First National Assembly at Epidaurus

The First National Assembly of Epidaurus (Greek: Αʹ Εθνοσυνέλευση της Επιδαύρου, 1821–1822) was the first meeting of the Greek National Assembly, a national representative political gathering of the Greek revolutionaries.[1]

History

The monument

The assembly opened in December 1821 at Piada (today Nea (New) Epidaurus). It was attended by representatives from regions involved in the revolution against Ottoman rule.[1]

The majority of the representatives were local notables and clergymen from the Peloponnese, Central Greece and the islands. In addition, a number of Phanariotes and academics attended. However, a number of prominent revolutionaries, including Alexander Ypsilantis and the most prominent military leaders were absent. Of the 59 representatives at the assembly, 20 were landowners, 13 were ship-owners, 12 were intellectuals, 4 were military leaders, 3 were archpriests, 3 were merchants, with and 4 others.

Memorial with the text of the Declaration of Independence, signed on 1 January 1822 at the First National Assembly at Epidaurus.

The assembly passed a number of important documents, including:

The Provisional Regime of Greece (Προσωρινό Πολίτευμα της Ελλάδος), sometimes translated as Temporary Constitution of Greece (more commonly known as the Greek Constitution of 1822), which also included a Declaration of Independence.[2][3]

The Assembly elected a five-member executive on 15 January 1822, which was presided over by Alexandros Mavrocordatos. The executive in turn appointed the first government which had 8 ministries.

First National Assembly at Epidaurus

The first legislature had 33 members.

Another characteristic of the First National Assembly is the absence of any reference in the Constitution to the Filiki Eteria, although Dimitrios Ypsilantis, brother of Alexandros Ypsilantis and official representative of the Filiki Eteria, was appointed president of the legislature, a body controlled by the local notables.
List of Delegates

Eastern Greece (included representatives from Thessaly/Macedonia)

Lambros Alexandrou
Alexandros Axiotis
Georgios Ainian
Adam Doukas
Sotiris Douros
Anthimos Gazis
Grigorios Konstantas
Giannoutsos Kontes
Ioannis Logothetis
Drosos Mansolas
Ioannis Skandalidis
Theoklitos Farmakidis
Theodoros Negris
Zacharias Panagiotidis
Georgios Papailiopoulos
Konstantinos Sapountzis
Christoforos Perraivos

Hydra, Spetses, Psara

Dimitrios Voulgaris
Francescos Voulgaris
Dimitrios Papanikolis
Konstantinos Kanaris
Ioannis Orlandos
Iakovos Tombazis
Emmanouil Tombazis
Georgios Kountouriotis
Andreas Vokos Miaoulis

Peloponnese

Athanasios Kanakaris
Theodoros Kolokotronis
Germanos III of Old Patras
Georgios Mavromichalis
Dimitris Plapoutas
Panoutsos Notaras
Petrobey Mavromichalis
Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis
Konstantinos Mavromichalis
Anagnostis Deligiannis
Sotiris Charalambis
Andreas Zaimis
Ioannis Papadiamantopoulos

Western Greece

Dimitrios Makris
Alexandros Mavrokordatos
Ioannis Kolettis
Fotos Bomporis, as "Representative of the Souliotes"

Others

Georgios Apostolou
Markos Botsaris
Kitsos Tzavelas
Theophilos Kairis
Asimakis Fotilas
Kostas Botsaris
Vincenzo Gallina
Christodoulos Koutsis
Benjamin of Lesbos
Zois Panou
Dimitrios Panourgias
Charalambos Papageorgiou
Georgios Karaiskakis
Papaflessas
Dionysios Petrakis
Giannakis Plakotis
Anastasios Polyzoidis
Georgios Psyllas
Neophytos Vamvas
Nikolaos Vilaetis
Demetrios Ypsilantis