History of Kefalonia

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The island has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era. The first known inhabitants were people of the Lelegians, who inhabited the island from the fifteenth century B.C. The belonging of the Lelegians to the Indo-European or pre-Indo-European population of Greece is a subject of debate. To Homer the island was known as Sama or Samos (the modern town of Sami on the east coast bears the same name), but most likely it was little populated at that time. Homer mentions in the "List of Ships" in the "Iliad" the "Kephallenians". Already in the classical period the island was known by its present name, had a considerable population and four famous cities.

In October 1798, during the War of the Second Coalition, the detachment of Admiral F. F. Ushakov, during his triumphant Mediterranean campaign, knocked out the French garrison from Kefalonia, capturing 56 cannons of artillery. During Ushakov's rule over the Ionian Islands, internal turmoil broke out on Kefalonia because of the struggle between the warring parties. The Admiral wrote to the Kefalonians that in case the unrest continued, he would send the instigators to places "where even the crow will not carry your bones," which quickly ended the turmoil.

At the departure of the Russian fleet from the Ionian Islands to the Black Sea in 1800 Kefalonians, in gratitude, presented Ushakov a large gold medal with images of the admiral (inscription around it: "Valiant pious Feodor Ushakov, commander in chief of the Russian fleet. Navy"), the fortress of Corfu and the island of Vido, between which there are 2 French ships, and in front of Vido - 6 Russian ships (the inscription: "All the Ionian Islands savior Kefalonia").

In 1953, the island was significantly affected by an earthquake. All towns and most of the villages were destroyed, except for the northernmost settlement of Fiskardon.