In 1813, the Sultan gave Thassos to the viceroy of Egypt Muhammad Ali, as a reward. The viceroy was good to the people of Thassos, because he was born in Kavala and was raised in a village of the island with a Greek family.
Therefore, he admitted the establishment of a special constitution with communal freedoms which lasted up to 1874. In particular, head of every community was the president of the dignitaries, the tsormpatzis, which hold the responsibility to the Egyptian authorities. The tsormpatzis of all villages were gathered to elect the bahtzormpatzi, which was the president of the entire island.
