List of rulers of Crete

Last updated

This is a list of rulers of the island of Crete throughout its history.

Contents

Antiquity

Crete was conquered for the Roman Republic by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus in 69 BC and united with the Cyrenaica in the province of Creta et Cyrenaica until 193 AD, when it became a separate province.

Roman governors of Creta et Cyrenaica

NameTenure
Publius Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus 74 BC
Gnaeus Tremellius Scrofa51—50 BC
Gaius Clodius Vestalis [1] during the reign of Augustus
Marcus Titiusduring the reign of Augustus
Publius Sulpicius Quirinius c. 21/20 BC
Fabiusbefore 13 BC
Quintus Lucanius Proculusafter 12 BC
Publius Sextius Scaeva7/6 BC
Lucius Plotius Vicinas 2 BC – 7 AD
(Lollius) Palikanusduring the reign of Augustus
Marcus Nonius Balbus during the reign of Augustus
Scatoduring the reign of Augustus
Gaius Rubellius Blandus during the reign of Augustus
Cesius Cordusc. AD 21
Publius Octaviusbetween AD 14 and 29
Occius Flammaduring the reign of Tiberius
Cornelius Lupus during the reign of Tiberius
Publius Viriasius Nasoduring the reign of Tiberius
Celerduring the reign of Tiberius
Augurinusduring the reign of Caligula
Quintus Cassius Gratus before 53
Caesernius Veientoc. 46/47
Publius Pomponius Secundus before 44
Cestius Proculusbefore 56
Pedius Blaesusbefore 59
Bruttidius Sabinus1st half 1st century
Lucius Turpilius Dexter 64/65
Titus Atilius Rufus 67
Aulus Minicius Rufus [2] 71/72
Catullus72/73
Gaius Arinius Modestus 73–75
Siloduring the reign of Vespasian
Aulus Julius Quadratus 84/85
Gaius Pomponius Gallus Didius Rufus 88/89
Sabinusduring the reign of Domitian
 ? Helviusduring the reign of Domitian
Gnaeus Suillius Rufus during the reign of Domitian/Trajan
Gaius Memmius ...98/99
Lucius Elufrius Severus 99/100
Lucius Silius [...]First century AD
Lucius Aemilius Honoratus during the reign of Trajan
Titus Vibius Va[rus]during the reign of Trajan
Q. [...]118/119
Salvius Carus 134/135
Quintus Caecilius Marcellus Dentilianus [3] 149/150
Quintus Julius Potitus between 145 and 161
Gaius Claudius Titianus Demostratus 161/162
Pomponius Naevianus between 165 and 169
Veturius Paccianus shortly before 168
Quintus Servilius Pudens after 164
Lucius Saevinus Proculus c. 173/174
Quintus Caecilius Rufinus between 160 and 180
Numisius Marcellianus between 161 and 180
Lucius Sempronius [...]attested 191/192 [4]
Gaius Julius Septimius Castinus c. 204
Gnaeus Petronius Probatus Junior Justusbetween 222 and 235

Roman governors of Crete

After the reforms of Emperor Diocletian in the 290s, Crete's governor held the rank of consularis .

NameTenure
Aglaus proconsul 286?/293 [5]
M. Aur. Buzes praeses 293/305 [5]
Agrianusc. 304 [5]
Fortunatianus Servilius364–370 [6]
Fl. Fursidius Aristides372/376 [5]
Oecumenius Dositheus Asclepiodotus382–383 [7]
Aemilius Quintilius Pyrrhusafter 383 [5]
Callinicus412/413 [8]

Byzantine and Arab periods

Crete became part of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire upon the partition of the Roman Empire in 395 AD. It remained in Byzantine hands until it was conquered by Andalusian exiles in the mid-820s and became an emirate, nominally under Abbasid suzerainty. The emirate became a major base for Muslim naval raids along the coasts of the Byzantine Empire, and several attempts at reconquest failed. The Byzantines finally retook the island in 961 under the leadership of Nikephoros Phokas, and held it until 1205.

First Byzantine period

Proconsul
Archon
Strategos

Emirs of Crete

#NameReign
1 Abu Hafs Umar (I) ibn Shuayb ibn Isa al-Ghaliz al-Iqritishi 827/828 – ca. 855
2 Shu'ayb ibn Umar ca. 855–880
3 Umar (II) ibn Shu'ayb ca. 880–895
4 Muhammad ibn Shu'ayb al-Zarkun ca. 895–910
5 Yusuf ibn Umar ca. 910–915
6 Ali ibn Yusuf ca. 915–925
7 Ahmad ibn Umar ca. 925–940
8 Shu'ayb (II) ibn Ahmad 940–943
9 Ali ibn Ahmad 943–949
10 Abd al-Aziz ibn Shu'ayb 949–961

Second Byzantine period

Strategos
Doux (katepano)

Venetian period, 1212–1669

Genoese governors, 1204–1212

NameRule
Henry, Count of Malta 1206–1210

Dukes of Crete, 1209–1669

The supreme Venetian governor of Crete bore the title of "Duke of Crete" (Italian : duca di Candia, Latin : dux Cretae).

NameTenure
Jacopo Tiepolo 1209–1214 [9]
Pietro Querini1216
Domenico Delfino 1216–1217
Paolo Querini 1222
Giovanni Michiel 1227–1228 [10]
Marino Storlato 1229–1230 [11]
Stefano Giustiniani 1236
Jacopo I Barozzi 1244
Albertino Morosini 1255–1257 [12]
Giacomo Delfino 1261–1262
Giovanni Velenio 1273–1274
Marino Zeno 1274
Marino Morosini1274–1276
Pietro Zeno1276
Marino Gradenigo 1279
Jacopo Dondulo 1281–1283
Albertino Morosini 1290–1293
Michel Vitali 1299
Jacopo II Barozzi 1301
Marino Badoer1313–1315
Nicolò Zani 1317
Giovanni Morosini1327–1329
Mario Morosini 1329–1331
Viago Zeno 1333
Andrea Cornaro 1340
Nicolò Priuli 19 November 1340 – 10 February 1341
Petri Miani 26 October 1344 – 24 April 1345
Marco da Molin 24 April 1345 – 19 August 1347
Marco Cornaro 20 August 1347 – 25 November 1348
Marino Grimani25 November 1348 – 17 September 1350
Pietro Gradenigo24 September 1350 – 15 August 1352
Marino Morosini20 September 1352 – 6 September 1355
Goffredo Morosini 6 September 1355 – 20 July 1357
Filippo Orio 30 July 1357 – 6 August 1358
Pietro Badoer 22 August 1358 – 14 July 1360
Leonardo Dandolo 12 October 1360 – 6 February 1362
Marco Gradenigo 1362–1364
Pietro Morosini 1364–1366
Paolo Zuliani 1382
Tommaso Mocenigo 1403–1405
Lodovico Morosini1407–1409
Egidio Morosini 1417–1418
Andrea Mocenigo1441–1443
Tommaso Duodo1443-1445
Andrea Donato1445-1447
Antonio Diedo1447-1449
Bernardo Balbi1450-1453
Benedetto Vitturi1453-1456
Girardo Dandolo1456-1459
Leonardo Duodo1459-1462
Giacomo Barozzi ca. 1463
Benedetto Gritti 1472–1473
Giovanni Pisani1477-1479
Giovanni Borgia1497
Girolamo Donato 1508–1510
Paolantonio Emiliano 1510
Giacomo Cornaro 1528
Giovanni Morosinica. 1530
Antonio Morosini ca. 1530
Antonio Amulio 1536–1538
Giovanni Moro1538
Ferdinando Vitturi 1539
Alvise Renier 1550
Lodovico Gritti 1552–1554
Zacharia Mocenigo 1559–1563
Marco di Lauro Querini 1570
Pasqual Cicogna 1585
Giovanni Sagredo 1604
Francesco Morosini1612–1614
Donato Morosini 1617–1619
Marco Gradenigo 1627–1629
Lazaro Mocenigo 1629–1631
Bernardo Morosini 1644–1646
Giuseppe Morosini1650–1653
Francesco Morosini 1656
Antonio Barbaro 1667
Girolamo Battagia 1667

Ottoman period, 1646–1898

Valis of Crete

NameTenure
Çelebi Ismail Pasha 1693–1695
Hasan Pasha1699/1700
Kalaylikoz Haci Ahmed Pasha 1701–1704
Abdullah Pasha1704–1713
Hüseyin Pasha1713
Kara Mehmed Pasha1713–1718
Silahtar Ibrahim Pasha 1718–1719
Esad Pasha1719–1720
Cerkes Osman Pasha 1720–1723
Osman Pasha1723–1724
Hüseyin Pasha1724–1725
Koca Mehmed Pasha1725–1726
Osman Pasha1726–1728
Haci Halil Pasha 1728–1729
Mehmed Pasha1730–1731
Sahin Mehmed Pasha 1731
Azimzade Ismail Pasha 1731–1732
Haci Halil Pasha (again)1732–1733
Haci Ali Pasha 1733–1734
Hafiz Ahmed Pasha1734–1735
Haci Huseyin Pasha 1735–1736
Ismail Pasha1736–1737
Haci Ivazzade Mehmed Pasha 1737–1740
Hüseyin Pasha1740–1741
Sari Mehmed Pasha 1742
Haci Ivazzade Mehmed Pasha (again)1742–1743
Numan Pasha 1743–1745
Ali Pasha1745–1746
Köprülüzade Ahmed Pasha 1746–1747
Elçi Mustafa Pasha 1747–1750
Mustafa Pasha1750
Ibrahim Pasha1750–1751
Numan Pasha 1751–1754
Melek Mehmed Pasha 1754–1755
Mehmed Said Pasha1755
Ali Pasha1755–1757
Mehmed Pasha1757–1758
Kiamil Ahmed Pasha 1758–1764
Tosun Mehmed Pasha 1764–1766
Hüsnü Pasha 1766–1768
Feyzullah Pasha 1768–1769
Tokmakzade Hasan Pasha 1769–1770
Ampra Süleyman Pasha 1771–1773
Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha 1773–1774
Ibrahim Pasha1774
Dervish Ali Pasha 1774–1776
Kara Ahmed Pasha1776–1778
Ibrahim Pasha (again)1778
Mustafa Pasha Hacizade 1778–1779
Mustafa Pasha Mirahor 1779
Mehmed Emin Pasha1779–1780
Mustafa Pasha Hacizade (again)1780
Raif Ismail Pasha 1781–1782
Aslan Pasha 1782–1783
Kassupis Seyit Ali Pasha 1783
Abdullah Pasha1783–1784
Ekmezi Mehmed Pasha 1784–1786
Süleyman Pasha Zorlu 1786–1787
Mehmed Pasha1787
Mustafa Pasha Hacizade (yet again)1787
Mehmed Izzet Pasha 1787–1788
Ekmezi Mehmed Pasha (again)1788–1789
Abdullah Pasha Azamzade 1789
Yusuf Pasha 1789–1790
Hüseyin Pasha1790–1793
Hasan Pasha1793–1797
Ferhad Pasha1797
Said Hafiz Pasha 1797–1798
Mehmed Hakki Pasha 1798–1799
Tahir Pasha1799–1801
Sami Pasha 1801–1802
Ardinli Mehmed Pasha 1802–1803
Abdullah Dervis Pasha 1803
Mustafa Hasip Pasha 1803–1804
Mehmed Hüsrev Pasha 1804–1805
Vani Mehmed Pasha 1805
Osman Pasha1805–1806
Said Hafiz Pasha (again)1806–1807
Kadri Pasha1807–1808
Marasli Ali Pasha 1808–1809
Kadri Pasha (again)1809–1810
Hafiz Pasha1810–1811
Sami Bekir Pasha 1811–1812
Kurd Haci Osman Pasha 1812–1815
Ibrahim Pasha1815–1816
Vehid Fazil Pasha 1816–1819
Hilmi Ibrahim Pasha 1819–1820
Serif Pasha1820
Said Lütfullah Pasha 1820–1826
Kara Süleyman Pasha 1826–1829
Mehmed Zehrab Pasha 1829–1830
Mustafa Naili Pasha 1830–1851
Salih Vamik Pasha 1851–1852
Mehmed Emin Pasha1852–1855
Veliüddin Pasha 1855–1857
Abdürrahman Sami Pasha 1857–1858
Hüseyin Hüsnü Pasha 1858–1859
Ismail Rahmi Pasha 1859–1861
Hekim Ismail Pasha 1861–1866
Mustafa Naili Pasha (again)1866–1867
Hussein Avni Pasha 1867
Serdar Ekrem Ömer Pasha 1867
Hussein Avni Pasha (again)1867–1868
Arif Efendi (acting)1868
Kücük Ömer Fevzi Pasha 1868–1870
Mehmed Rauf Pasha bin Abdi Pasha 1870–1871
Kücük Ömer Fevzi Pasha (again)1871–1872
Redif Pasha 1872
Safvet Pasha 1872–1873
Mehmed Rauf Pasha bin Abdi Pasha (again)1873–1874
Hasan Sami 1874–1875
Redif Pasha (again)1875
Ahmed Muhtar Pasha 1875–1876
Hasan Sami (again)1876–1877
Konstantinos Adosidis Pasha 1877–1878
Ahmed Muhtar Pasha (again)1878
Alexander Karatheodori Pasha 27 Nov 1878 – 14 Dec 1878
Ioannis Photiades Pasha 1879–1885
Ioannis Savas Pasha 1885–1887
Kostakis Anthopoulos Pasha 1887–1888
Nikolakis Sartinki Pasha 1888–1889
Hasan Reza Pasha 1889
Shakir Pasha1889–1890
Ahmed Cevad Pasha 1890–1891
Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha1891–1894
Turhan Pasha Përmeti 1894–1895
Iskender Pasha1895–1896
Alexander Karatheodori Pasha (again)Feb 1896 – Mar 1896
Turhan Pasha Përmeti (again)12 Mar 1896 – May 1896
Kölemen Abdullah Pasha May 1896 – Jun 1896
Djordje Berovich Pasha (Georgios Verovits)28 Jun 1896 – 14 Feb 1897
Musavir Ismail Bey (acting)Feb 1897 – 4 Nov 1898
Ahmed Cevad Pasha (Ottoman Military Governor)24 Jul 1897 – 10 Oct 1898
Shakir Pasha (Ottoman Military Governor)Oct 1898 – Nov 1898

Modern period, 1898–today

High Commissioners of the Cretan State

Crete became an autonomous state under international protection and nominal Ottoman suzerainty following the Greco-Turkish War of 1897. A High Commissioner of the Great Powers (Ύπατος Αρμοστής) was installed to govern the island. In 1908, the Cretan Assembly unilaterally declared union with Greece, but this was not recognized by Greece until the outbreak of the First Balkan War in October 1912 and internationally until 1913.

#NamePictureTook officeLeft office
1 Prince George of Greece and Denmark Prince Georges of Greece.jpg 21 December 189830 September 1906
2 Alexandros Zaimis Alexandros Zaimis 02.jpg 1 October 190630 September 1911
3Three-member Commission30 September 191111 October 1912

Governors-General of Crete

From unification with Greece in 1912 until 1955, Crete as a whole was administered by a government-appointed governor-general (Greek : Γενικός Διοικητής Κρήτης), who supervised the administration of the island's four prefectures (Chania, Heraklion, Lasithi and Rethymno).

#NamePictureTook officeLeft office
1 Stefanos Dragoumis Stephanos Dragoumis.jpg 11 October 191230 May 1913
2 Georgios Ploumidis 19131913
3 Loukas Kanakaris-Roufos 9-3-26, (assemblee de la S.D.N.,) Geneve, Louca Canacaris Roufos.jpg December 1913April 1915
4 Ioannis Tsirimokos April 19151917
5 Konstantinos Tsaldaris Constantine Tsaldaris.jpg 19211922
6 Georgios Karpetopoulos §9 May 192228 August 1922
7 Polychronis Polychronidis 19221922
8 Dimitrios Tombazis 19221923
9 Periklis Mazarakis 19231924
10 Petros Evripaios 19241924
11 Nikolaos Paritsis 19241925
12 Manousos Koundouros Manousos Koundouros (1899).jpg 19251926
13 Nikolaos Zouridis 19261927
14 Titos Georgiadis 19271928
15 Georgios Katechakis § Upostrategos Katekhakes.png 10 March 192822 December 1930
16 Nikolaos Askoutsis §22 December 193025 May 1932
17 Dimitrios Kalitsounakis §26 May 19325 June 1932
18 Michail Katapotis § Mixail katapotis.jpg 19 June 19324 November 1932
19 Vasileios Meimarakis §25 November 193216 January 1933
20 Michail Kyrkos §16 January 1933
21 Ioannis Moutzouridis §13 March 193325 May 1934
22 Ilias Aposkitis §25 May 19341 June 1935
23 Georgios Frangiadakis §19 July 193510 October 1935
24 Georgios Tsontos § Georgios Tsondos Vardas 2.jpg 10 October 193530 November 1935
25 Konstantinos Bakopoulos §7 December 193514 March 1936
26 Panagiotis Sfakianakis §18 May 19361941
27 Emmanouil Louladakis §194126 January 1943
28 Ioannis Passadakis §26 January 194310 October 1944
29 Agathangelos Xirouchakis Agathaggelos Xirouhakis.jpg 19441944
30 Nikolaos Papadakis 19441945
31 Manousos Voloudakis §29 January 19454 April 1946
32 Dionysios Voultsos §8 May 19464 November 1946
33 Emmanouil Papadogiannis §4 November 194624 January 1947
34 Evangelos Daskalakis §31 January 194717 February 1947
35 Christos Tzifakis 19471947
36 Emmanouil Baklatzis 19471948
37 Anastasios Hobitis 19481948
38 Polychronis Polychronidis 19481950
39 Nikolaos Krasadakis 1950
40 Stylianos Koundouros Stylianos Koundouros.jpg
41 Ioannis Konotiakis 1955
Notes: § denotes a person bearing cabinet rank as Minister General-Governor of Crete (Υπουργός Γενικός Διοικητής Κρήτης) or Vice-Minister General-Governor of Crete (Υφυπουργός Γενικός Διοικητής Κρήτης).

Regional governors of Crete

With the establishment of the region of Crete (Περιφέρεια Κρήτης) in 1986, Crete became again an administrative entity. Until 2011, the regional governors (περιφερειάρχες) were government-appointed, but in accordance to the Kallikratis reform they were replaced with elected officials.

Appointed governors

Elected governors

#NamePictureTook officeLeft office
1 Stavros Arnaoutakis CoR Members portraits - Stavros ARNAOUTAKIS.jpg 1 January 2011incumbent

Notes

  1. Unless otherwise stated, the names of the proconsular governors from 31 BC to AD 67 are taken from Werner Eck, "Über die prätorischen Prokonsulate in der Kaiserzeit. Eine quellenkritische Überlegung", Zephyrus, 23/24 (1972-3), pp.244-247
  2. Unless otherwise stated, the names of the proconsular governors from 71 to 135 are taken from Werner Eck, "Jahres- und Provinzialfasten der senatorischen Statthalter von 69/70 bis 138/139", Chiron , 12 (1982), pp. 281-362; 13 (1983), pp. 147-237
  3. Unless otherwise stated, the names of the proconsular governors from 149 to 169 are taken from Géza Alföldy, Konsulat und Senatorenstand unter der Antoninen (Bonn: Rudolf Habelt Verlag, 1977), pp. 263f
  4. Unless otherwise stated, the names of the proconsular governors from 191 to 235 are taken from Paul M. M. Leunissen, Konsuln und Konsulare in der Zeit von Commodus bis Severus Alexander (1989), pp. 297f
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 PLRE , Vol. I, p. 1104.
  6. Szymon Olszaniec, Prosopographical Studies on the Court Elite in the Roman Empire (4th Century AD) (Nicolaus Copernicus University Press, 2013), p. 208.
  7. J. C. Lamoreaux (1998), "The Provenance of Ecumenius' Commentary on the Apocalypse", Vigiliae Christianae52(1), p. 97 n35. doi : 10.2307/1584585
  8. PLRE , Vol. 2, p. 1285.
  9. Jacoby 2006, p. 69.
  10. Jacoby 2006, p. 74.
  11. Jacoby 2006, p. 70.
  12. Jacoby 2006, p. 73.

Sources

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Kontostephanos, feminine form Kontostephanina (Κοντοστεφανίνα), was the name of an aristocratic Byzantine Greek family active in the 10th–15th centuries, which enjoyed great prominence in the 12th century through its intermarriage with the Komnenian dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Chandax</span> Successful Byzantine siege of Muslim Crete

The siege of Chandax in 960-961 was the centerpiece of the Byzantine Empire's campaign to recover the island of Crete which since the 820s had been ruled by Muslim Arabs. The campaign followed a series of failed attempts to reclaim the island from the Muslims stretching as far back as 827, only a few years after the initial conquest of the island by the Arabs, and was led by the general and future emperor Nikephoros Phokas. It lasted from autumn 960 until spring 961, when the main Muslim fortress and capital of the island, Chandax was captured. The reconquest of Crete was a major achievement for the Byzantines, as it restored Byzantine control over the Aegean littoral and diminished the threat of Saracen pirates, for which Crete had provided a base of operations.