Union
In October 1912, yet another military conflict broke out in Europe's tinderbox, the Balkans. The Christian Balkan states - Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro - ranged themselves against the Ottoman Empire, laying claim to its lands in the Balkans. Following defeat in the First Balkan War, under the terms of the Treaty of London (30th May 1913), the Ottoman Empire was forced to relinquish all rights to sovereignty over Crete.
On Sunday 1st December 1913, King Constantine of Greece and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos walked though the streets of Chania to the cheers of an enthusiastic crowd. Emotions reached their peak when the Greek flag was raised over the Firka Castle. The content of the marble inscription placed at the site records the emotionally charged atmosphere of the time:
TURKISH RULE ON CRETE
1669-1913
BEING 267 YEARS, 7 MONTHS, 7 DAYS
YEARS OF AGONY
The ceremony formally marking the union of Crete with Greece in Chania. Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos is visible next to King Constantine. 1st December 1913 (Eleftherios K. Venizelos National Research Foundation, Chania)
The King in triumphal procession in the main square in Chania (Historical Museum of Crete, © S.C.H.S, Heraklion)
The ceremony to mark the union of Crete with Greece, 1913 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Athens)
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