As we mentioned in our earlier post, the battle which took place at the Tower of Voukolies in February 1897, although although of limited importance in itself, was of historical significance as it marked the beginning of direct involvement by the Greek government in Cretan affairs, which was eventually to lead to the island’s union with Greece.

Rebellions against the Ottomans
Occupied by the Ottomans since the end of the Cretan War (1645-1669), the island had been periodically riven by rebellions of the Cretan population, particularly after the declaration of Greek independence in 1821. These had been systematically and brutally suppressed by the Ottomans, but the Cretans had gained some concessions, culminating in the Pact of Halepa which in 1878 established the island as an autonomous state under Ottoman suzerainty.

When the Ottomans reneged on that agreement in 1889, tensions on the island increased, resulting in a new rebellion in 1895, which by the beginning of 1897 had spread to most of the island. It was at this point that the Greek government, reacting to public opinion at home, sent an army under Colonel Timoleon Vassos to link up with the Cretan rebels, with the aim of taking over the island and achieving Cretan independence from the Ottomans.

The Great Powers of the time (United Kingdom, France, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Germany and Russia), fearing the effects on regional stability of the events on Crete, sent an international fleet of warships which by bombarding the insurgents, conducting a blockade of Cretan and some Greek ports and placing troops ashore to occupy key cities, forced a withdrawal of the Greek forces and the temporary abandonment of the notion of Cretan union with the motherland.

The creation of the Cretan State
At the same time, in response to continuing unrest on the island, with both Christian and Muslim Cretans carrying out massacres of their counterparts, the Great Powers proposed the creation of an autonomous Cretan State, still notionally under Ottoman control but garrisoned by an international military force and with as its high commissioner Prince George of Greece and Denmark, the son of King George I of Greece. Following the departure of all Ottoman forces from Crete by November 1898, Prince George arrived to take office on 21st December of the same year.

The Ottomans had done little to develop the island in their 200-plus years of hegemony, and the period under Prince George saw the enacting of a Constitution, the establishment of a parliament and judiciary, the organisation of education and economic development and the improvement of transport, as well as the creation of a Cretan Gendarmerie. However the high-handed manner of Prince George’s rule and the delay in unification with Greece led to the Theriso Revolt of 1905, in which Eleftherios Venizelos played a leading part, and which declared “the political union of Crete with Greece as a single free constitutional state”.

Venizelos had been Justice minister of the Cretan State but was dismissed in 1901 following disagreements with Prince George, who following the revolt was forced to leave the island in 1906. By order of King George I the position was given to a Greek politician Alexandros Zaimis, under whom the union of Crete with Greece was proclaimed by decision of all the political powers on the island.

The Greek government, however, delayed recognition of the claim, wishing to avoid conflict with both the Turks and the European powers, and it was not until the victory of Greece and its allies (Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria) in the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 that the Ottomans were forced to relinquish all their European possessions with the exception of eastern Thrace. The formal union with Greece took place on 1 December 1913, with the raising of the national flag at the Firka Fortress in Chania harbour in the presence of King Constantine of Greece and of Eleftherios Venizelos, by then prime minister of Greece.

Sources of contemporary documents
Throughout this period Chania remained the centre of political events and was the capital of Crete from 1841 to 1971. The Municipality of Chania has created a website – https://chaniahistory.gr – which contains short histories of the city from prehistoric times to the modern era, including a section on the Cretan State, together with historical documents and, potentially, an interactive map and online games for children. Bilingual in Greek and English, the site is clearly still under construction as a number of resources are listed but not so far accessible.

Of particular interest is an exhibition currently on at the KAM in Chania, entitled “Politics and Society in the Cretan State 1898-1913”, sponsored by the National Research Foundation “Eleftherios K. Venizelos” and the Hellenic Parliament Foundation. Consisting of contemporary photographs, art works and magazine covers, with other contemporary records such as postcards, it maps the progress of the Cretan State from its creation to union with Greece and describes the island’s political, social and economic development during that period.

The exhibition is running from 16 November 2024 to 31 January 2025. Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday 11:00-16:00, Saturday and Sunday 12:00-18:00. Admission is free.

Celebration of Union with Greece
The anniversary of the union of Crete with the motherland is celebrated every year in Chania. The Regional Unit of Chania has published the following details of the programme for the celebrations on the weekend of 29th November to 1st December.

Friday 29th November
11:00 Laying of wreaths at the statue of the Ethnarch Eleftherios Venizelos, Plateia Eleftherias [Dikastirion Square].
Wreaths will be laid by pupils and students in the presence of local government representatives. After the ceremony there will be 1 minute’s silence and the Municipal Band of Chania will play the National Anthem and the Hymn of the Ethnarch*.

Saturday 30th November
19:30 Event organised by the Eleftherios K. Venizelos Foundation at the Cultural Centre of Chania:
First showing of the documentary “For Crete and freedom. The path to Union” (45 minutes). Speakers in the documentary include Roderick Beaton (Professor Emeritus at King’s College London and president of the British School of Athens), Rea Galanaki (author), Lena Livani (author, former professor at the Law School of Athens University), and Nikolaos Papadakis-Papadis (general director of the National Foundation “Eleftherios K. Venizelos”).
Produced by: National Foundation “Eleftherios K. Venizelos”
Script and direction: Ilias Giannakakis
Narrator: Konstantinos Kamaras
Technical advisers: Nikolaos Papadakis-Papadis, Giorgos Koukourakis.
Production company: ORNTET
Archive material: Hellenic Parliament, National Foundation “Eleftherios K. Venizelos”, collection of Ilias Giannakakis.
Entrance is free.

Sunday 1st December
7:30 — 10:30 Metropolitan Church of the Presentation of the Virgin [Chania Cathedral]: Matins – Divine Liturgy – memorial service.
11:00 — Thanksgiving, followed by procession carrying the Flag to the Firka Fortress.
11:30 — Firka Fortress: ceremony of raising the flag.
The official address of the day will be given by the mayor of Chania Panagiotis Simandirakis. The raising of the flag will follow, then there will be a visit to the Naval Museum of Crete with the presentation of new exhibits and donations, and a visit to the Chania City Hall.
(Haniotika Nea, 25/11/24)

*The Hymn of the Ethnarch is a song in praise of Eleftherios Venizelos as national leader, composed by the poet Angelos Doxas (1900-1985) and set to music by Manolis Kalomiris (1883-1962).