Peloponnesian Senate

The Peloponnesian Senate (Greek Πελοποννησιακή Γερουσία, Peloponnisiakí Gerousia ) or Senate of the whole people of the provinces of the Peloponnesus (Greek Γερουσία όλου του Δήμου των επαρχιών της Πελοποννήσου, Gerousia Olou tou Dimou ton Eparchión tis Peloponnisou ), was a body that at the beginning of the Greek War of Independence provisional government took power in the Peloponnese.

History

On March 25, 1821 a few days after the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence, the rebels of the southern Peloponnese, led by the Maniots gathered in Kalamata and called as the first governing body the Messinian Senate. As the uprising in Greece spread, invited the leader of the Messinian Senate, Petros Mavromichalis, commonly called " Petrobey ", 34 notables as representative of the whole Peloponnese to a meeting in the monastery Kaltetza. There, the " Senate of the whole people of the provinces of the Peloponnese " was constituted on 26 May 1821 commonly known as " Peloponnesian Senate " or " Senate Kaltetza " ( Γερουσία των Καλτετζών ) as the provisional government of the revolutionaries of the Peloponnese.

Its members were not elected representatives, but notables and some church leaders and military.

As chairman was Theodoritos II, Bishop of Vresthena selected. Theodoritos, born in 1787 in Nemnitsa (now Methydrio ) in Arcadia, was since 1813 Bishop of Vresthena; he was previously active as a supporter of Filiki Eteria for the cause of Greek independence. As secretary of the Senate acted Palamidis Rigas, who was one of the most important politicians of the later Greek state.

The Peloponnesian Senate worked as both legislative and executive body. On May 27, 1821 Senate moved its headquarters into the Chrysopigi monastery in Stemnitsa.

However, it soon began to compete between the Senate and Dimitrios Ypsilanti, in Greece claimed the lead role as representative of his brother Alexander Ypsilanti and doubted the legitimacy represented in the Senate notables. Reluctantly, the Senate accepted initially Dimitrios Ypsilanti as commander in chief. The disputes over the leadership Ypsilanti ', the support especially simple farmers found and relied on the military organizations of Armatoles, were fought bitterly and did not get on the establishment of a civil administration.

After taking Tripolitsa, capital of the Peloponnese, in September, the term of office of the Senate should end as agreed, whereupon especially Ypsilanti urged during the Peloponnesian notables striving for an extension. At a meeting in Argos, which met in parallel to the first National Assembly at Epidaurus in December 1821, the constituent document of the Senate was created on December 15, 1821, contained the elements of a constitution. Ypsilanti had lost influence, especially since now the news came of the defeat of Alexander Ypsilanti in the Danubian principalities. The National Assembly accepted the Senate as the regional, the central government under its administration. The supreme command of the military units in the Peloponnese was transferred to Theodoros Kolokotronis.

The Peloponnesian Senate was directed in February 1822 in a Tripolitsa. The Senate continued its existence ( with Palamidis as President from February 1822) continued until it was dissolved by the Second National Assembly at Astros in April 1823 as well as the incumbent in Western Greece Senate of the western mainland Greece and the Arios Pagos, of his in Salona had seat and the eastern mainland Greece managed.