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Outbreak of the Cretan War
In June 1645, using Venice's rule of Crete and piracy as pretexts, the Ottoman Empire dispatched a large fleet and army to land on Crete, and the Fif…
Timeline
- 1645Istanbul · MarmaraSultan Ibrahim I, citing Venice's toleration of Cretan pirates and its breach of peace, ordered war declared on Venice and assembled a fleet and expeditionary force at the Dardanelles, preparing to attack Crete.
- 1645Chania · CreteThe Ottoman fleet landed on the west coast of Crete and quickly captured Chania and other coastal towns; the local Venetian garrisons failed to hold them off, and the war entered a full-scale phase of land conquest.
- 1645Candia · CreteThe Republic of Venice urgently raised fleets and mercenaries, fortified the fortress of Candia, and sought aid from the Papal States, France, and other Catholic powers; the Cretan War thus evolved from a localized landing into a prolonged Mediterranean conflict.
Sources
- The Ottoman Centuries: The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire — Lord Kinross (1977)
- Venice: A Maritime Republic — Frederic C. Lane (1973)
- Cretan War (1645–1669) https://www.britannica.com/event/Cretan-War