Map of Cephalonia (© Road Publications)

As many archaeological finds prove, Cephalonia (also Kefalinia and Kefalonia) was initially inhabited in the Palaeolithic era. During the Mycenaean period (1500-1100 B.C.), Cephalonia was part of the kingdom ruled by Ulysses along with Ithaki, Zakynthos and Lefkada. During the Geometric period (1100-700 B.C.) the island was almost deserted. In the Classical period (480-323 B.C.), on the other hand, there were four city-states in the island: Pali, Krani, Sami and Pronni. During the Persian Wars, Pali sent 200 soldiers who fought at the Battle of Plataea. The people of Cephalonia managed to hold their ground against the Macedonians, but were later subjugated to the Romans (188 B.C.). Later, Cephalonia became part of the Byzantine Empire. It was in those years that the Castle of Agios Georgios was built to become the capital of the island. The Franks took over the island in 1815, the first one of the Ionian islands to be conquered by them, and thus the island passed from one Frankish ruler to the other. For a fifteen years interval to the Venetian rule (1485-1500), the Ottomans conquered the island. Finally, in 1809, after the Franks had come and gone (abolishing, in the meanwhile, the Venetian libro d’oro) along with the Russians and the Ottomans, the island came under British rule. The people of Cephalonia actively participated in the Greek War of Independence, fought against British rule, until, finally, in 1864, control of the island was handed over to the Greeks. In 1953, Cephalonia had to suffer the devastating earthquakes along with all the Ionian Islands.

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