Even though all over Europe the winds of democracy were domination blowing away the old order — or perhaps for that very reason — the monarchical powers were doing all they could to reverse the trend. Turkey, England, Russia, Portugal and Naples managed to drive the French out of the eastern territories; the Russians and the Turks prepared to take Zakynthos. At this point the fallen nobles, who a few months previously had branded the people of Zakynthos as reactionaries against the French, did not hesitate to turn round and denounce them for heartily supporting the French. By clever subversion and liberal outlays of money, they even succeeded in rousing several villages to move against the French garrison on the island.
On 25 October 1798, after a siege by the Russo-Turkish fleet, and after some of the pro-Russian nobies had handed the keys of the town to the besiegers, the French garrison was forced to surrender. This was followed by much violence between the nobies and the people, deliberately incited by provocators.
Meanwhile the aristocracy managed to recover many of its privileges. Fearing, fiowever, that the support of their new lords minght not be sufficient to ensure the long and secure return to power, they began to look for support from the English.