Algerian Review of Ottoman and Mediterranean Studies
Volume 5, Numéro 1, Pages 8-24
2025-06-30
Two Periods Of The Venetian Rule In Crete: Before And After The “cretan Renaissance”
Authors : Adıyeke Nuri .
Abstract
The island of Crete, which is the key point of the Eastern Mediterranean, remained under the rule of the Republic of Venice from the beginning of the 13th century to the middle of the 17th century. In Greek and Italian nationalist historiography, this period has been referred to as a period when significant developments, even the Cretan Renaissance took place on the island. However, the situation is exactly the opposite. Until the 1570s, the Republic’s Cretan policies reflected an almost colonial order. The Ottoman Empire, pursuing domination over the Aegean and then the Mediterranean since the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror, completed the conquest of Cyprus in 1571 as a major step in this direction. It was obvious that, after this major step, the next in line would be Crete. After losing Cyprus, Venice started to implement new policies for Crete. Especially after Giacomo Foscarini became the governor-general of Crete in 1574, administrative reforms were implemented, significant reconstruction activities took place, and thus the Republic’s new Cretan policy was initiated. This new period of Venetian rule was described by some historians as the “Cretan Renaissance” and the Ottoman period was subsequently denigrated as the “dark age” that ended this renaissance. In this paper, we examine this process within the framework of the Mediterranean policies of the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice, analyzing the periods before and after the conquest of Cyprus with a comparative method.
Keywords
Mediterranean; Crete; Cyprus; Venice; Ottoman Empire.
Les articles similaires
بوسالم أحلام
.
عابد يوسف
.
ص 117-132.
Yahia Zeghoudi
.
pages 74-88.
Said Houari Amel
.
pages 257-268.
وكال الدراجي
.
رشاش عباسية
.
ص 254-270.
