was on the maritime and commercial history of Kefalonia during the period of the British occupation and protection of the island, which begins in 1809 and ends in 1864, when the island (along with the rest of the Ionian Islands) was ceded to the Greek Kingdom.
This page presents briefly the main findings of our research conducted, during the years2005-2009, at the Greek National Archives in Corfu, Kefalonia, Ithaca and Athens, as well as at the British National Archives in London.
More specifically, the following aspects of the maritime centre of Kefalonia are presented:
1. Concise history of the Kefalonian maritime centre;
2. Naval families;
3. Merchant fleet;
4. Seamen;
5. Voyages, maritime and commercial routes;
6. Archival material;
7. Selected bibliography;
8. Visual material of the Kefalonian maritime centre.


Section Contents

Concise History
Kefalonia: Concise maritime and political history

(Sources: a) Gelina Harlaftis, Helen Beneki and Manos Haritatos, Ploto, Greek shipowners from the late 18th century to the eve of WWII, ELIA/Niarchos Foundation, 2003 (in Greek and English) b) Panayiotis S. Kapetanakis, ‘The deep-sea going merchant fleet of the Seven Islands during the time of British conquest and protection and the Cephalonian prominence (1809/15-1864). Fleet and ports, cargoes and sea-routes, maritime centres and seamen, entrepreneurship and networks, society and shipowning elites,’ Ph.D. thesis, Dpt of History, Ionian University, typescript.)

Αναλυτικά


Maritime Families
During the 19th century, the merchants and shipowners of the Ionian island of Kefalonia have developed a significant activity in the area of trade and maritime transport. According to the recent research findings, the number of Kefalonian families engaged in maritime trade and shipowning exceeded 250. Here, we have chosen to present the most important of the above mentioned families; more precisely the families of:
1. Athanasoulis
2. Ambatielos
3. Vaglianos
4. Vergottis
5. Gianoulatos
6. Luzis
7. Lykiardopoulos
8. Metaxas
9. Potamianos
10. Svoronos
11. Tsitselis
12. Fokas

(Sources: a) Gelina Harlaftis, Helen Beneki and Manos Haritatos, Ploto, Greek shipowners from the late 18th century to the eve of WWII, ELIA/Niarchos Foundation, 2003 (in Greek and English) b) Nicolaos B. Μetaxas , The Mariners of Kefalonia and Ithaca. Biographies for 600 mariners (1850-1970), E.M.E.IS, Athens 2002.c) • Panayiotis S. Kapetanakis, ‘The deep-sea going merchant fleet of the Seven Islands during the time of British conquest and protection and the Cephalonian prominence (1809/15-1864). Fleet and ports, cargoes and sea-routes, maritime centres and seamen, entrepreneurship and networks, society and shipowning elites,’ Ph.D. thesis, Dpt of History, Ionian University, typescript.)

Αναλυτικά


Maritime Companies
Short description-summary of the content of the page in english.

Αναλυτικά


Shipyards
Short description-summary of the content of the page in english.

Αναλυτικά


Merchant Fleet
The emergence of Kefalonia as the main maritime centre of the – under British protection – United States of the Ionian Islands, and, in general, of the Ionian Sea (during the 19th century), was based on the strong growth of her deep-sea sailing commercial vessels. The Kefalonian fleet, according to the findings of the most recent archival research and compared to the fleets of the other Ionian Islands, was not only numerically dominant, but in terms of capacity as well.

(Sources: (a) Odysseus, Ionian Maritime History Database, 1810-1864∙ (b) Kapetanakis, Panayiotis S., ‘The deep-sea going merchant fleet of the Seven Islands during the time of British conquest and protection and the Cephalonian prominence (1809/15-1864). Fleet and ports, cargoes and sea-routes, maritime centres and seamen, entrepreneurship and networks, society and shipowning elites,’ Ph.D. thesis, Dpt of History, Ionian University, Corfu 2010 typescript. (http://phdtheses.ekt.gr/ead d/handle/10442/18428) (in Greek); (c) Harlaftis, Gelina, with Vlassopoulos Nikos, Pontoporeia, Historical Registry Books of Greek cargo sailing ships and steamships, 1830-1939, E.L.I.A./Niarchos Foundation, Athens 2002 (in Greek)).

Αναλυτικά


Seamen
During the 19th and 20th centuries, the emergence of the island of Kefalonia as an important maritime centre of the Greek and non-Greek seas had a direct impact on the size and quality of the Kefalonian maritime population. Shipping was now for the Kefalonian people one of the most important and vital economic activities; an activity offering them the possibility not only of a partial or total disengagement from the land cultivation, but of a direct, open and fruitful communication with the developing European world.

(Sources: (a) Odysseus, Ionian Maritime History Database, 1810-1864∙ (b) Kapetanakis, Panayiotis S., ‘The deep-sea going merchant fleet of the Seven Islands during the time of British conquest and protection and the Cephalonian prominence (1809/15-1864). Fleet and ports, cargoes and sea-routes, maritime centres and seamen, entrepreneurship and networks, society and shipowning elites,’ Ph.D. thesis, Dpt of History, Ionian University, Corfu 2010 typescript. (http://phdtheses.ekt.gr/ead d/handle/10442/18428) (in Greek); (c) Harlaftis, Gelina, with Vlassopoulos Nikos, Pontoporeia, Historical Registry Books of Greek cargo sailing ships and steamships, 1830-1939, E.L.I.A./Niarchos Foundation, Athens 2002 (in Greek)).

Αναλυτικά


Voyages
The emergence of Kefalonia as the main maritime centre of the Greek and non-Greek seas (during the 19th century), was actually based on the strong growth of her deep-sea sailing commercial fleet; a commercial fleet that used to cross the Mediterranean from the Black Sea coasts towards all major ports of Eastern, Central and Western Mediterranean. These thousands of commercial voyages allowed the Ionian and, especially, the Kefalonian fleet to become one of the main players of the Mediterranean and Black Sea grain transit trade of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

(Sources: (a) Odysseus, Ionian Maritime History Database, 1810-1864∙ (b) Kapetanakis, Panayiotis S., ‘The deep-sea going merchant fleet of the Seven Islands during the time of British conquest and protection and the Cephalonian prominence (1809/15-1864). Fleet and ports, cargoes and sea-routes, maritime centres and seamen, entrepreneurship and networks, society and shipowning elites,’ Ph.D. thesis, Dpt of History, Ionian University, Corfu 2010 typescript. (http://phdtheses.ekt.gr/ead d/handle/10442/18428) (in Greek)).

Αναλυτικά


Records
Kefalonia: Records: Short description-summary of the content of the page in english.

Αναλυτικά


Bibliography
A large number of Greek and non-Greek books have been published about the maritime and economic history of the Ionian Islands and of the island of Kefalonia, as well. Here, we have chosen to present some of the most important monographs and articles in edited volumes and journals dealing with the maritime history of the Ionian Islands, during the period from early 18th to late 20st century.

Αναλυτικά


Visual Material
The emergence of the island of Kefalonia as one of the main maritime centres of the Ionian and Aegean Seas could be read by “traversing” the rich archival material, published and unpublished, relating to Kefalonian, maritime history of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. However, and apart from the archival material, there are a lot of photographs and pictures that accurately capture the richness of the Kefalonian, maritime history and tradition of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Αναλυτικά