The Cretan War of 1645 Began on This Day

The Cretan War, which lasted for over two decades, began on this day on June 23rd in the year 1645—just under four centuries ago.

This conflict was a long and bitter one that saw the then-powerful Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire fight over who would win control of the island of Crete. It has to be noted that Crete was then known as Candia. Hence, the Cretan War is also known as the War of Candia (Guerra di Candia in Italian).

The war began in June 1645, when a force of around 60,000 men from the Ottoman Empire landed on the island of Crete and quickly succeeded in capturing most of the island. The only exception to this was the heavily fortified city of Candia, which is today’s Heraklion, the capital and largest city of Crete.

The Venetians were determined to fight until the end, as Crete was one of their most valuable possessions in the Mediterranean. They strived to hold onto their prized possession and therefore settled in for a very long siege. What later became known as the Siege of Candia would last for over two decades in what turned out to be one of the world’s longest sieges.

The Cretan War united many European powers

The Venetians were not alone in their effort to hold onto power. They received some relatively significant support from other European powers, particularly the Knights of Malta, the Papal States of the Italian peninsula, as well as France. These all sent ships and thousands of men to aid in the defense of Candia. Among those on the side of the Venetians were also many Greek revolutionaries who had been opposing the Ottoman occupation of the Greek world.

However, despite their enormous efforts and commendable will to succeed, the Venetians were gradually worn down by the relentless Ottoman assault. The Ottomans used various war tactics to achieve their goal, including bombardment, in an attempt to break through the city’s defenses.

The siege took a heavy toll on both sides, as it lasted for so long. The Venetians lost around 30,000 men while the Ottomans lost as many as 100,000 according to estimates. In 1669, with no prospect of a victory, the Venetians surrendered Candia. In exchange, they asked for safe passage off the island as they retreated.

The loss of Crete was a major blow to Venice’s position as a maritime power in the Mediterranean.

Following this decisive Ottoman victory, the island of Crete remained under direct Ottoman Turkish control from 1669 until 1897, when the island was declared an autonomous state. Sixteen years later, in 1913, Crete was united with the modern state of Greece.