Islands in a 'State of Emergency'. Ionian Neutrality and Martial Law During the Greek Revolution.

The article examines British colonial governance and emergency measures in the British Protectorate of the Ionian Islands, particularly Corfu, during the Greek Revolution (1821–1831). It highlights how British authorities declared strict neutrality and imposed martial law to suppress revolutionary sympathies among the islanders, often using harsh measures such as disarmament, public executions, and property confiscations. The British administration, led by High Commissioner Sir Thomas Maitland, operated with broad authoritarian powers, shaped by imperial anxieties and suspicions—especially regarding Russian influence and the role of Ionian elites like Ioannis Capodistrias. These emergency policies not only intensified tensions between the British and the local population but also became integrated into the islands' legal and political framework, reflecting broader patterns of colonial state-building and imperial control in the early 19th century.