Were we to attempt a circumstantial detail of the Va rious revolutions which this island has undergone since its first subjugation by the Romans, we should far ex ceed the hounds prescribed for such articles in this work; we intend, therefore, to confine ourselves to the more prominent events, which have brought it to its present degradation. For the ancient history of Candia, we refer our readers to the article CRETE. Before this island was conquered by the Romans, its inhabitants had greatly degenerated front their ancient simplicity and virtue. F..lated by power, and enervated by they had become turbulent, covetous, and ambitions. The Archipelago was infested with their piratical fleets, which disturbed the tranquillity, awl molested the com merce of the neighbouring states ; and they continued their depredations, till the Rhodians armed themselves fin. defence, and succeeded in sinking, burn ing, and dispersing their squadrons. When attacked by the Romaus, a spark of their ancient valour still guided them in battle, and it was not till after a long, obstinate, and vigorous resistance, that the Cretans were obliged to yield to the talents and fortune of Quintus Aletellus, in the year 66 13. C. ; \viten Ube laws of Minos were abo lished, atiel those of Noma established in their stead. This island, io conjunction with the small kingdom of Cy nine, on the Lybian coast, was then converted into a Roman province, and governed by a proconsul. It con tinued under the dominion of the Roman emperors till the beginning of the 9th century. when the Saracens, in vited by the beauty and fertility of the island, landed without opposition, and built the strong fortress of Chan dak, which afterwards, under the Venetians, assumed the name of Candia. From this citadel, they carried havoc and devastation into the interior of the and, notwithstanding the efforts of the emperor iNfichael 13albus, they soon made themselves masters of the whole Repeated attempts were made both by Michael and his successors, to expel the Saracens from Crete, but tt ithout success ; and it Was reserved for the Empe ror Nicephorus floras to deliver this fine island from the yoke of the infidels. After various encounters in the field, tie drove them to their fortresses, which he suc cessively reduced, and in 912 took Chandak, their last resource, with their king Curup, and his lieutenant Arc mas, prisoners. The island was again united to the empire, of which it continued to form a part till the tak ing of (.onstantinople by the Crusaders, when Baldwin, Coot t of Flanders, being raised to the throne, bestowed it, with several other islands in the Archipelago, upon the Venetians in 1204, as a recompence for their impor tant services during the war. Under the wise and li beral government of the Venetians, the commerce and agriculture of Concha soon began to revive ; and in a short time it because a most flourishing conquest. The Gonoese, jealous of the growing prosperity of their sis ter rt public, excited the Candians to revolt, and pro mised them powerful succours. Some of their chief nn n, accordingly, appeared in arms ; but, though pow erfully supported by the Genoese, they were unabk to withstand the Venetians, who soon re duced them 0) obedience, and divided the whole island among the nobility, upon condition that they should maint•in it at their own UN13enCe. pay an yearly tribute, and acknowledge the sovereignty or the mother country. The peace of the island being re-established, it conti nued oith little interruption till the middle of the tith century ; w nen the Turks, who had made several at tempts upon Candia, obtained by perfidy, what t cv could not accomplish by open force. During the i.re parations of a mighty armament which was to be em ployed against this island, the emperor of Constantino pie deceived the Venetian ambassadors is ith the most so1.11111 assurances, that :,l alts was the object of snack, and that the republic inigin be under no apprehensions for toe safety of her posscssions. lie even loaded them with presents, and directed his fleet to hear for Cape Matapan, as if they were bound far west of the Archi pelago. But io the midst of his prim stations of amity, the Turkish fleet, c onsisting of 400 sail, with 60,I 0 troops on board, entered the bay of Camel, i11 1645. The Venetian governor, Cornato, who had made no preparations for their reception, was awakens I from I.is seeming security only by the intelligence oh tt cir SI cut upon the island. A body of 3500 infitntry, and a small number of cavalry, were the only force lie had to oppose to this powerful armanumt; and his distance from Ve nice deprived him of all hope of a speedy reinforcement. The Turks having seized the forts upon the island of St Theodore, invested the city of Cauca, whose garrison consisted only of 1000 regular troops. These, however, being strengthened by 250 more, which Cornaro found means to throw into the city, made a most desperate resistance. Monks and women appeared upon the walls among the defenders ; and for tiro months they held out against the mighty power of the Turks. Despairing at last of relief from Venice, with three breaches in their walls, and reduced to 500 men, exhausted with fatigue and covered with wounds, they made an honourable ca• pitulation, and marched out of the city with the honours of war. Twenty thousand Ottomans was time sacrifice
which the Cancans had exacted for the loss of their city. The fall of Retimo soon succeeded, with the death Cortaro, who fell in the ranks of his soldiers, when bold ly opposing the approach of the Turks to that city ; and the victors sat down before Candia in 1646. Many he roic deeds of valour were performed before this city, and its siege is one of the most memorable recorded in his tory. For two years, the Turks made little or no pro gress. They were routed in many desperate and bloody encounters, and sometimes compelled to retire to {tett mo, in order to recruit their shattered forces. in the mean time, the plague had been introduced into the island by some Turkish reinforcements, and had spread with such rapidity, that many of the inhabitants fell be fore its fury, and others, to escape its ravages, had fled into the Venetian territories on the continent. Candia was thus in a nrumer depopulated; scarcely a Greek was to be seen in the open country, for such as had es caped from the pestilence took refuge in the different fortresses ; and the Turks themselves had sufft red so much, both by disease and the sword, that they were compelled to raise the siege in 1649, and retire to Co ma. But in the following year, they were enabled, by the arrival of fresh troops, to renew the siege, which tiny prosecuted with such vigour, that they soon made. themselves masters of one of the advanced forts. This being turned against the city. proved so troublesome to the besieged, that they were obliged to blow it up. The Venetians, however, had now got possession of the sea. The Ottoman fleets hail been defeated in set oral engage ments, and their supplies Were eN• IT year intercepted its the Shifts of the Dardanelles. Depressed by some se vere losses, and the want of succours, the Turks had converted the siege of Candia into a blockade ; while the Venetians, on the other hand, elated by success, tempted the recapture of Cahea in 1660, which, ho•.\ CA Lr, when about to surrender, was snatched front their grasp by the appearance of the Pude% of Rhodes, Ns ho has ing escaped the Venetian tallies which were timed to intercept him, but which were becalmcsi or: Cape Spada. reinforced the defenders with t•vo thousand men. The Turks were now commanded to appear atra-.% before Candia, and to make every possible effort for its reduction. For six years, however, their efforts were unavailing, and it was not until they had been reinforced by a formidable army under the Grand Vizier, and sup ported by a numerous artillery, that they made any im pression upon the Venetian works. A rapid demolition now commenced. All the exterior forts were destroyed; and the walls, battered by incessant discharges of can non, gave way on all quarters. The Turkish troops, en couraged by the presents and promises of their chiefs, performed prodigies of valour ; and during one year (1667) it is recorded, that 500 mines were blown up ; is combats were fought in the underground works ; 17 sallies were made by the besieged; 32 times the city was assaulted ; and 20,000 Turks and 3000 Venetians fell in the contest. The Candians, however, though reduced to .the most dreadful extremities, were still undismayed, and held out for three years more against all the forces of the Ottoman empire. Succours from France, under the Duke of Noailles, had animated their hopes. But the first sally of their new allies was discouraging and disastrous, and soon led to the surrender of their ci ;y. The command of the forlorn hope had been en trusted to the Duke of Beaufort, admiral of France. Ile advanced furiously against the enemy, and attacked him within his trenches; but in the midst of the engage ment, a magazine of powder was set on fire, when Beau fort and the flower of the French leaders disappeared for ever. The soldiers fled in disorder, and the Duke of Noailles with difficulty effected a safe retreat within the city. The French accused the Venetians of treachery, and prepared to reimbark. Their departure determined the fate of Candia, which, after a siege of 24 years, sur rendered to the Turks. Of more than 30,000 Chris tians that had entered this city since the beginning of the siege, 500 only remained; and above 100,000 Otto mans perished at the foot of its walls. The Grand Vi zier entered Candia on the 4th of October 1670, and the whole island submitted to his dominion, except the forts of Sude, Grabusa, and Spina Longua. These continued in the possession of the Venetians until 1715, when they were reduced by the Turks, who have remained mas ters of the island ever since.
Besides the division of this island into governments, these are subdivided into provinces, which we shall con tent ourselves at present with merely enumerating. In the government of Callen. are Kissamos, Selino, Cydo nia, and Apocorona; in the pachalic of Retimo arc, Re fill)°, Aion-Vassali, and Amari ; and in that of Candia arc, Sphachia, Candia, Nilo-Potamo, the island of Stan l)ia, Messara, Mirabel, Iliera-Petra, and Settia. Sec Savary's Letters on Greece, p. 203, &c.; Oliver's Tra vel's in the Ottoman Empire, vol. ii. p. 266, &c.; and Sonnini's Travels in Greece and Turkey, p. 209, Ste. 00