The annexation of Samos to Greece was the result of an enduring national and political struggle of the people of Samos against the Ottoman dominion. Although Samos was a Principality (autonomous state) tributary to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire since 1834, its inhabitants wished to be annexed to the Greek state.
During the 1st Balkan War of 1912, Samos rebelled against the Ottoman administration, with Themistoklis Sofoulis leading the fight for liberation. On 11 November 1912, the national assembly of Samos declared the annexation to Greece, even though it was not immediately recognized internationally. After the Balkan Wars and the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913, the annexation of Samos to Greece was officially certified. This event constituted a major landmark for the national integration of the Greek state and a point of reference for the national conscience of the people of Samos.
The annexation of Samos to Greece was a moral and strategic goal, integrating the island in the framework of the new Greek nation – state.
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