I - 36 : Venice and Crete : A Love - Hate Relationship

The old Venetian Port of Candia (Heraklion) is now full of Leisure Sail Boats

When you ask Greeks living on Crete what they think of the time when their island was a Venetian colony, the answer is mostly negative. There is little love lost between the former servants and their ex-landlords - despite almost 400 years which have passed since. When you ask what comes to their mind when they hear the name “El Greco”, they proudly tell you of the big influence their fellow islanders had on the Renaissance in Italy. You may wonder how these two opposing views reconcile.

Presumably an Auto-portrait of "El Greco"

The answer to this puzzle is easier than one thinks. When Venice bought Crete from one the Knights who sacked Constantinople in 1204, it acquired an island with a feudal structure. The land was owned by a few Byzantine noble families. The vast majority of people were serfs who lived in the countryside. Due to the wars against the Seljuk Turks which the Emperor in Constantinople had mostly lost, tax levels were extremely high and a great burden. Venice, the trading town, had little experience in running a feudal island. It thus co-opted the ruling families and left them in power. The “Greci” were a lower cast of land nobility. Some converted to Catholicism. Others remained orthodox.

The Byzantine Melissa Castle near Prineas is about 30 km to the south of Heraklion

Contrary to Frankish nobles, Venice did not meddle with the islanders' religion. Orthodox churches remained open. The priests were allowed to stay. Orthodox bishops though had to leave. Venice considered them as agents of the Byzantine State – which in fact they were. The orthodox church was never independent. The Patriarch in Constantinople reported to the Emperor – as high priests did in the Roman Empire. The emancipation of the Pope, which formally happened in 800 AD with the crowning of Charlemagne, never happened in the East. Even today the Patriarchs are not independent. Russian Patriarch Kyrill of Moscow openly supports President Putin in the war. Something a pope would not do.

Rome ruled Crete from land-based Gortyn in the South of the Island

The Cretans were not happy with their old-new rulers. During the 400 years as Venetian colony there were fourteen rebellions. The high taxes were not only a burden, during times of failed harvests they physically threatened people's survival. As in ancient Rome, taxes were collected in hard currency (silver or gold). Venice also extracted large amounts of food, olive oil and wine. It used the tax revenue to build new coastal towns, port infrastructures and fortifications. The Serene Republic intended to make Crete a useful and valuable link in its trading with the East. Venice also demanded that thousands of young Cretans served as rowers in their Navy. There is no debate whose fate is worse – living as a poor farmer was considerably better than working on the benches of a Venetian War Galley.

The Port of Rethymnon with the Venetian Lighthouse played an important role in Trade

Not surprisingly, the taxes were extremely unpopular. People were illiterate, but everybody knew that the taxes were good for Venice but did nothing for them. When rebellions broke out, they became quickly political and often lead to demands of political independence. In the famous Saint Thomas rebellion in 1363, the local noble families sided with the farmers and for five years were able to kick the Venetians out. But Venice returned with a powerful army, executed the rebel leaders and that was it.

"El Greco" - Town and Plan of Toledo, Landscape Painting from 1608

Once Venice had moved the capital from inland Gortyn to Candia and built new ports, the island started to benefit from the lucrative East – West trade. In other words, people in the port cities became wealthy. For the farmers it was same old, same old. The most prominent representative of these port citizens was the painter “El Greco” (1541 – 1614) - Domenikos Theotokopoulos  by his birth name. He always signed all his paintings with his Greek name. He lived the first 26 years in Candia where he learned his trade. In 1567 he moved to Vencie and settled three years later in Rome. 1577 he made Toledo his residence. He stayed in Spain until his death. His style with his elongated figures remained influential to the 20th century. Some scholars call him the father of Cubism and Expressionism. There is an excellent article in Wikipedia with many more details.

"El Greco" - Laocoön, painted around 1610

“El Greco” was not alone. He represented an entire school, the Cretan School. By the late 15th century, many churches in Italy were decorated with wall paintings in icon style. There were other artisan professions in the coastal towns of Crete as well. Their work flourished and was an integral part of the Venetian economic sphere. But these ports people lived separate lives from people in the country side. When the Ottoman invaded Crete in 1645, there was no resistance outside the port towns. Most farmers welcomed the Turkish soldiers and hoped that life would improve once the Venetian joke was thrown off. An expectation that was not met – as the many rebellions against the Ottoman prove. But this is for another blog. The war against the Ottoman from 1645 – 1669 was fought with Venetian soldiers and mercenaries, mostly on sea and around Candia. The people of Crete had no stake.

Final Stage of the Ottoman Siege of Candia (Heraklion) in 1669 with Turkish Advances against the Seaside Bastions

Venice was not a grateful master when the war was lost in 1669. The refugees from Crete, mostly the old, Greek nobles, were not accepted into the ranks of the ruling Venetian families. They were considered second class citizens. Quite an amazing way of treating people who fought for 24 years for Venice’s interests. That almost nobody lifted a finger to defend Venice when Napoleon invaded it in 1797 is no surprise. Venice demanded loyalty but never gave it. A business model that does not last – a principle still valid today.