Everyday Life in Besieged Chandax

Although several residents abandoned the city during the first few years of the war, a significant proportion of thr population stayed within the walls. In his report in February 1667, Provveditor General Antonio Barbaro put the number of citizens remaining in Chandax at approximately 7 000. These people contributed in whatever way they could to the desperate attempts by the Venetians to repel the onslaughts of the besiegers. Most buildings had suffered extensive damage from the Ottoman artillery, and others had been reduced to rubble. Causalities inflicted by bombardments were frequently added to by epidemics, while the problem of food shortages grew acute at several points in the siege.

Yet beyond the hardships of war, everyday life in the town retained some of its timeless features. Indeed, whenever the Venetian fleet succeeded in getting supplies through to the besieged, minor pleasures to be enjoyed included the "excellent French red wine" praised by a German officer in May 1669. (G. Pertselakis, A Rare Publication on the Cretan War, Proceedings of the VII International Congress of Cretan Studies, S.C.H.S. 2000, vol. B2, p. 221 - in Greek)