In ancient times, Corfu was a colony of ancient Corinth. This colony was one of the causes for beginning the Peloponnesian War. Later, the island became a part of the Roman Empire. It was also a part of the Byzantine Empire. The island has been controlled by many countries. In the thirteenth century, the Venetians took control of the island. They controlled it until 1797. During this time, the Ottomans attacked the island two times. They attacked in 1537 and again in 1716. Under Napoleon's rule, the French took the island. They lost control of it to the Russians and Turks in 1799. Control of the island was given back to the French in 1807 and in 1815 to the English. In 1864, the United Kingdom gave Corfu, with the other Ionian islands, to Greece. In the nineteenth century, the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sissi, built a palace on the island. The palace is known as Achilleion. The name of the palace comes from a statue of an ancient hero, Achilles.