In Western medieval sources – mainly geographical texts and maps – the name of the island appears in various forms (Sidra, Sydra, Sidre, Sidera, Sidero, Sidro, etc.), while the time when the current name was established has not been specified.
Thus Coronelli writes that Sidra is inhabited by a few poor fishermen, Bernard Randolph lists the maps of the Aegean islands, including Hydra with the names Sidera, Sidero, Marco Boschini writes that there is a small settlement in Sidra, there is a document of the year 1263 in the National Library of Paris, which mentions the island named Sidra in the work “Le despotat grec de Moree”, William Miller cites two maps of the years 1388 and 1462 in the Frankish period, showing the island named Sidre and in the Marcian library there are two maps named Sidra, one by Giacomo Gastaldi of the year 1545 and the other by Battista Palnese of the year 1516.
The beginnings of the 15th century find Hydra inhabited by a few agricultural and pastoral families. From 1460 begins the first intense settlement movement and settlement in Hydra of Orthodox Arvanite fugitives, who arrived in Hydra chased by the Turks, because they fought on the side of the Venetians, during the sixteen-year Venetian-Turkish war (1463 – 1479) with the Ottoman troops of Sultan Mohammed II the Conqueror, who conquered the Peloponnese.
The Arvanites, new inhabitants of Hydra, were easily assimilated by the native inhabitants in Hydra, where the rocky and barren terrain forced them to turn to fishing and the sea in general, making them excellent sailors.
The middle of the 15th century is exactly the time when the reconstruction and the creation of the current city of Hydra begins, with the first residential core being the hill of Kiafa, apparently for the safety of the inhabitants, to protect themselves from possible raiders and pirates.
The troubled conditions that prevailed in the 16th and 17th centuries with the military conflicts during the Venetian-Turkish (1700 – 1715), the Russo-Turkish war (1768 – 1774), and the revolts in the Greek area during the same century, together with the consequent lack of security was the main reason for the settlement on the island of these new families from various regions of Greece and Asia Minor, who, hunted by the Turks, found refuge in Hydra.
Among them the families of Lazaros (later Kokkini) and Zerva (later Kountouriotis) from Epirus, who came to Hydra in 1580, the Kriezis family from Evia in 1640, Giakoumaki (later Topazis) from Vourla of Smyrna in 1668, Economou from Epidaurus, Vokou (later Miaouli) from Filla Evia, the Boudouri families from Evia and Papamanoli from Phocaea in Asia Minor in 1648, the Kiosse and Sahini families from Genoa, Italy, Lignou from Crete, Barou or Rafalia, Nega and Gouma from Kythnos, etc., who further strengthened – populationally and economically – the island.
The resettlement of other families, whose descendants became fighters of 1821, never stopped since Hydra as well as Aegina, Poros and Spetses were the islands where many families from the Peloponnese found refuge, hunted by the Turks. Thus, during the census of 1828, around 8,500 foreigners were found in Hydra, of which 2,901 were Peloponnesians.
This demographic Revolution certainly had its positive and negative consequences in terms of the evolution of the Hydra social course. Among the most positive were the promotion of the development of trade and, above all, the growth and leapfrog development of shipping in Hydra.
Also at this time (second half of the 17th century), the current settlement begins to take shape, around the port of Hydra, with the ramparts and cannons that protected the city, to the right and left of the port.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the Hydraians began to engage in the construction of small sailing ships (Trechanterias) with a capacity of 10 to 15 tons, which were the first ships, with which the Hydraians began sea trade. Then they began to build the Latinadikas and the Karavosaites with a capacity of 40 to 50 tons as well as the Shakturia larger than the previous ones, while from the middle of the same century, near 1745, ships of even greater capacity, about 100 tons and more, which they sailed throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, due to the Hydraians’ occupation with trade and shipping.
At the end of the 18th century, Hydra had several large ships called Karavias, Brigias, Brigantinias, Polecas, Schooners, Schooners and many smaller ones, Shakturias, as a result of which it had a very important commercial fleet, with ships that were also equipped with cannons, to deal with piracy, which was the major problem for ships at this time.
After the French Revolution, the maritime trade of France and the Venetians ceased to exist in the Mediterranean and fell to the Greek sailors and mainly from Hydra, Spetses and Psara islands.
The Hydra took advantage of this opportunity and began to build even bigger ships, up to Triistia, as a result of which Hydra gradually took the first place in the maritime trade of the Mediterranean, which resulted in riches flocking to the island. However, since there was no suitable port for Hydra to receive the large number of ships, they went east of the city, to the bay of Mandraki and west to the bay of Molos, in which there were natural ports.
The high level of development of maritime and commercial activity is evidenced by the establishment of the Merchant Marine School in 1749, perhaps the first in the world, with the recruitment of Italian and Portuguese teachers for the more systematic teaching of maritime art, as well as the establishment of special laws and rules for the regulation of related transactions, which since 1930 has been housed in the Tsamadou Mansion (entering the port on the left).
Administratively, the community rulers of Hydra were initially the two priests of the island. During 1667, the participation of three more members was inaugurated (one with the duties of secretary and two as commissioners, until 1715.
The work of the priests, even until 1828, was to judge family disputes, inheritance disputes, to draw up marriage contracts, wills, to decide on divorce applications, but the administration of Hydra from 1715 to 1770 was entrusted to the people, whether they were called Commissioners, or Provosts, or Mayors. After 1770 the power of the island passed almost entirely to the powerful ship owners.
In 1778 the Turkish fleet had campaigned for the recovery of the Crimea and in this campaign 32 Hydra vessels had taken part. The Hydraians displayed an exceptional bravery that was highly appreciated by Sultan Abdul Hamit Mustafa. Thus, in return the sultan granted important privileges to Hydra.
The most important of the privileges given to the Hydraians was the collection of taxes that were insignificant, to be done by the Community. Thus, the almost complete absence of the Turkish element from Hydra, allowed the naval equipment of the Hydra, the creation of the most important commercial fleet of that time and the accumulation of fantastic wealth and supplies.
In compensation, the Turks asked the Community of Hydra to send to Constantinople twice a year a number of sailors (the Mellachis), for the manning of the Turkish fleet and their salary to be paid by the Community. In particular, in January 1795, the then Kapudan Pasha sent a boujourouldi (decree) to the Provosts of Hydra with which he asked them to send the mellakhis every six months, instead of a year, because by being away from their jobs for a year, they suffer professionally. Thus with this decree he requested that 50 sailors (summer) be sent to Constantinople on April 23 and another 50 (winter) on October 26.
Castellan, a member of the Academy of Fine Arts, visited Hydra in 1797 and wrote, among other things, about the freedom, prosperity and wealth of Hydra at the end of the 18th century.
“In Hydra, one recognizes the Greek character in all its activity. Hydraians are bold, boisterous and energetic.
Their city is constantly growing. Their houses are clean, airy and with some luxury. We see warehouses full of industrial and commercial products. We also see a Temple of elegant architecture, covered with marble and with rich interior decoration.
Many ships, which often visit richer parts, or carry the products of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Indies even to Hydra, fill its port.
These Hydraians supply Constantinople and the commercial ports of the East. They transport the oranges of Malta, the perfumes and coffee of Arabia, the rice of Egypt, the raisin of Zakynthos, the oil of Italy and Provence, the palms of Asia Minor, the manufactured goods of France, and the fine arts of Venice. Finally, they act almost exclusively in the grain trade.
The almost free Hydraians pay only a small tax to the Ottoman Gate. The Turks have great benefits from this island, so that they do not think of completely enslaving it. Hydra and Psara, another independent island, provide them with the best sailors and the largest number of officers of the Turkish fleet” (Excerpt from the book “History of the Island of Hydra, Christos I. Christodoulou”)
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