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History
Excavations reveal Kefalonia to have been inhabited since prehistoric times. Its name came from the mythical King Cephalus. In the 2nd century BC the Romans arrived on the island, using it as a naval base from which to take over the whole of Greece, and as a place where rich and powerful Romans lived for many years.
In Byzantine times it was the centre of the Thema (province) of Cephallenia, and together with the other islands of the Ionian defended Greece from the West against the Arabs. From the 12th century it was ruled by the Franks. The island became part of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 14th century, but remained so only for a few years.
In 1500 Kefalonia was captured by the Venetians, who remained there until 1797, when it was occupied by French Republicans. Together with local people, they gathered together on Liberty Square in Argostoli, which had been the capital of the island since 1757, and set fire to the Venetian Libro d’Oro (or “Golden Book”), a list of the local nobility. In this way they demonstrated their opposition to class distinctions.
In 1800 the Septinsular Republic was founded, but lasted only 7 years. In 1809, Kefalonia became a British protectorate and in 1864, along with the other Ionian islands, part of the Greek state. The island’s suffering continued in World War II, but the coup de grace came in 1953, when a massive earthquake destroyed much of Kefalonia, along with Ithaca, Zakynthos and Lefkada.
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