An Anonymous Ottoman Source: History of the Conquest of Crete

Abstract

The island of Crete, conquered by the Ottoman Empire after prolonged and tragic wars that took place between the years of 1645-1669, has been the subject of numerous books, especially in the 18th Centuıy. Among them, a work whose author is not known and entitled "The History of Crete's Conquest", preserved in the Manuscript Collection of the Turkish Historical Society Libraıy, is a rare work that describes the whole process of conquest between the years 1645-1669. The manuscript, consisting of 245 leaves, is one of the few books that describe the 24-year conquest period, the land and naval battles, and occasionally the geographical features of the island, its socio-econoınic conditions, its forts, the conditions of the army and the navy, and its commanders etc in a concise and comprehensive way. The author, considered to have written his work towards the end of the 18th century, has preferred to present the information in the same form he has obtained with some minor spelling differences, and presented quotations as detailed as possible, especially by utilizing the reliable sources of the era. Having observed the desperate mood in the society resulting from the prolonged battles that ended in defeat in his century, the author, who had taken upon himself a social mission, attempted to inform people and inspire feelings of self-sacrifice and heroism among the ordinaıy people through describing the self-scrifices and the heroic actions of his ancestors during the long years of war.