The Cretan War (1645 - 1669)

An act of piracy involving the Knights of St. John of Malta provided the pretext for the 5^th Venetian-Turkish War, known as the Cretan War because the island was the main theatre of conflict. Yet apart from the battles fought on land, naval operations proved crucial in the overall course of the war. The Ottomans landed on the west of the island in 1645, and by 1648 had placed the whole of Crete under their control, with the exception of Chandax and the small seaward fortresses at Grambousa, Suda and Spinalonga.

The siege of Chandax, one of the lengthiest of its kind in world history, began in May 1648. In the time it lasted, soldiers came to the aid of the Venetian defenders from many European countries, some as volunteers and others as mercenaries. The town was devastated by continuous bombardment and sapping, until the defenders finally capitulated and fled in September 1669, taking with them most of the town's residents and the invaluable Venetian administrative archive.