Policing a revolutionary capital: Public order and population control in Nafplio (1824–1826)

Abstract

Abstract In the new hierarchy of space created by the Greek Revolution, Nafplio acquired a prominent position and soon replaced Tripolitsa as the preeminent administrative center of the fledgling state. Declared by law as the seat of the administration in September 1823, Nafplio was a stronghold during the incessant infighting that characterized the Greek struggle for independence. From June 1824 (when its fortress was handed over to the government), Nafplio served as the political and military center of the revolutionary territory. Administrative officials, politicians, primates, soldiers, and an influx of refugees thronged the city, creating conditions for overpopulation, at a time when the Ottoman–Egyptian commander Ibrahim Pasha was advancing on rebel strongholds in the Peloponnese. Based on voluminous archival records, this essay examines the policing projects carried out by the revolutionary authorities between 1825 and 1826 to address public order and security issues facing the city. The essay demonstrates that in the space of two intense years of political and military struggle, enclosed and overcrowded Nafplio became a laboratory for developing civil administration and the creation of a policed capital.