The war for Candia lasted 24 years, from 1645 to 1669, and was markedly
different from the 1570-73 war against the Turks. The latter was an
epoch-making conflict of empires and civilisations at the height of their
powers - in political and military terms Venice was actually the greatest
Christian power active in the Levant. The war of Candia, which began in 1644,
was instead located in the Mediterranean which had lost its centuries-old
supremacy. The interests of the continental powers had moved towards the
Atlantic and Northern Europe, and the naval power of the Venetians and the
Spaniards was dramatically diminished by piracy.
After 1640, when it became clear that the Turks had set their sights on
Candia, Venice mobilised a formidable fleet, which included ships from Malta,
the pontifical states, Naples, and Tuscany. By 1645 the Christian fleet
totalled 60-70 galleys , 4 galleasses , and about 36 galleons .
In the course of 24 years of war the Venetians were generally on the offensive,
often achieving stunning victories, including those in the central Aegean in
1651, and the Dardanelles in 1655 and 1656. Northern winds and the strong
currents of the Black Sea, together with the ability of the Turks to organise
convoys of reinforcements from Chios , Rhodes, Alexandria and Malvasia prevented the establishment of a permanent base in the Dardanelles. The
attempt to occupy the Turkish base of Chania in 1666 was unsuccessful.
In the final phase of the war - the spring of 1667 - the Grand Vizier Achmed
Koprolu assumed the command of operations against Candia. His adversary was the
General Sea Captain Francesco Morosini who had achieved at the age of 28
the highest title in the navy, after a rapid ascent through the ranks - from
'Sopracomito' ('galley captain'
) to 'Capitano al golfo' ('gulf captain')
.
A siege which was to last 28 months began on 22 May. In the assaults sorties that followed, 108,000 Turks and 29,088 Christians lost their lives.
These casualties included 280 Venetian noblemen, a figure equivalent to roughly
a quarter of the Grand Council .
It is still a mystery why Francesco Morosini made a peace treaty with the
Turks on 6 September 1669, without asking authorisation from the Senate , especially since the war situation and international
circumstances did not seem to require it, for the Republic's chances then
seemed good.
The negotiations for the peaceful surrender of Candia to the Turks allowed
Morosini to avoid further losses of troops and equipment. It also meant that he
could take treasures from the churches and archives of a 465-year-old
administration back home to Venice, and keep for the Serenissima the bases of
Suda , Grabusa , and Spinalonga , along with the
recently-acquired territories of Dalmatia.
Francesco Morosini, who had become a very controversial figure because of the
surrender in 1669, was re-elected General Captain in 1683, when it seemed that
Venice had finally arrived at its opportunity for revenge. In the same year
Polish and Austrian troops had repelled the Turkish attack on Vienna, and in a
renewed spirit of the Crusades, these forces, together with the Pope, invited
Venice to join them and subdue the common enemy for good. In Venice the pro-war
contingent immediately prevailed, and this anti-Turk coalition was also joined
by Russia, an emerging power attempting to open up a route to the Black Sea. In
four years Francesco Morosini reconquered all that Venice had lost in Morea and the Ionian, and in the Serenissima its dream of its ancient
Mediterranean power was revived. After an unsuccessful attack on Negroponte and
a serious epidemic that decimated the fleet, Morosini decided to withdraw to
Morea, when his popularity was at its peak. He was again elected General
Captain, and was honoured with the title of doge before his death in
1693.