United States of the Ionian Islands took Lefkada in 1810. The island of Corfu remained occupied by the French until 1814. The Congress of Vienna agreed to place the Ionian Islands under the exclusive "amical protection" of the United Kingdom. Despite British military administration, the Austrian Empire was guaranteed commercial status equal to the UK. The arrangement was formalised with the ratification of the "Maitland constitution" on 26 August 1817, which created a federation of the seven islands, with Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Maitland its first "Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands". The Party of Radicals (Greek: Κόμμα των Ριζοσπαστών) founded in 1848 was against the
Proti Island Proti Island Proti Island of Messenia (Πρώτη Μεσσηνίας) is an island in the Ionian Sea, on the west coast of the Peloponnese; it is counted as one of the Ionian Islands, though administratively, it is part of the municipality of Gargalianoi, in the regional unit of Messenia. The 2001 census reported a population of four inhabitants. The name of the island derives from the ancient sea god Proteus, son of Poseidon. The island was mentioned by ancient writers. The first reference of the island was in the history of Thukydides who refers that in 426 B.C. the Athenian fleet sailed