According to its mythology, the island of Corfu was named after the nymph Kerkira (the Greek name of Corfu is Kerkira), daughter of Asopos, with whom Zeus fell in love and brought to this island. The fruit of their union was Phaiakas and so Corfu was also known as the island of Faiakes. It was here that Ulysses met the daughter of Alkinoos, Nausica, as described by Homer in the Odyssey. Nausica took Ulysses to the palace where she took care of him and afterwards gave him a ship to return to Ithaki. Legend claims that Neptune, furious, petrified the ship in the location where there stands today the small, lovely island before the town of Palaiokastitsa, where Alkinoos's palace is said to have been. Tradition claims that "Pontikonissi" is the ship which, after returning from Ithaki, was petrified. According to another tradition, this was the rock on which Ulysses' ship crashed because of a heavy storm. At Alkinoos's palace the Argonauts, persecuted by the king of Kolhida, Aietis, also sought refuge, in order to take back the Golden Fleece. Here the wedding of Jason, leader of the Argonautic Expedition, and Medea took place, thus concluding her abduction from Kolhida. In spite of the mythology, no archaeological excavation have proved that the island of the Phaiakes is the same one as Corfu.

The island of Corfu has been inhabited ever since the Paleo-Lithic Era (70,000-40,000 BC), as findings from the cave of Agios Mathaios in the southeastern part of the island and excavations of settlements from the Neo-Lithic Era and the Bronze Era at Sidari, Afiona and Ermones indicate. These excavations validate the theory that the island had been a significant commercial and economical center long before the Trojan War, and the culture was a mix of Greek and Italian.

Around 750 BC, the Eretrians invaded the island, and in 734 BC the Corinthians conquered Corfu. During the rule of the Corinthian king Hersikrates, the island had a significant development and the inhabitants of Corfu founded a colony on the nearby island, of Lefkada. The town was called Hersoupoli and it was established on the peninsula of Kanoni. After a while, the island's progress annoyed the Corinthians and king Kypselos attempted to prevent its development. The outcome was determined by the victory of Corfu against the Corinthian fleet in 644 BC. According to Thucydides, this was the first ever naval battle between two Greek cities. During that period, the island developed significantly in the arts and trade, as is indicated by the statue of Menekrates, the temples of Hera and Diana and the coins which were found. The city of Corinth and the island of Corfu fought against each other again in 435 BC, during the naval battle of Aktio, because of the Corinthian's intervention into the problems of the colony of Epidamnus. For this battle, the people of Corfu did not hesitate to ask for help from the Athenians who were a threat to the Corinthian's interests. This was one more cause for the Peloponnesian War. The people of Corfu fought with the Athenians against Macedonian imperialism and defeated king Philipos B' during the battle of Heronia in 338 BC. This period was followed by constant attacks, and the island of Corfu was conquered by the Lacedaemonians (303 BC), by Sicilian tyrant Agathoklis and later by his son-in-low Pyrros (295 BC). Under the command of Pyrros, the people of Corfu undertook an expedition to Sicily. Fatigued by constant wars, the island was finally conquered by the Illyrians in 229 BC.

In the year 229 BC, the island of Corfu was conquered by the Illyrians and their Queen Tefti. Demetrios was appointed commissioner of the island by the Beacon of Dalmatia. Demetrios co-operated with the local oligarchies and presented the island to the Roman Consul Fulvius. During the Roman Rule, the island had some autonomy and privileges, in return for which the Romans used the harbour of Corfu. It is said that during that period (48 BC) Saint Sossipatros and Saint Jasonas came to the island and preached Christianity. After that period, the Christians of Corfu were persecuted and the Roman emperor Neron, the preacher Cyceron and other prominent men visited the island.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Corfu became part of Byzantium. During the Byzantine period, the island was constantly raided by pirates, Goths and Barbarians. When General Velissarios went on an expedition against the Vandals of Africa and the Goths of Italy, Totila's Goths had the opportunity to conquer the island, causing severe damage. After that, there was a period of peace and prosperity during which the island's capital was transferred north and the Old Castle was built. In the 9th century, the "Scheme of Kefalonia" was founded, including all the Ionian islands. Unfortunately, this period of peace ended with the domination by the Cretan Saracenes who caused great destruction to the island. In 1081, Robert Guiscard conquered Corfu after strenuous fights. During the three years that Corfu remained under the Normandian rule, the crusaders constantly raided the island. In 1147, with the consent of the people of the island who were tired of constant battles, the town came under the rule of the Normand Roger B', only to be liberated by the Byzantine emperor Komninos. This period of peace and prosperity did not last long, as in 1199 the pirate Vetrano Cafouri invaded and raided the city of Kerkira. In 1203, the Crusaders passed by the island on their way to Constantinople.

When the Crusaders conquered Constantinople, in 1204, the island of Corfu was ruled by the pirate from Genoa, Vetrano Cafouri. In 1206, the Venetian fleet, led by Cafouri's son, Dadolo, conquered Corfu and killed the pirate and his men. The Venetian rule ended in 1214, when Corfu was included in the Dominion of Epirus, ruled by Michael A' Aggelos Doukas, one of the three independent states in Greece, after the collapse of Byzantium. This was a period of progress and prosperity, a period when the locals and the church were granted certain privileges. During this period, the fortress of Aggelokastro was built on the western part of the island. In 1236, the island of Corfu once again became part of the Dominion of Epirus, as the latter was reconstituted by Manuel B'. In 1266, the island of Corfu came under the rule of the Andegaves dynasty and a period of deterioration and severe authoritarianism began. The Christians were persecuted, the Archbishop was dismissed and many of the orthodox churches were violently converted to catholic churches. In 1294, Philip, the son of Charles B', was declared "Master" of Corfu and its only administrator. The Andegaves dynasty ruled Corfu until 1386 when the Venetian Rule began.

In 1386, the island of Corfu, was surrendered to the Venetians, who sealed their rule in 1402 by paying 30,000 gold ducats for it. Although this period was characterized by peace and tranquillity, there were constant attacks by the Genoans and the Turks. In 1537, the Turk pirate Hairedin Barbarossa came to Corfu to raid and destroy the island. Other Turkish attacks in 1571 and 1573 caused the Venetians to build the New Fortress of the town. The most threatening Turkish attack took place in 1716, when a powerful Turkish fleet came to the island, only to be defeated by the united front of the locals and the Venetians. According to tradition, during this raid, the locals were helped by St Spyridon and, due to this event, his litany takes place on August 11th. During the Venetian Rule, the island was ruled by the Venetian Noble and the local and foreign aristocracy and feudatory, according to centralization and strict laws. Society was divided in three classes: the nobles, the bourgeoisie and the commoners. The poor quality of life and the Venetian exploitation of the majority, inspired the commoners to constant insurrections during the 17th century which were violently suppressed.

On 17 October 1797, after the treaty of Kamboformio, Corfu became part of the French state, and Napoleon came to the island as a liberator. In the central square, with the crowd cheering, the book the book of "Limbro d'oro" was burnt, along with its contents -the names and the privileges of the nobles- and the tree of freedom was planted as a symbol. During this period, public education was organized and a library and a printing house were established. Nevertheless, the majority of the people continued to live in poverty, being obliged to pay unbearable taxes. Two years later, the fleet of the alliance of the Turks, the Russians and the English defeated the French in Aboukir and disembarked on Corfu. Corfu's commissioners were now the Russian Admiral Oussakor and Agelos Orios. On 21 March 1800, in Constantinople, the "Ionian State" was established, remaining under the Sultan's supervision. The new Constitution re-established the orthodox church on the island and the privilege of administration was granted exclusively to the rich nobles. A year after signing the treaty of Tilsit, by which Czar Alexander B' gave the Ionian Islands away to the French, Field Marshal Berthieux became Corfu's commissioner. This was a period of progress, as agriculture was developed, the Ionian Academy was founded, schools were built and the island's public services were organized. During this time, the English occupied other Ionian islands and, in 1814, they occupied Corfu.

The Treaty of Paris in 1815, signed by the representatives of Austria, Prussia, Russia and England, established the "United States of the Ionian Islands", which were to be under the supervision of the appointed English Lord Commissioner who was in charge of the regime and the military occupation. Although in the preparation of the treaty, Ioannis Kapodistrias, from Corfu, assisted as the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the independence of the Ionian Islands was not achieved. When Thomas Maitland was appointed Commissioner of the Ionian Islands, the despotism of the regime caused popular insurrections. Nevertheless, during the English Occupation, the people were granted the privilege to choose religion, the roads and the town's water supply were improved and the education system was organized, with the founding of the first Greek university in 1824.

Although Corfu, under English occupation, was not controlled by the Turks, the people of Corfu offered moral and financial help to the Greek Revolution and constantly, reminded the world to their request for the Ionian Islands to be united with the rest of Greece. The island of Corfu had prestigious fighters, the most prominent of whom was Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first Governor of Greece. After the coronation of the new English King, the circumstances permitted the Greek government to achieve the acceptance of the English withdrawal in London, on 15 November 1863, and the union of the Ionian Islands with the new Greek state on 21 May 1864.

During World War I, Corfu provided refuge for the English, Italian and French army. The house of the Parliament of Servia and the agreement for the establishment of a Yugoslavian State was signed here. In 1923, the execution of the Italian General Tellini in Corfu caused the island's destruction from bombardment by the Italians. During Word War II, the island was bombarded by Italian and German airplanes, a fact which caused severe destruction, not only to the town of Kerkira, but to the villages as well.

Ioannis Kapodistrias was born in Corfu, in 1776. He was the son of Count Andonios Markos Kapodistrias. His family came from Istria to Corfu in the late 15th century. After concluding his elementary education on the island, he attended the Medical School of Padova. Since 1798, he has devoted his life to politics, having worked as a doctor for a short period of time. In March 1800, after the French defeat from the Russian- Turkish fleet, and their withdrawal from the Ionian Island, a treaty granted the area the privilege of self-administration, and Kapodistrias was appointed Commissioner of the local government. After the Ionia Islands became part of Great Britain in 1809, Kapodistrias went to Russia, where he was immediately appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. His ideas regarding reconstruction without popular insurrection made him decline Hetaeria's proposal for the leadership of the Greek Revolution, in 1817. After the outburst of the Revolution in 1821, after failing to positively influence the Russian Czar, Alexander A', Kapodistrias retired from political life and went to Switzerland for five years. The Assembly of Trizena (April 3rd, 1827) appointed Kapodistria Governor of Greece. During his reign, Kapodistrias, faced many obstacles, created by his Greek political opponents and the foreign powers, to the fulfillment of his dreams. As a result, he was murdered by Georgios and Constantinos Mavromihalis in Nafplio, on 9 October 1831.

The great composer and musician Nikolaos Mantzaros was born in Corfu, in 1795. His family was rich and noble. Matzaros studied music in Corfu and in Italy where he became famous. After completing his studies he returned to Corfu where he acted as the "Nations's Music Teacher". In 1840 he was appointed President of the Philharmonic Company of Corfu, where he taught without being paid, until his death. He was one of the most prominent persons on the island in regard art and literature, and he worked hard for the island's union with Greece. In 1855, the Ionian Parliament grouted him a pension for life as a token for his contributions to Corfu. Nikolaos Mantzaros died in 1872. His best known work was the musical composition of Solomos' "Hymn to Liberty" which became Greece's National Anthem in 1865. Mantzaros also composed works for the piano, orchestras and song.

The famous Greek sculptor Pavlos Prossalentis was born in Kerkira, in 1784. After attending elementary courses in sculpture in Kerkira, he went to Rome to study in Kanova's workshop. After returning to Corfu, he taught at the School of the Arts and the Ionian Academy (1805-1807). He later founded his own school. He is considered one of the most prominent Greek sculptors. His studies are quite famous. He was one of the many talented scholars and artists of the Prossalenti family.

The great Greek writer Constantinos Theotokis was born in Corfu, in 1872. He studied Literature, Physics, Mathematics, Foreign Languages and Philosophy. He came from a rich family a fact which allowed him to travel often and live a luxurious life. During the Greek Revolution, Constantinos Theotokis and Mavilis organised a voluntary army in Thesalia and Epirus in 1897. In his first work Vie de montagne (1895), he criticizes the country's political situation. Later, in 1912, he wrote for the magazine Nouma and published the novel Honour and Money. He died in Corfu in 1923. His work was influenced by current ideologies, especially by French Enlightenment. Other works of Constantinos Theotokis are: The Convicted (1919), The life and death of Karavelas (1920) and The slaves their bonds (1922).

The great Master of the Nation, Evgenios Voulgaris, was born in Corfu, in 1716. He studied Literature, Theology, Positive Sciences, Foreign Languages and Modern Philosophy in Corfu, Arta, Giannena and, later, in Padova. In 1742 he returned to Greece and was persecuted by the Conservatives for his ideas, thus he was constantly moving. In 1762 he went to Leipzig, where he lived for the next eight years. In 1772, Catherine B' appointed him Librarian in St Petersburg. Four years later, he was consecrated Archbishop of Slavinia and Herson, and later he became a member of the Emperial Academy. He died in 1806, in the monastery of St Alexander Nievski, in St Petersburg. Evgenios Voulgaris is considered one of the wisest Greeks of the 18th century and his preaching prepared Greek literature for the European period of Enlightenment. He wrote many theatrical, philosophical, political and religious works.