History
Lefkada is also known with the name Amaxiki, from various Venetian documents. Its history begins around 8000 B.C. when then its residents were named Leleges. Leleges were a pre Hellenic race, conquered by Laertis, Odysseus’ father, and as many historical books report, from the Kefallonians as well. The well known archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld considers Nidri, a settlement in the Eastern Lefkada, to be Homer’s Ithaca.
Lefkada took its name from the southern cape of the island, Lefkatas, which in the old days was named white end or white stone, as it is known from many historical books that speak about the island. It is also believed that Sappho, the lyric poet, committed suicide from Lefkata’s, because she had a broken heart after her lover, Faonas, was slaughtered for adultery. The rock is connected with more suicides of that period, since mythology says that those who wanted to forget their love fell from up there. This quality was attributed to the rock because the father of the Gods, Zeus, used to relax up there amid his love adventures. People named this rock “to pidima tis kyras” (the lady’s leap).
It is mention in history that the people of Lefkada sent 3 ships for Salamina’s naval fight in 460 B.C. and 800 soldiers in the battle of Plataies. In 314 B.C. the island was conquered by Kassandros and after being freed it was again conquered by the Romans in 197 B.C. Lefkada was united with the Akarnanian beach until the Corinthians built their isthmus, in the 7th century B.C., who together with the people of Corfu killed the Akarnans in order to subjugate the island. In 1204 A.D. the island passed in the hands of the Venetians and in 1477 in the hands of the Ottomans, until 1684 that became occupied by the Venetian Mozorini. The contribution of the islander to the Greek revolution of 1821 was huge and the island was finally united with Greece in 1864 after the allowance of the British. That year all Ionian Islands became Greek.
The center of Lefkada characterizes its peculiar past and the passing of many civilizations from there. The island became known after Onassis bought Scorpios that directed a lot of publicity in the quiet up to then island of Lefkada. Many characterize it as the island of poets and justified of course, as Angelos Sikelianos was from there as well as Aristotle Valaoritis was from the small island opposite Lefkada, Madouri.
Moreover the national poet of Japan Lefkadios Hern, also known as Giakoumo Koizoumi, was born there in 1850. The leading lyric artist Agni Baltsa, the internationally famous painter Theodoros Stamos, the historian Nikolaos Svoronos and many others come from Lefkada.
