Political Conflict and Military Strategy: The Case of Crete as Exemplified by Basilicata's Relatione of 1630

Abstract

Although there are very many documentary sources available for the study of the Venetian occupation in Crete, relatively little use has yet been made of them. One such source is the Relatione of 1630 by Basilicata. This manuscript contains a detailed account of the military defences of Crete, including its fortresses and troops. It also includes a discussion of contemporary military strategies relative to the distinctive topography of Crete, special attention being given to defence needs in the event of invasion. By 1630 the extent and influence of the Venetian republic had diminished, while that of the Ottoman Empire had greatly increased. In 1645 Ottoman troops invaded Crete and the island was taken. THERE exists at present no comprehensive and detailed account of Crete during the period of the Venetian occupation, from approximately 1207 to 1645. An outline of its main features, however, may be pieced together from a variety of sources. These include many wider studies within the field of history, such as La Romanie Vdnitienne au Moyen Age by Thiriet (1959) and a few geo- graphical works, such as Crete by Clutton and Kenny (1976). There exist also a number of more specialized works, amongst which those of Gerola (1905-32), Noiret (1892), Spanakis (1957) and Xanthoudidis (1939) may be mentioned as being of particular value. Several of these works refer to and make use of contemporary documentary sources, but as yet there has been very little attempt to study in depth the detailed information contained in the routine annual reports and in the special reports of the colonial administration which governed in Crete on behalf of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for a period of four and a half centuries. Much of the material has been lost, some during the month-long sea voyage between Crete and Venice, and more during the subsequent three centuries, but much still survives. One of the surviving manuscripts which is of particular interest is that discussed in this paper. It is a lengthy special report, written by a Venetian who had been resident in Crete for a number of years, and contains, inter alia, a detailed geographical account of the island, in a