AH Challenge: Independent Ionian Islands

Have the Brits hold on to them for much longer. By the time they start pulling out of their bases, the Ionians don't feel quite as much affinity for the mainland Greeks and so go it alone as a Commonwealth Realm.
 
Well, you could have the islands become a sort of Western-backed Qemoy-Matsu/Taiwan analogue if the Communists take over Greece after WWII, and they decide to revive the old name after seceding.

Interesting.

Have the Brits hold on to them for much longer. By the time they start pulling out of their bases, the Ionians don't feel quite as much affinity for the mainland Greeks and so go it alone as a Commonwealth Realm.

Now that makes some sense. Question: how would you get the British to retain the Ionian Islands?
 

Philip

Donor
Now that makes some sense. Question: how would you get the British to retain the Ionian Islands?

Some ideas of the top of my head:

Have the UK lose Malta. The Ionian Islands would then be more important to British strategic interests in the Med.

Have the Greek Revolution fail. UK is less likely to hand the islands over to the Ottomans.

Have the relationship between Greece and the UK sour. If Greece and Russia get along better, and Greece offers (or is forced to offer) the Russians the right to base naval vessels in Greece. The islands might then have more strategic importance to the UK.
 
Your challenge, should you accept it, is to have the United States of the Ionian Islands remain a separate country to the present day with a POD no earlier than 1817.

It would pretty much have to be that the Greek rebellion fails. I doubt the British would hand over overwhelmingly Christian islands over to a Muslim power, especially since the Ottomans never really controlled them.

Otherwise, the pull to join Greece will be overwhelming, and there's no real reason for the British to retain them - maybe just one for a base, or just a treaty to maintain a base on one.
 
Didn't the Major Powers provide the loans to Greece after independence to fund the government's operations. Remember..Greece was exceptionally poor..all they had at the time was Attica and the Peloponese...maybe a little of Boetia...no industry...not much agriculture.

The Brits might have decided to hold onto them or control them since maybe Greece didn't get on a positive paying level for the debt owed to the UK....and like some earlier comments...say by the 1860s or 1870s the islanders might not have cared all that much about joining in with the Greek Kingdom where they might find themselves a political backwater....
 

Philip

Donor
The Brits might have decided to hold onto them or control them since maybe Greece didn't get on a positive paying level for the debt owed to the UK....

One of the reasons the UK got rid of the islands was that the cost of maintaining them was prohibitive. Incurring more expenses while waiting for Greece to pay up does not seem likely.


and like some earlier comments...say by the 1860s or 1870s the islanders might not have cared all that much about joining in with the Greek Kingdom where they might find themselves a political backwater....

OTL, the UK held the islands until 1864. They will have to hold them much longer for this result.
 
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