The first fact about Nafpaktos city is its name; "Nafs" comes from "naus", meaning "ship", and "pact" or "pakt" is a form of the verb "pegnimi", meaning "build".
The location of Nafpaktos benefited not only the ship building activity; Being located so close to the Peloponnese assured it a good control over the western side of the Corinthian bay.
During the Peloponnesian War in 455 BC, Nafpaktos became a chief naval station. In Medieval times, in spite of the earthquakes suffered, it also worked as one of the most important ports in the area, as it served as a connection |
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During the 8th and 9th century the city suffered various Slavic raids. Then, after the early 10th century it became a ‘theme’ –an administrative unit of the Byzantine Empire- in this case, of Nikopolis city.
Nafpaktos became one of the |
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The following century, the control of the city passed to the Albanians, while in the last decades the ruling of Nafpaktos varied according to the constant confrontations between Venetians, Albanians and Ottomans.
In 1407, it fell under the Venetians again who looked after repairing the Byzantine walls and fortified the port in order to achieve a safe station. The Ottomans finally invaded the city in 1499. In October of 1571, the legendary Battle of Lepanto took place. Among the fighters to participate in this fight was Miguel de Cervantes, the famous writer. His statue lies today close to the |
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