Byzantine defences of Corfu

 We hired a car on Saturday to explore the island. The roads on Corfu are in reasonable condition, if narrow in places. The terrain is hilly, so travel times are slow. The biggest challenge is the poor mobile phone coverage and the limited traffic signs. Mrs Google took us on some unwanted diversions!

We started at the Ioannis Kapodistrias Museum, which is in the hills not far from our hotel. He was a 19th-century Greek statesman, politician, and diplomat, and the first governor of Greece after the war of independence. He was born in Corfu, although his family originates from the city of Capodistria (also called Koper) in Slovenia. He served in the Septinsular Republic after the Russians and Ottomans defeated the French on Corfu in 1799.  When the French returned, he entered the Russian diplomatic service, serving throughout Europe. In 1827, the newly formed Greek National Assembly elected him as the first head of state. Greek politics was severely split, and he was assassinated in 1831. It is a small but fascinating museum in one of the family's former homes.

The primary focus of the day was to visit the Byzantine castles, which were built to defend the island.

Outwith Corfu Town, there were three. The best is Kassiopi, a lovely fishing village located at the northeast tip of the island, just over the Corfu Channel from Albania. The first Byzantine castle may have been built in the 6th century AD, but the walls today are likely from a later period. It is a short walk up from the harbour to the entrance gate and walls. Nothing much is left of the interior. The Venetians made little use of it until the 18th century.

Our next stop was going to be Angelokastro on the north west coast, but this was where Google, or to be fair, the signal coverage, sent us on a diversion, so we only saw it from a distance. It was probably built after 1214 by Michael II Komnenos and was named after his father, Angelokastro. 

The final stop was Gardiki, in the south of the island. It was probably built either by Michael I Komnenos or his son Michael II Komnenos, rulers of the Despotate of Epirus in the 13th century, as part of their triangular defence of the island. It is built on a low hill, although overlooked by the nearby village, which seems a bit strange. It would have been fairly useless in the era of gunpowder. The outer walls are in reasonable condition, but nothing of the interior remains.

The Normans captured the island twice. First, in 1081, when Robert Guiscard captured the island to secure a base for his campaign against the Byzantine Empire. Roger II of Sicily returned to take the island in 1147 and held it for two years. Kassiopi was handy, with its small harbour and strategic position opposite Albania. This is the Corfu Channel with Albania in the background.

It wasn't the best castle hunt I have done, but they are worth a look. Anything to do with the Normans in the Balkans is good for me. This book by Georgios Theotokis effectively covers the campaigns. 

The Defences of Corfu Town

 I wrote a bit about the Ionian islands, and Corfu in particular, in my book, The Frontier Sea: The Napoleonic Wars in the Adriatic. However, this is the first time I have visited them, the only part of the Adriatic coast I haven't been to before.

The ancient name for Corfu was Corcyra. It was a significant ancient Greek city-state, renowned for its powerful navy and its pivotal role in trade and politics. This is commemorated in the archaeological museum in Corfu Town, which houses a collection of artefacts from the period, including those from the Roman occupation. 

During the Byzantine period, the island was part of a naval theme, although this didn't prevent the Goths from sacking the town. The Normans also used it as a staging post for their invasion of the Empire. The Byzantines built several castles, including one that is now located within the Old Fortress you can see today.

The Venetians had the most significant impact on the island when they took control around 1400. They developed the fortifications you can see today, including the Old Fortress and the New Fortress, built to defend the harbour. You have to visit to understand the strength of these fortifications. The outer walls are strong enough, but they are followed by two more with a moat and ditch, before you even face the citadel.

The fortifications withstood several Ottoman sieges, with the most notable ones occurring in 1537 and 1716. 

This is the view of the town from the top of the old fortress, with the new fortress rising above the port.

The French Republic gained Corfu as part of its capture of Venice. Napoleon wrote in his diary, ‘I think that henceforth the chief maxim of the French Republic should be never to give up Corfu, Zante, etc....With Malta and Corfu we should soon be masters of the Mediterranean.’ Writing to his brother Joseph, then King of Naples, he said, ‘Corfu is so important to me that its loss would deal a fatal blow to my plans. The Adriatic would be closed, and your kingdom would have on its left flank a port where the enemy could assemble to attack you. You must regard it as more valuable than Sicily. Mark my words: in the current situation in Europe the worst misfortune that can happen to me is to lose Corfu.’

It was the Russians with rare Ottoman support that eventually took the fortress. There are two small islands off the town, and they used Vido as a base for the final attack. A bombardment by eight hundred naval guns killed one-third of the six hundred French defenders and destroyed all their artillery. This was followed by the landing of 1,000 Russian troops in the north and 1,000 Ottoman soldiers in the west. Even though the attacks on the main fortress had failed, the French were short of supplies and asked for terms, which included their repatriation to Toulon. The siege is dramatised in the Russian 1953 film, Korabli shturmuyut bastion (Attack from the Sea), which I recommend watching on YouTube.

The Russians lost interest in the Mediterranean, and the islands reverted to French control. The British started an island-hopping campaign in 1810 but stopped short of Corfu. The British assessment of Corfu was that ‘French engineering during the last three years has rendered the fortress of Corfu impregnable to every power in Europe but Great Britain owing to her naval superiority.’ It would take a force of four or five thousand to capture it, which was not available.

The French abandoned Corfu in 1814, and the British took over as a protectorate, rather than a colony. They improved the defences during their fifty-year stay, before handing it over to the Greek Republic in 1864. There are graves of British troops from this period in the CWGC cemetery.

The British were back in WW1, as I covered in the last blog. The Italians and Germans occupied the island in WW2, and Vido Island was used as a concentration camp. 

In summary, while the island has had many different occupiers, few have managed to capture the fortresses of Corfu Town.

Back to the Harbiye Military Museum and Istanbul Wargaming

 I stopped off in Istanbul for a couple of nights on my way back from Moldova. I have been there several times, but you just cannot visit Istanbul without going to the Harbiye Military Museum. This is THE place in the world for everything Ottoman and Turkish Republic. There have been a few changes inside, but most of the outside exhibits are not on display, while a redevelopment takes place.

You can't miss the museum as you walk up from Taksim Square, as the Dardanelles gun outside is a massive structure. I gave my old pal a hand loading it. 😂

As last year marked the 50th anniversary of the Cyprus intervention, that is the subject of a special exhibition. Needless to say, that was of particular interest to me, although there is nothing new.

The huge diorama paintings are a feature of the museum.

They have several model dioramas, including this massive one of the Gallipoli landings.

The Scots are not forgotten, with this Claymore. The story of how it arrived in Turkey would be an interesting one. There were Scottish mercenaries in Transylvania during the Turkish wars of the relevant period.

I spent some time on the 18th-century weapons for my current project. There are lots.

The museum also has some of the strangest weapons I have seen.

Sadly, World War II is almost entirely forgotten, although this waxwork and uniform are new. I ruminated over uniform colours for the illustrations in my book on Turkey and World War II, although this officer is in a tailored uniform, and a clean one at that.

The Korean War is a project I need to revisit. The Turkish Brigade was one of the larger contingents and was rotated three times to give the army battlefield experience. They started with the British battledress and changed to the more practical US ones. They preferred the American helmet, but not the boots.

That was the morning. After lunch, my friend Onur took me on a tour of wargaming in Istanbul. That included his wargames club Karargâh (Headquarters in Turkish). They have an interesting model for a club. They rent a shop in a shopping centre, with room for five tables, and an overflow outside. They have a good collection of terrain and lockers for members to store their armies (it used to be a Yoga venue, hence the mirrors). Housing is expensive in Istanbul, so most people have limited space at home. We played a game of Trench Crusade, which I had not seen before. It is a skirmish-level fantasy game set in 1914, sort of. Simple mechanics and a fascinating lore. I threw an embarrassing number of sixes, but we still lost.

Most of the games played were fantasy, but they also play Bolt Action and Flames of War. Postage and import costs/paperwork mean they can only import small numbers of figures at a time. 

We took a look at a couple of gaming venues elsewhere in the city. Goblin Games is primarily a board game venue, and Pegasus has tables mostly for Games Workshop, which they also sell.

Dinner in Kadikoy and then back across the Bosphorus for a beer in Besiktas. Crossing two continents after dinner is cool in both senses of the word. Istanbul rates as one of my favourite cities. It has everything: history, good food, friendly people and incredible views.

Moldovan National History Museum - Chisinau

 This is the last museum I visited before heading to the airport. It had some poor reviews, which are unjustified. This is a fine museum by small country standards, in a lovely building.

The Dacians play a significant role in the early period of Moldavian history, and their archaeology is examined. 

This is a fine model of a 10th- to 11th-century fortification.

The weapons hall is the best part of the museum.

Starting with medieval times, the high point of Moldavia was under Stephan the Great.

You would not argue with the guys wielding these maces.

I took numerous photos of the 18th and early 19th-century uniforms and equipment for my current project, as well as a fine collection of battle maps and paintings.

Then the world wars of the 20th century. The later kit is in the military museum.

1917 Moldavian soldier

There is also an excellent bookshop, featuring a wide selection of English language books. Although my wife was not impressed with the trending title! 😂

So, ignore the online reviews; this is definitely worth a visit.