The date is 31 July 1628. We are in the Ionian Islands, under Venetian rule. Society is divided into three distinct classes: the nobili (nobles), the civili (bourgeois), and the popolari (commoners).
History recalls the enforcement of the Venetian regime’s Libro d’Oro—the “Golden Book”—a system that enshrined the privileges of the ruling elite. In the summer of 1628, rebellion erupted, a cry of defiance from the oppressed lower classes against a regime of systemic injustice.
In this episode, we delve into the deeper causes and immediate triggers of the uprising, the figures who took part—whether openly or from the shadows—and the fate that ultimately befell the revolt.
It stands as a landmark episode in the history of Zakynthos and Greece at large, emblematic not only of popular discontent but of the earliest attempts to upend a social order rigged in favor of the few.
Research & Presentation: Nikolas Angelidis
Production: Lida Sidiropoulou