Peloponnesian Senate

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Senate of the entire People of the Peloponnese provinces
Γερουσία όλου του Δήμου των επαρχιών της Πελοποννήσου
1821–1823
Seal of the Peloponnesian Senate of Peloponnesian Senate
Seal of the Peloponnesian Senate
Status Regional government in revolt against the Ottoman Empire
Capital Chrysopege Monastery, Tripolitsa
Common languages Greek
Religion Greek Orthodox
Government Republic
• 1821–1822
Bishop Theodoritos of Vresthena
• 1822–1823
Asimakis Fotilas
History
• Established
26 May 1821
• Second National Assembly at Astros
April 1823
Preceded by Succeeded by
Messenian Senate
Morea Eyalet
First Hellenic Republic
The Senate of the entire People of the Peloponnese provinces (Greek: Γερουσία όλου
του Δήμου των επαρχιών της Πελοποννήσου), commonly known as the Peloponnesian
Senate (Πελοποννησιακή Γερουσία), was a provisional regime that existed in the
Peloponnese during the early stages of the Greek War of Independence.

History
On 25 March 1821 (all the dates are given according to the Julian calendar), a few
days after the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence in March 1821, the rebels
of the southern Peloponnese, led by the Maniots, assembled at Kalamata and founded
the Greek rebels' first organ of government, the Messenian Senate. As the uprising
spread through Greece, the Messenian Senate's leader, Petrobey Mavromichalis,
invited representatives from the rest of the Peloponnese in an assembly held at the
Kaltetza Monastery. There, on 26 May the "Senate of the entire People of the
Peloponnese provinces", commonly known, from the legend on its seal, as the
"Peloponnesian Senate" and as the "Senate of Kaltetza" (Γερουσία των Καλτετζών),
was founded, with Bishop Theodoritos of Vresthena as president and Rigas Palamidis
[el] as secretary. Sotirios Charalambis, Athanasios Kanakaris, Anagnostis
Deligiannis, Theocharis Rentis and Nikolaos Poniropoulos were members. Unlike the
modern concept of a "senate" as the upper body of parliament, the Peloponnesian
Senate was both a legislative and executive organ. The Senate's constitutional
charter was created on 15 December 1821.

On 27 May 1821, the Senate moved its seat to the Chrysopege Monastery in Stemnitsa.
After the capture of Tripolitsa in September, the Senate established itself in the
town in February 1822. The Peloponnesian Senate continued in existence (with
Asimakis Fotilas as president after February 1822) until it was dissolved by the
Second National Assembly at Astros in April 1823.