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This siege lasted for twenty whole years, an event of such remarkable geopolitical and cultural importance that it affected West and East, nations and religions.
One of the major historical events of the 17th century is found in Heraklion. Chandakas at the time, whose move from the Venetians to the Ottomans in September 1669 marked the end of the Great Cretan War.
As the E or Venetian-Turkish War (1645-1669) was called, that is, it soon brought all Crete in the hands of the Turks. Except for the impregnable strength of Chandakas, of course, which remained haughty and continued to resist effectively for the next 21 years.
The siege of the Chandakas occupied by Venice was an event that marked a turning point for developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, the balance of power between Venice and Constantinople, but also the trade routes between West and East.
Heraklion played a key role in Venetian domination, when it developed and evolved into a leading transit and spiritual center.
In 1669 all of this ended violently. The Cretan Renaissance faded and a new period began. A dark period …
A bit of prehistory
The Venetians had Chandakas in their hands from 1204, ending the Second Byzantine Period of the city. Nikiforos Phokas’ forces occupied Chandakas from the Saracen Arabs of Iberia in 961 AD. C., who had conquered Crete in 823 d. C. and transferred there the capital of the island.
They called him Rab al-Haddak Arabs the capital of the Emirate of Crete and Chandakas was also called Hellenized by the Byzantines during the period of Arab rule. The Venetians called the city Candia, while for the locals it was always the Castle (or Big Castle).
Although the first battles of the Great War of Crete between the Most Peaceful Republic of Venice and the Upper Gate took place in 1645, the siege of Chandakas officially began in May 1648, with the arrival of the Ottoman fleet and the landing of the forces Turkish abroad. from the city.
By then, 40% of the countryside had been destroyed by the Ottoman army and the island’s resources had long been used to sustain the Turkish forces.
During the most crucial phase, Francesco Morosini, Doge of the Most Serene, admiral of his fleet, Duke of Candia and conqueror after Moria (Kingdom of Morea), was placed in the most crucial phase of the city. AKA the man who bombed him Parthenon.
In front of him was Pasha Kioproulou Fazil Ahmet, the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, who brought with him all his fame, but also a very powerful artillery.
The siege of Chandakas begins
The historical event that today we call the Siege of Chandakas (1648-1669) was a long series of conflicts, followed by small battles, sorties, attacks, counterattacks, etc. In fact, it was an extreme siege, both in terms of time and disaster.
It makes sense to think that Christian Europe was groaning behind Chandakas and various European powers rushed to contribute to the struggle of the besieged. Until 1641, moreover, Crete was the only area of Eastern mediterranean that it had not fallen into the hands of the Turks, being the last bastion of Christianity.
For the defense of Chandakas, the Christian kingdoms of the time were effectively united, under the explicit orders of the Pope of Rome, thus inaugurating the longest and uninterrupted siege ever recorded in world history. A true epic.
The motive for the Turkish operation in Crete was the Knights of St. John of Malta, who attacked Muslim pilgrims in 1644 and took refuge in a base in southern Crete with the loot. The Upper Gate blamed the Most Peaceful Republic and soon (April 30, 1645) 416 ships with 50,000 soldiers (including 7,000 Janissaries) sailed from the Dardanelles.
On June 23, the Turks abruptly disembark in the Kingdom of Candia and the Venetians are unprepared. The Most Peaceful will react by sending 2,500 soldiers to the island, however, taking care to fulfill the Pope’s promise of help.
the Chania falls in two months, next year falls Rethymno and until 1648 all of Crete was essentially in Ottoman hands. Except for the spine of Chandakas, as the city was very well fortified from the years when it was still called Megalo Kastro. The Turks completely block it from the land, however the Venetian ships find a way to supply it from the sea.
The defense of the city is left to the Venetian soldiers, but also the heroism displayed by the locals. And so the next 21 years will pass!
The horrors that took place
A two-decade siege cannot have black spots or companies asking for “creative” solutions. The enormous castle of Chandakas with its outer bastions and fortresses seemed impregnable.
The battle took place in the underground galleries, through which the outer fortresses communicated with the walls, but also in the tanks, wells and sewers that ensured the valuable water supply in the city of 25,000 inhabitants.
In the moment in which Ottomans Walls were relentlessly beaten with cannons and a deadly war was fought underground in burrows dug by both sides to attack the enemy. Hundreds of such galleries were opened and unimaginable hand-to-hand battles were fought.
The Turks were unable to cross the city walls and the Venetians failed in any attempt to get rid of the Ottoman hoarseness. In response to the siege, Galinotati attempted to blockade the Dardanelles in 1656. He then said to land at Chandakas. He failed in both plans.
Thus ended the European mission of February 1667, when 6,000 men and 21 ships flying the flags of France, Naples, Sicily, and Malta arrived at Chandakas to pursue the Turks. His only success was repelling an attack off the coast of Kythera.
the Venetians They managed to stop the Turkish supply several times and the damage of the Turkish army in Crete was so great that even thoughts were expressed to stop the siege. Not only did it not stop, but in 1658 another 50,000 Ottomans landed on Crete, under the direct orders of the Grand Vizier.
It was then (December 1666) that the Venetians appointed Admiral Morosini, who was to play a key role in the siege of Chandakas, as Candia’s commander-in-chief.
The betrayal, the fall of Chandakas and the uprooting of the locals
It was the winter of 1667 when the last phase of this unthinkable siege would begin. These last two years, which saw the landing of new Ottoman troops in Crete, would have cost the lives of 70,000 Muslim soldiers and 70,000 Christians, warriors and civilians, Venetians and Cretans.
The Venetians rejected in the spring of 1668 a new request for the capitulation of the Upper Gate, since they now bet on the help of the French. In June 1668 the first wave of French reinforcements arrived, 6,000 soldiers and 31 ships, but the Ottomans were closer than ever to conquering the city.
The Chandakas walls and its fortifications are in a tragic state due to long-term stress. However, the clumsy actions of the French, which had a small impact on the military chessboard, worsened relations with the Venetians and more or less, at the end of August, the French are leaving!
And here the traitor enters our history. It was the engineer Andrea Barocci (Andreas Varotsis) who revealed to Turks the weak points of the fortress, but also the plans of the besieged, making Chandakas even more vulnerable than he already was.
Morosini, realizing that there was no hope, decided to surrender. On his own initiative, without consulting anyone in Venice. In September 1669 the “Treaty of Canada” was signed, giving the afflicted inhabitants the opportunity to leave the city with some of their belongings.
By then, Morosini had gathered the women and children on the island of Zeus, allowing the few men left in the castle to continue their fight. When he handed over the keys to the city to the vizier, Chandakas was almost in ruins. The last inhabitants left the city and the Turks invaded it victorious.
Chandakas’ population of 3,600 had 12 days to prepare. They then boarded ships bound for the Ionian occupied by Venice, where they moved as refugees to the islands, Venice and Dalmatia.
The “Venice of the South”, as Chandakas was called, no longer existed. It was just a pile of rubble. Like all of Crete, it was to experience a new period of martyrdom: the Ottoman Empire …
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