A Brief History of Corfu

Close to the western coast of Greece and washed by the clear waters of the Ionian Sea, Corfu is a popular holiday destination for people from all over the world. While Greece has thousands of islands, Corfu in particular has had a difficult history and has been under numerous dominations overtime.

Today, Corfu is an island with a unique character and its hospitality will most likely make the difference. It is one of the most diversified islands in Greece, providing activities and landmarks for everyone – from history, culture and an old town to beaches, bars and restaurants.

Corfiot Legends

Corfu may have been conquered by many nations in the past, but its history is linked to the ancient times of Greece. It is said Odysseus ended up shipwrecked in Scheria – the ancient name for Corfu. However, Athena took pity on him and decided to do something about it.

She sent Princess Nausicca and some handmaidens over to launder clothes. They started playing around, but their voices woke Odysseus up. Handmaidens disappeared, while the princess stayed to hear the unusual story.

She then urged the Phaeacian king to help the lost traveller. Finding out who he was, the king helped him by arranging transportation by ship. Odysseus was back to Ithaca by the next day, but Poseidon was not very happy about it, so he turned the ship into stone as it came back to Paleokastritsa.

Conquering destinies

The Corfu history is tumultuous. Dorians were the first settlers. They came from Corinth and arrived in the eighth century BC. Over the next centuries, more countries and tribes fought over Corfu, mostly because its location – ideal for all kinds of trade.

Corfu became part of the Roman Empire in 336 AD, which later on turned into the Byzantine Empire. It lasted for a while, but the empire broke into more groups eventually, so Corfu’s fate and future were again unknown.

Various groups associated with the Byzantine Empire settled in before the island became part of the Republic of Venice in 1386. Venetians had a major impact over the architecture and culture of the island. They built more fortresses, planted olive trees everywhere and turned it into a wealthy power.

Napoleon liberated Corfu in 1797, but it did not last long. A few years later, the Russian and Turkish forces took it over. The island went under the Ottoman rule for about 10 years, until Alexander I of Russia gave it back to Napoleon.

Corfu gained its independence in 1815, soon after the fall of Napoleon. The British took it over for a while though, but the influence did not last too long. In 1864, the island joined the Kingdom of Greece, after the British gave it up along with other islands in the Ionian Sea.

Culture and influences

These days, many things related to Corfu look more Italian than Greek, mostly because of the successful Venetian times. It was a wealthy and powerful island, while the architecture and culture today openly display the Venetian influence.

Corfu’s Greek name is Kerkyra, which is said to come from Korkyra – a beautiful nymph who Poseidon fell in love with. He gave her name to an island, which eventually evolved to Kerkyra. The two had a child – Phaiax. Therefore, inhabitants were known as Phaiakes or Phaeacians.

The name of Corfu was given later on and its origins are not perfectly clear. Some say it comes from an Italian word – korypho, which relates to peaks. On the same note, the word is also related to the Greek word koryphai, which has the same meaning.