Cephalonia and the Greek Revolution

In March 1822, at age thirty-nine, Napier went back to the Adriatic as Resident of the island of Cephalonia. Although he remained subject to Maitland’s overall supervision, he was the de facto governor of the island. ¹ Maitland ran Corfu directly, but he appointed Residents like Napier to govern the other islands making up the Septinsular Republic. Within Cephalonia Napier had full civil and military authority. But his appointment came with a warning. Maitland’s deputy, Frederick Adam, told him that his impetuousness and the violence of his temper might cause trouble now that he was in a responsible position. This Napier chose to read not as a complaint about his personality but about his opinions. As he wrote to his mother, ‘This is the first time I ever heard of my violence in politics except from Tories, who call everyone violent who don’t agree with them.’ ²