After the Battle of Waterloo, the Ionian Islands, which formed the “The United States of the Ionian Islands”, were given under the protection of England.
The official language of the union was Greek. The first commissioner was Thomas Maitland. He managed to accumulate a lot of power. Moreover, he was against the Greek Rebellion and punished severely anyone who attempted to help. These facts lead the people to loathe him. Maitland was followed by Frederick Adam, who constructed an aqueduct and built a big part of the road system. He also abrogated the rules of Maitland concerning the punishment and prohibition to help the rebellion. Other known commissioners are Douglas and Gladstone.
In this period, schools in the countryside are founded. However, children do not usually attend school; the major part of the population is illiterate. The only person who knows how to read and write is the priest. In 1824, was founded the Ionian Academy, as well. It was the first institute of higher education ever founded in Greece. In the beginning, there were the faculties of Theology, Law, Philosophy and Medicine. Later, the Academy was expanded. In the year of 1864, when Ionian Islands were united with Greece, the Ionian Academy was closed.