History of Crete

2700–1420 BC

– this is the period of the Minoan civilization: it was the first advanced civilization in Europe

Around 2600 BC

– the arrival of the Anatolian settlers representing the Bronze Age Pre Hellenic civilization

2000-1600 BC

– Crete became the most important maritime trading place in the Mediterranean
– there were several cities on the island: Knossos, Phaistos, Malia
– magnificent palaces were built
– the earthquakes that characterized the island destroyed the buildings several times: but they were always rebuilt
– developed 6 kilometers from the north coast, at the top and eastern slope of Kephala hill: Knossos
– Knossos was a rich city
– in the heyday of the town, 50,000 people lived in the city
– settlements from this period: Kephala, Magasza and Trapeza.
– this civilization began to use: “linear A” writing

around 1600 BC

– The Minoan volcanic eruption: this is a major catastrophic volcanic eruption that destroyed:
– the island of Thera in the Aegean Sea – also known: Santorini
– In Crete, much of civilization has perished

There are many well-known legends associated with early Cretan history, such as the legend of King Minos, Theseus, and the Minotaur.

Around 1420 BC

– the Mycenaean culture developed on the Greek mainland. This replaced the weakened Minoan civilization.
– only the palace of Knossos continued to function
– the whole island was probably controlled from Knossos
– the writing “linear B” was already used during this period.
– the historians have managed to decipher this writing
– this proves that the language of the Mycenaean civilization was Greek

Around 1300 BC

– the Doric, Greek conquering tribe conquered Crete

– the palace of Knossos was also destroyed in the fighting

– it was a military civilization similar to that of the Spartans

– the center of Doric rule was Gortyn

Around 600 BC

– The Gortyn Code (also known as the Great Code) contained the laws, which formed the basis of the legal system

– it was a legal code in the ancient Greek city-state of Gortyn, in southern Crete

– it is the most significant document of the era

– these laws give a comprehensive picture of the society and legal order of the end of the archaic age

69 BC

– Led by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius – he conquered the island with 3 Roman legions

– Gortys remained the capital, but became one of the many Roman provinces

67 BC

– Founding of Crete and Cyrenaica

– Crete and Cyrenaica: was a senatorial province of the Roman Empire

– the province included the island of Crete and the region of Cyrenaica, which was in what is now Libya

– after the disintegration of the Western Roman Empire: Crete remained part of the Eastern Roman Empire known as the “Byzantine Empire”

In 365 and 415

– earthquakes struck the island

467

– targeted by vandals

623

– the Slavs plundered the island

654 – 670

– the Arabs plundered the island

732

– III. Byzantine emperor Leon relocated the island from the authority of the Roman pope, to the protection of the Church of Constantinople – Patriarchate of Constantinople

824

– The Andalusians occupy the island, led by Abu Hafs

– they created the Emirate of Crete

– they created an independent Islamic state

– the current capital of the island: Iraklion, today: Heraklion was founded during this period

– a fortress was built in the city

The Byzantine Empire was unable to accept the loss of the island.

842 – 843

– Led by the Theoktisztosz, they tried to reclaim Crete

– a part of the island was recovered

– subsequent attempts by the Byzantine Empire to fully reclaim the island failed

– for 135 years, the emirate was in power

– Crete controlled the sea routes of the eastern Mediterranean

– acted as an advanced base and refuge for the Muslim corps fleets: which devastated the Byzantine-controlled shores of the Aegean Sea

– the wealth of the emirate comes not only from piracy, but also from extensive trade and agriculture

911

– The Byzantine campaign ends in failure

949

– The Byzantine campaign again fails

960 – 961

– The campaign of Nikephoros Phokas put an end to the rule of the emirate

– the island became part of the Byzantine Empire again

961

– Nikephoros Phokas restores Byzantine leadership

– restored Byzantine rule over the Aegean coast

– reduced the attacks of the Saracen pirates

– a period of peace marked the island – until 1204

1204

– Fourth Crusade

– the Crusaders occupied Constantinople

– the leading Crusader: Boniface of Montferrat got control of the island

– but the island was occupied by the Republic of Genoa

– the island came under the control of the Genoese

1212

– beginning of Venetian rule

– this period lasted approximately 4 centuries

– the population considered the Venetians to be occupiers

– heavy taxes have been introduced

– a sectarian difference develops: under the rule of the Catholic Venetian Empire

– there were more than ten failed uprisings against the occupiers

– the appearance of the renaissance on the island: in architecture and art

– the best-known representative of the Cretan Renaissance: El Greco (1541-1614), Nicholas Kalliakis (1645-1707)

– Candia, present-day town of Heraklion was the most protected city in the Eastern Mediterranean

– the island had 3 prominent forts: Gramvousa, Spinalonga and Fortezza

– it was an important fortress: the Kazarma fortress in Sitia

1492

– the Spanish Jews flee to the island

1627

– according to statistics, 800 Jews lived in Candia

– 7 percent of the city had a Jewish population

– the Venetian government was able to collect serious money from Jewish society: in exchange for asylum

1640

– the attacks of the Turks led to the collapse of Venetian rule

– the siege of Candia lasted 21 years

1669

– after the siege of Candia, the Ottoman Empire conquers the island of Crete

– a lot of Cretan Greeks have fled to the another region of Venetian Empire

– the Ottoman conquest confirmed the Islamic religion on the island

– those who have adopted the Islamic faith were considered, by the Christian population to be Turkish

– the city of Candia was fortified with high walls and bastions

– a quarter of the rich were in the northeast

– the city was depopulated during the Ottoman Empire

1770

– Daskalogiannis (Sfakia shipowner) leads uprising against Ottoman rule

– unfortunately Orlov’s fleet did not arrive – help was missed

– Daskalogiannis finally surrendered

1821 – 1830

– the Greek War of Independence (Ελληνική Επανάσταση)

– it is estimated, that 45% of the population may have been Muslim

– during the war, many Cretan Turks fled from Crete: to Turkey, to Rhodes, to Syria, to Libya

1827 October 27.

– the French, British and Russian fleets wreak havoc on Turkish, Egyptian, Algerian and Tunisian ships at Navarino

– it helped a lot to achieve victory

– the war of independence was successful

– the Greeks were the first in the Balkans, who were able to become independent of the Ottoman Empire

– the war led to the development of modern Greece

– the Greek Independence Day is March 25th – every year commemorates the revolution on this day

1830

– The London Protocol leaves Crete out of the modern Greek state

– therefore, the Ottoman Sultan handed Crete to Egypt

– the Egyptian rule was short

1840 July 3.

– The Convention of London restored the sovereignty of Crete to the Ottoman Empire

1866–1869

– The Great Cretan Revolution (Κρητική Επανάσταση του 1866)

– it was a 3-year rebellion against Turkish rule

1889, 1895, 1897

– there were revolution on the island

1898 September 6.

– the Candia massacre

– the armed Muslim protesters protested against reforms in favour of Christians

– the protesters slaughtered hundreds of Cretan Greeks

– the protesters executed the British consul and 17 British soldiers

1898 November

– the reaction of the great powers to events:

– the Turks were expelled from the island

– they created the autonomous state of Crete

– the king George of Greece was appointed High Commissioner of the island

1906

– Alexandros Zaimis (Greek politician, Prime Minister of Crete) becomes High Commissioner of Crete

1913 December 1st

– Crete unites with Greece

1919 May 19. – 1923 October 29.

– the Greco-Turkish War, also known as the Turkish War of Independence.

– some 1.5 million Greeks have been expelled from Asia Minor

– based on the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey: the Muslim population has been relocated to Turkey from Crete

Second World War

1941 May

– The Battle of Crete:

– it was the first battle in history to use a large number of paratroopers

– the Allies were able to utilize the information extracted from the Enigma encryption

– with this information, they managed to prepare for the attack

– the Germans could meet, with the mass armed resistance of the population

– the Germans lost 7,000 paratroopers on the first day of the battle

– Hitler has not used paratroopers on multiple missions since then

– the German army took revenge on the population

– randomly selected citizens from local villages, and executed them

– best known: the massacre in the village of Kondomari

Today’s Crete

– from the beginning of the sixties, Crete’s main source of income comes from mass tourism

– a traditional agricultural society transformed