Principality of Samos

Principality of Samos Sisam İmâreti (Ottoman Turkish) Ηγεμονία της Σάμου (Greek)
1834–1912
Flag Coat of arms
Location of the Principality of Samos
Status	Autonomous state under Ottoman suzerainty
Capital	Chora, later Vathy
Common languages	Greek
Religion	Greek Orthodoxy Sunni Islam
Government	Principality
Prince of Samos
• 1834–1850 (first)	Stefan Bogoridi
• 1912 (last)	Grigorios Vegleris
Legislature	Assembly of Samos
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Chamber of Deputies
History
• Established	1834
• Official act of Union with Greece	1912
Preceded by Succeeded by Military-Political System of Samos Kingdom of Greece
Today part of	Greece

The Principality of Samos (Greek: Ηγεμονία της Σάμου, Igemonía tis Sámou; Ottoman Turkish: Sisam İmâreti; Turkish: Sisam Beyliği) was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire from 1834 to 1912. The island of Samos had participated in the Greek War of Independence since 1821 and had successfully resisted several Ottoman and Egyptian attempts to occupy it, but it was not included within the boundaries of the newly independent Greek state. Instead in 1834 the island was granted self-governance as a semi-independent state.

Tributary to the Ottoman Empire, forced to pay annual sum of £2700, it was to be governed by a Prince of Christian Greek descent, but nominated by the Sublime Porte. The Prince was to be assisted in his function as chief executive by a Senate composed of 4 members. These members were chosen by the Prince out of eight candidates nominated by the four districts of the island: Vathy, Chora, Marathokampos, and Karlovasi. The actual legislative power belonged to a chamber of 36 deputies, presided over by the Greek-Orthodox Metropolitan. The seat of the government was the port city of Vathy.

Portrait depicting the appointment of Ion Ghica as Prince of Samos

Variant of the Coat of Arms of Samos ca. 1860-1880

With the outbreak of the First Balkan War, Themistoklis Sofoulis landed on the island with a group of exiled Samians and swiftly took control: the Ottoman garrison withdrew to Anatolia, and on 24 November 1912, the island's parliament officially declared Enosis with Greece. The unification took place officially on 2 March 1913.