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102-475: The revolt stemmed from the dispute between Venizelos and the island's ruler, Prince George of Greece , over the island's future, particularly over the question of Cretan union with Greece . The conflict's origin can be traced to 1901, when Prince George dismissed Venizelos from the government. The hostility between Venizelos and the prince was precipitated by the latter's attitude toward foreign relations and by his refusal to engage in dialogue with his advisers over

204-625: A renewed revolt broke out in Crete, which had been under Ottoman domination since the mid-17th century. The island's Christian majority wished to join Greece, but the Great Powers (France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary) were opposed to it. A compromise led to the creation of an autonomous state under Ottoman suzerainty, guaranteed by the presence of military contingents of

306-503: A childhood friend of Venizelos' and former High Court prosecutor, as well as a member of parliament and former minister, was assigned charge of finances; Konstantinos Manos, the former mayor of Chania, handled the military aspect and held the post of general secretary; Venizelos covered the political and organisational side. The opposition decided not to take part in the elections scheduled for 24 March [ O.S. 11 March] 1905 that would choose 64 Cretan deputies (in addition to

408-587: A few days of hard fighting, the Ottomans broke into the monastery. At that point, the abbot set fire to the gunpowder stored in the monastery's vaults. The explosion killed most of the rebels and the women and children. In response to the Arkadi attack, the Greek government sent volunteer fighters to Crete to protect the Greek communities. In May 1896, France and the United Kingdom moved a naval force to Cretan waters. To end

510-458: A lock of Valdemar's hair, a photo of Valdemar, and earth from Bernstorff. Prince George was the last living child of King George and Queen Olga. Georgioupolis , a coastal resort between Chania and Rethimno , was named after Prince George. Cretan Revolt (1897%E2%80%931898) [REDACTED] Cretan revolutionaries Supported by: [REDACTED] Kingdom of Greece International Squadron : The Cretan Revolt of 1897–1898

612-621: A message for Venizelos: the Powers were unanimous regarding the impossibility of the island's annexation by Greece. After the Cretan Assembly issued its declaration of independence in April 1905, the Great Powers responded on 2 May (OS): they were determined to use their naval and ground forces if necessary to maintain order. That same day, at Heraklion , the Greek flag flying above a government building

714-566: A month of Verovich Pasha's appointment, sectarian violence began increasing in Crete. The public prosecutor Kriaris was murdered in Chania and threats were made against the Christian community. In January 1897, Turkish rebels burned the residence of the Bishop of Chania along with the Christian neighborhoods in that city. Eleftherios Venizelos , reportedly said: "I saw Chania in flames. It was set on fire by

816-532: A palace would be a symbol of permanence for a regime he intended to be temporary, while union with Greece was awaited. The offended prince eventually dropped his demand for a palace. The principal source of contention between the Prince and Venizelos concerned their vision for the island's government. Although the chief author of the island's constitution (notably of articles guaranteeing individual liberties and equality between Christians and Muslims), Venizelos believed it

918-720: A prince of a European royal family, chosen by the European powers and approved by the Ottomans. In August, Eleftherios Venizelos took the lead of the assembly, now meeting in Archanes . In November, the revolutionary assembly became the Cretan Assembly. Towards the end of 1897, the Ottomans decided to send 5,000 reinforcements to Crete, but they were blocked by the European powers, At the same time, Russia proposed that Prince George of Greece be named governor of Crete. Great Britain and France supported George, but Germany and Austria-Hungary rejected him. On March 16, 1898, Germany announced that it

1020-466: A settlement and in September 1906 George was replaced by former Greek prime minister Alexandros Zaimis , and left the island. In 1908, the Cretan Assembly unilaterally declared enosis (union) with Greece. In October 1912 George returned from Paris to Athens so that he could join the naval ministry as Greece prepared for war against Turkey. Later he served as aide-de-camp to King George who, however,

1122-586: A significant military threat, would prove very difficult to remove, hidden in the Theriso gorge. The impact of this act was important: within twenty days, some 7,000 sympathisers had flocked to Theriso. Venizelos chose the village of Theriso for its strategic position 14 km from Chania, its naturally defenses at the foothills of the White Mountains , and its easy access to other villages and valleys, around Chania as well as toward Sfakia . The passage toward Theriso

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1224-446: A single free and constitutional state". The following day, Papagiannakis, a former deputy in the Cretan Assembly, and Konstantinos Manos, communicated to the consuls of the Great Powers, on behalf of the rebels, the reasons that had led to the revolt. They mentioned the transitional character of the present government and the eventual desire to join Greece, and cited the political instability which prevented foreign investment and hindered

1326-612: The Central Powers , really hoped for an Allied victory: He may have influenced Briand to support the disastrous Allied expedition against the Turks at Salonika . When the prince and princess returned in July 1915 to France following a visit to the ailing King Constantine I in Greece, her affair with Briand had become notorious and George expressed a restrained jealousy. By December 1916 the French fleet

1428-613: The Young Turk Revolution roiled the Ottoman political landscape and strained relations between Turkey and Crete. The empire's new leaders wished to abrogate the agreements adopted concerning the island's statute and reintegrate Crete into the Empire. On 10 October, taking advantage of Zaimis’ absence, the committee exercising his duties proclaimed Crete's union with Greece, an action later approved by parliament. The office of High Commissioner

1530-426: The "Cretan Question". As in 1897, he thenceforth advocated union at all costs. Although absent from political life, he showed his support for the advocates of union ( Enosis ) during their demonstrations. In February 1905, Venizelos organised an assembly at Theriso with a group of seventeen other Cretan leaders who became the core of his movement. At first they were joined by 300 armed Cretans who, although not posing

1632-532: The "Transition Committee" and 3,000 Ottoman troops commanded by Tayyar Pasha. After a day long battle, the Greek Cretans forced the Ottoman troops to retreat after losing 200 men and failing to capture any assembly members. In March 1896, Karatheodoris was replaced by Turhan Pasha Përmeti as governor of Crete. Përmeti declared a general amnesty as part of a peace initiative, but the revolutionary assembly rejected it. On May 4, 1896, Greek Cretans laid siege to

1734-494: The Assembly decided to convoke a National Assembly that could make laws regarding all the relevant issues. The arrival of winter made life more difficult for the insurgents hiding in the mountains. Moreover, since October, the financial situation had been worrisome. In order to sustain the insurgents’ war effort, Venizelos had to take out loans. Thus, he borrowed 100,000 francs in obligations of 5 francs each in Greece. October also saw

1836-556: The Austro-Hungarian SMS Kaiserin und Königin Maria Theresia According to Kerofilas, the purpose of this bombing was to shoot down the Greek flag flying over Akrotiri. The fleet sent the rebels received a final ultimatum to remove the flag. Venizelos himself replied: "You have cannons. Pull! But our flag will not fall." According to account, a young Greek Cretan threw himself in front of the bombs and raised

1938-648: The Bonapartes' home in Paris. A member of one of the non-imperial branches of the Bonaparte dynasty , she was an heiress to the Blanc casino fortune through her mother. Although a homosexual, who lived most of the year with his uncle Prince Valdemar of Denmark with whom he had a life-long relationship, he dutifully courted her for twenty-eight days. He confided to her that he had experienced major disappointments when his roles in

2040-585: The Cretan government. It was led by Venizelos, who denounced the corruption of Prince George's entourage and the latter's inability to make the great powers accept the idea of annexation of Crete by Greece. The beginning of the First Balkan War in 1912 opened the doors of the Greek Parliament to Cretan deputies, but did not yet mean formal union. On December 1, 1913, Crete received international recognition as

2142-519: The Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven , Pamela, Lady Brabourne , and David Bowes-Lyon . On 21 November 1957 Princess Marie and her husband celebrated their golden wedding anniversary . Prince George died 25 November 1957, aged eighty-eight, the longest-living dynast of the House of Oldenburg of his generation. He was buried at Tatoi Royal Cemetery with Danish and Greek flags, his wedding ring,

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2244-615: The European nations, Russia reacted most promptly to the events. According to Venizelos' biographer Chester, the Russian conscripts were particularly cruel in their treatment of the Venizelists. During March and April, a contingent of the Tsar's soldiers marched toward the Lefka Ori accompanied by Cretan gendarmes. At the beginning of June, Russian troops disembarked in Crete and took several villages while

2346-561: The European powers declared the autonomy of Crete, placed under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire and, with their fleets, blockaded the island from the 21st. The admirals learned that the occupants of an Ottoman fort in Malaxa were on the verge of starvation after they had found themselves surrounded by the Cretans, despite the white flag hoisted for several days. Two days later, the admirals sent

2448-603: The European powers, the Ottomans replaced the Muslim governor with a Christian, Alexander Karatheodoris . However, the Karathodoris appointment alarmed Muslim Turkish Cretans, who feared rule under the Christian Greek Cretans. A pan-Cretan rebel group emerged that massacred Greeks to force his resignation. In response, Greek groups organized guerrilla warfare and retaliated against Turks. The Cretan assembly also called for

2550-463: The French Army organised a first meeting with the insurgents at Fournes, between Alikianos and Theriso, in a spot where the insurgents could see unmistakably the European force gathered in the valley. The talks took place on 1 April and were attended by Konstantinos Foumis and Konstantinos Manos, with Colonel Lubanski receiving the insurgents' grievances. The following day, the latter went to Theriso with

2652-461: The Great Powers cut their funding and proposed a resolution which stipulated: The conquest of Crete by the Ottoman Empire ended in 1669 with the capture of Candia . Crete then became an Ottoman province. In 1821, the Greek War of Independence in 1821 resulted in Greece achieving independence from the Ottoman Empire. The majority Greek Christian population of Crete now began aspiring to a union with

2754-540: The Greek Cretan camp on Akrotiri. On February 13, Cretan insurgents attacked Chania from the heights of Halepa . That same day, British Admiral Harris, suspecting the Greeks of supplying the insurgents, forced Prince George to return to Greece. Deligiánnis also sent a force of 1,500 men, led by colonel Timoleon Vassos , to take military control of Crete. This army landed at Kolymbari on February 16, and immediately declared

2856-442: The Greek Cretans request for withdrawal on pain of bombardment. Faced with a new refusal by the Cretans, the admirals had difficulty, this time, to go on the offensive. On April 17, 1897, the Ottoman Empire officially declared war on Greece. On hearing the news, many of the Greek volunteers at Akrotiri' wanted to return to face a possible Ottoman invasion. On 9 May, Vassos returned to Greece with them. A few days later, Greece defused

2958-424: The Greek army in Crete to withdraw, a solution rejected by Great Britain. The British formulated the idea of autonomy, which would prevent the annexation of the island by Greece and thus preserve the principle of Turkey's integrity. On March 15 the European powers sent Greece their proposal for autonomy for the island. The Greek Government, driven by public opinion, categorically rejected this solution. On March 20,

3060-604: The Muslims who thus triggered the great revolt."  Venizelos organized a camp in the Akrotiri peninsula establishing an Assembly of Crete and a provisional government. He located the camp near the Bay of Souda so that he could communicate easily with the admirals of the European fleets. Akrotiri's insurgents quickly hoisted the Greek flag and proclaimed the annexation of the island by Greece. In early 1897, an international expeditionary force

3162-501: The Otsu incident and the Cretan governorship were misconstrued and under-appreciated by both individuals and governments who he felt should have known better. He also admitted that, contrary to what he knew were her hopes, he could not commit to living in France permanently since he had to remain prepared to undertake royal duties in Greece or Crete if summoned to do so. Once his proposal of marriage

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3264-464: The Ottoman garrison at Vamos , capturing it on May 18. On May 11, Turkish Cretens starting robbing and killing Christians in Chania, later extending the violence to Kydonia and Kissamos . In November 1866, a large Ottoman force besieged the Arkadi Monastery , which was the headquarters of the rebellion. In addition to its 259 defenders, over 700 women and children had taken refuge there. After

3366-588: The Ottomans to appoint a Christian governor for Crete. They requested that the European powers put Crete under their protection. After the mass killing of Christian Armenians in Anatolia by Ottoman forces in 1895, public opinion in Europe became concerned that a similar catastrophe could happen to the Christian Greek population of Crete, forcing their governments to get involved in the Crete conflict. To show goodwill to

3468-464: The Ottomans. This autonomous Crete was to be governed by a Christian governor, appointed for five years, without the Ottomans having the right to replace him. The rights granted by the Halepa Pact were to be restored and improved. In response, Karatheodoris ordered the arrest of the revolutionary assembly members. On November 27, 1895, armed conflict broke out at Vryses between Greek Cretan members of

3570-408: The Powers. Prince George of Greece , the second son of King George I , was named High Commissioner. In turn, Prince George named Eleftherios Venizelos prime minister. Disagreements soon emerged between the two men. Their first argument concerned the construction of a palace for Prince George. Shortly after his arrival on the island, the latter indicated his wish for a palace. Venizelos protested that

3672-463: The Powers. Fresh legislative elections took place in May 1906. The Prince's party won 78 seats in the assembly, while the opposition won 36. When Prince George opened the parliamentary session in July, he announced that the international commission's report had been studied by the Great Powers, who were also considering how Cretans' national aspirations could be taken into account. Strengthened in its intentions,

3774-425: The Powers. His father, King George I, exercised his full powers in order to try and modify the reforms granted to the island, but the sole concession he was able to obtain was the right to choose his son's successor. In the assembly, 80 of 130 deputies, all close to the government, showed their displeasure with the idea of replacing George, a development that threatened to plunge the island anew into revolt. The closer

3876-431: The Prince's departure seemed, the more his allies agitated in the hope of a new European intervention. However, it was clear to the Powers this time that the situation could only improve with George's departure. On 25 September [ O.S. 12 September] 1906, Prince George left the island for good. Numerous sympathisers converged upon Chania to bid their goodbyes. Six hundred of these were armed, which added to

3978-481: The Russian fleet bombarded several others. The British, despite their support of the existing regime, only took a few symbolic actions without real impact. As for the French and the Italians, they avoided taking part in any anti-revolutionary activity. Nevertheless, an international force was assembled at Alikianos , on the road to Theriso, ready to receive orders. With the arrival of troops at Alikianos, Colonel Lubanski of

4080-452: The Russian soldiers suffered a setback. Urbanovich himself then went to the scene leading a column of 400 soldiers. In the face of these reinforcements, the rebels had to abandon their positions and beat a retreat south to Atsipopoulo, on the heights of Rethymno. After violent combat pitting them against the Russians and the gendarmes, the Cretans ended up ceding the village to the Russians. Among

4182-659: The Russians Rethymno , the Italians Kissamos and the French Agios Nikolaos , Sitia and Ierapetra . At Rethymno, the Russians declared a state of siege and the measures they took were more severe than in the island's other regions. In November 1905, in response to Venizelos' letter affirming his willingness to lay down arms, the Powers agreed to significant reforms and proclaimed a general amnesty in exchange for 700–800 guns. An international commission visited

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4284-459: The Sub-Committee for Nautical Sports. He served as a judge for the weightlifting competition, and demonstrated his strength by clearing the weights at the end of the event. Although much of modern Greece had been independent since the 1820s, Crete remained in Ottoman hands. For the rest of the 19th century, there had been many rebellions and protests on the island. A Greek force arrived to annex

4386-619: The Turkish governor of Candia refused to accept the collection without having received the order from Constantinople. After three days of talks, a detachment of British troops tried to take the governor's premises by force. They were besieged inside the palace and massacred. The Turkish population then went to the residence of the British vice-consul , set it on fire, and killed him. During this riot, fourteen Britons and 500 Cretans were killed, and many others wounded. On 17 October 1898, Great Britain and

4488-538: The accusations by means of five articles in the newspaper Kyrix , prompting the Prince to throw his former minister in prison. Venizelos next appeared on the public stage in the spring of 1905, when an insurrection against the Cretan government broke out. He was its leader, denouncing the corruption of Prince George's entourage and the ruler's inability to persuade the Great Powers to accept the idea of Crete's union with Greece. The Powers, especially Russia and Austria-Hungary, adamantly opposed union for fear it would disrupt

4590-427: The admirals of the European fleets. At this point, the revolt was over. Prince George's government appointed a sixteen-member committee (twelve Christians and four Muslims) to draft a constitution, the first on the island. The Constitution of the Cretan Assembly was adopted on 9 January 1899. Elections were held for 138 Christian deputies and 50 Muslim deputies. In the spring of 1905, an insurrection broke out against

4692-406: The assembly once again voted for Crete's annexation by Greece and suspended its activities until the Powers' decision was to be made known. On 25 July, at Chania, the Great Powers announced a series of proposed reforms for the island: Venizelos was disposed to accept the proposals, but Prince George viewed them with hostility. In the following days, he asked for Athens to present his resignation to

4794-416: The banner, provoking the admiration even of the European admirals. In March 1897, the French and British fleets settled in positions opposite Akrotiri, making the blockade even stricter. On 10 March, Venizelos received the French, Italian and British admirals. Faced with the Cretan problem, the European powers had three solutions: Germany initially proposed to blockade the port of Piraeus , thus forcing

4896-524: The building, but without incident. With each side remaining camped on its positions, no agreement was reached during the talks. On 31 July, the Powers declared martial law. This measure seems to have had a minimal impact: the insurgents then controlled the entire west of the island, where order reigned, and they were ready to retreat into the White Mountains if necessary. Afterwards, the foreign troops increased their activity. The British occupied Heraklion,

4998-406: The centre of the revolt. Venizelos and other prominent critics of the Prince formed the core of the revolt, along with around a thousand men, of whom only half were armed. From the first moments, skirmishes took place between the gendarmerie and the rebels. Aside from a general dissatisfaction with the Prince's authoritarian government, the assembled rebels fervently supported union with Greece. On

5100-429: The consuls, seeking to obtain a maximum of concessions regarding the island's internal affairs. In a letter addressed to the Great Powers, he stated his intention to lay down arms in exchange for honourable conditions. Most of the insurgents were ready to hand over their weapons and, for those who refused to lay down arms, it was proposed that they be transported to Greece without being disarmed. In exchange for 800 guns and

5202-520: The creation of a Cretan army, followed by the withdrawal of European troops. Once foreign control had diminished, then union with Greece could take place. However, this approach was dimly viewed by public opinion and the Athenian newspapers impatient for union to succeed. In February 1901, the Powers refused to make any change to the island's status. Although this demonstrated the correctness of Venizelos' approach, something Prince George publicly admitted, it

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5304-452: The crisis with the Ottoman Empire by renouncing any plans to annex Crete. On 13 May, Venizelos declared that he and his forces would not lay down their arms until the last Ottomon soldier had left the island, so the conflict continued. . On July 10, 1897, in Armeni, Sphakiannakis was elected president of the revolutionary assembly. His plan was to organize a government for the island, headed by

5406-524: The deputies proclaimed the union of Crete with the Greek mother country and placed it under the control of King George I. They then informed the consuls of the Great Powers at Chania of this resolution. On 31 May, at the end of the parliamentary session, most of the deputies joined the Theriso Assembly. A month later, two of the prince's chief counselors, Kriaris and Koundouros (the finance minister), resigned their posts and joined their former colleague in

5508-473: The fighting in Crete, the consuls of the European powers proposed a new constitution for Crete to the Ottomans and the revolutionary assembly. The constitution called for the Ottomans to: Both sides accepted the new constitution and fighting in Crete ended in August 1896. In September, the Ottomans appointed George Berovich Pasha , former governor of Samos , as the new wāli (governor-general) of Crete. Within

5610-562: The first day of the uprising, Venizelos declared that Enosis was impossible as long as Prince George remained the island's High Commissioner. The following declaration was approved by the insurgents and read in St. George's Church at Theriso on 10 March: "The Cretan people, meeting in a general assembly at Theriso in Kydonia , today, 11/24 March 1905, proclaims its political union with the Kingdom of Greece, in

5712-452: The first defections. Rebel bands from around Sitia laid down their arms and were granted an amnesty. In mid-October, Venizelos and his comrades recognised that it would be difficult to maintain the revolt, all the more so as the latest military operations had been directly aimed at them, notably by the Russians. They gave notice that they were ready to entrust the island's fate to the Great Powers. Venizelos participated in new negotiations with

5814-506: The following December, during which George's uncle Valdemar served as the koumbaros . By March Marie was pregnant and, as agreed, the couple returned to France to take up residence. When George brought his bride to Bernstorff for the first family visit, Valdemar's wife Marie d'Orléans was at pains to explain to Marie Bonaparte the intimacy which united uncle and nephew, so deep that at the end of each of George's several yearly visits to Bernstorff, he would weep, Valdemar would take sick, and

5916-399: The former rebels of Theriso and the Cretan Assembly allowed for the creation of a constituent assembly led by Antonios Michelidakis. On 2 December, this body submitted a new constitution to Zaimis, who then swore allegiance to it. Order gradually returned to the island. A public administration was set up and laws passed for improving the health and education systems. In July 1907, Michelidakis

6018-666: The four cities where the European fleets were present, but that his intention was to occupy the rest of Crete. On 21 February, the Akrotiri camp was shelled by the European fleets. Their exact target was Venizelos' headquarters hill of the Prophet Elijah. These ships included the British HMS Revenge , HMS Dryad and HMS Harrier , the Russian ship Imperator Aleksandr II, the German SMS Kaiserin Augusta and

6120-635: The fragile political equilibrium in Europe, particularly in the Balkans. Additionally, they were unwilling to appease Greece, with its famously weak army and navy, at the expense of alienating Turkey. During the Cretan Revolt (1897–1898) which led to the establishment of autonomy in Crete, Venizelos was a fervent proponent of union with Greece. However, during his premiership of the island, he envisioned autonomy, believing union would be premature. During his absence from power, Venizelos again changed his belief about

6222-498: The hills near Chania , the then capital of the island, the " Theriso revolt ". During the revolt, the newly created Cretan Gendarmerie remained faithful to George. In this difficult period, the Cretan population were divided: in the 1906 elections the pro-Prince parties took 38,127 votes, while pro-Venizelos parties took 33,279. But the Gendarmerie managed to execute its duties without taking sides. Finally, British diplomats brokered

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6324-462: The insurgents to wave the white flag of surrender in the next half-hour or else face shelling. An hour and a half later, the Khrabry opened fire. This incident caused greater unrest. While Konstantinos Manos marched on Rethymno seeking to free political prisoners, insurgents attacked Koubes (west of Rethymno). The following day, Colonel Urbanovich send fifty infantrymen there to defend the position, but

6426-407: The island and recommended the overhaul of the Cretan gendarmerie so that Greek officers would lead it, and the withdrawal of international forces present on the island starting in 1897. At the end of November 1905, close to 1,000 insurgents and gendarmes were transported to Greece. Nevertheless, despite their departure and the halt to the revolt called by Venizelos, Crete remained tense and the island

6528-427: The island in 1897 and the Great Powers acted, occupying the island and dividing it into British , French , Russian and Italian areas of control. In 1898, Turkish troops were ejected and a national government was set up, still nominally under Ottoman suzerainty . Prince George, not yet thirty, was made High Commissioner , and a joint Muslim - Christian assembly was part-elected, part-appointed. However, this

6630-421: The island's development. Finally, they mentioned the growing general discontent because of the government's "nearly absolutist " nature. From Theriso, Venizelos organised a provisional government that printed its own postage stamps and newspaper. Papagianannakis was elected president of the insurrection's assembly and was assisted by four vice-presidents. A revolutionary triumvirate emerged: Konstantinos Foumis ,

6732-487: The island's internal affairs. After a prolonged political struggle, Venizelos and his followers decided upon an armed uprising, with the goals of uniting Crete with Greece and ushering in a more democratic government for the island. The Theriso revolt not only established Venizelos as the leading politician in Crete, but also brought him to the attention of the wider Greek world. His reputation would lead in 1909 to his call to Greece, where he became Prime Minister . In 1897,

6834-505: The local gendarmerie with European troops was quickly planned. With similar speed, Prince George of Greece secured from the European powers the creation of an international corps intended to aid the Cretan gendarmerie in protecting Chania from a possible rebel attack. The Greek government, led by Theodoros Deligiannis , opposed Venizelos' action. Deligiannis informed King George of the insurrection and Prince George of his support, and denounced "Venizelos' coup d'etat in Crete" publicly. Among

6936-781: The matter any attention. However, George criticized Marie d'Orléans to his wife, alleging that she drank too much and was having an affair with his uncle's stablemaster. But Marie Bonaparte found no fault with her husband's aunt, rather, she admired the forbearance and independence of Valdemar's wife under circumstances which caused her bewilderment and estrangement from her own husband. From 1913 to early 1916, George's wife carried on an intense flirtation, then an affair until May 1919 with French prime minister Aristide Briand . In 1915 Briand wrote to Marie that, having come to know and like Prince George, he felt guilty about their secret passion. George tried to persuade him that Greece, officially neutral during World War I but suspected of sympathy for

7038-535: The matter of Greek annexation of the island and discussing the subject with the foreign ministers of Russia, France, Italy and Britain, without taking care to speak to his counselors. In the summer of 1900, when he was preparing to tour the European courts, the prince declared: "When I am travelling in Europe, I shall ask the Powers for annexation, and I hope to succeed on account of my family connections". Venizelos thought union would be premature, especially as Cretan institutions were still unstable. He recommended instead

7140-476: The moment's tension. There was no longer any question of delaying his departure and proceeding to hold lavish ceremonies for him. He went on board the Greek battleship Psara and, while the crowd began to stir itself up, troops intervened at the same time as British soldiers disembarked. Prince George of Greece was replaced by Alexandros Zaimis , a former Greek prime minister, for a five-year term beginning on 18 September 1906. From June 1906, an agreement between

7242-487: The mountains. Martial law was declared by Prince George, who only had 1,100 gendarmes at his disposal, as well as recognition from the European powers. The presence of two parallel governments led to a near-civil war among the population, with clashes leaving several victims in the vicinity of Chania. At the end of April, armed encounters between gendarmes and rebels took place at Voukolies . Three rebels and two gendarmes were killed, while fifteen peasants were wounded. During

7344-590: The new Greek nation. The Greek Cretans revolted from 1866 to 1869 , in 1878 , but were crushed by Ottoman forces. On February 3, 1895 (Julian), representatives of the Cretan provinces ( Apokoronas , Kydoniai, Sphakia , Rethymno and Agios Vasileios ) met in Klema, near Chania . They drafted a memorandum to the Government of Greece and several of the so-called Great Powers in Western Europe. The representatives called for

7446-524: The newspapers in 1938 that his only son had married a Russian commoner, George forbade him to return home and refused ever to meet his wife. Prince George and Princess Marie had two children, Petros and Evgenia . In 1948, Prince George was named as one of the sponsors/godparents of his grandnephew Prince Charles of the United Kingdom (later King Charles III) along with King George VI , King Haakon VII of Norway , Queen Mary , Princess Margaret ,

7548-455: The other European allies issued an ultimatum to the Ottoman government to withdraw Its troops and citizens from Crete within 30 days. The majority of Cretan Turks left Crete at 1898. On 25 November the representatives in Athens of France, Italy, Great Britain and Russia proposed to King George I of Greece the appointment of his son Prince George as High Commissioner of Crete. The proposal

7650-550: The profound attachment he developed for his uncle from that day forward. In 1891, George accompanied his cousin the Tsesarevich Nicholas on his voyage to Asia , and saved him from an assassination attempt in Japan , in what became known as the Ōtsu Incident . George, along with his brothers Constantine and Nicholas , were involved with the organization of the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. George served as president of

7752-532: The region for The Times . At first agreeing to talks at the Theriso camp, Venizelos then declined the invitation, claiming that any cooperation with the High Commissioner was impossible. During a new parliamentary session in September, the Cretan Assembly, encouraged by the Theriso revolt, voted for several reforms taken directly from the Venizelist programme: Before the Prince's allies had time to respond,

7854-553: The reinstatement of the clauses of the Halepa Pact of 1878, which were favourable to Christians. In response, Karatheodoris dissolved the Cretan assembly on June 18, 1895. In September 1895, the Greek Cretans formed a revolutionary assembly at the instigation of the Consul General of Greece. It met in Krapi on 10 September. The revolutionary assembly demanded the declaration of Crete as an autonomous entity, paying an annual tribute to

7956-481: The same number of cartridges, an amnesty would be possible for the insurgents, except for the gendarmes who had deserted. With these conditions, Venizelos accepted surrender. Several days later, he obtained the right to have the deserting gendarmes transported to Greece. On 25 November, the Theriso camp was broken up and an amnesty proclaimed. From the beginning of the insurrection, the Great Powers' consuls based in Crete convened in numerous meetings. The reinforcement of

8058-464: The skirmishes, residents set ablaze the gendarmes' stations. At the beginning of August, the insurgents took the customs house at Kasteli Panormos. On the morning of 7 August, the Russian gunboat Khrabry , with 200 Imperial Guards aboard, as well as several Cretan gendarmes, laid anchor off Kastelli . Two Russian officers and an Italian lieutenant of the gendarmerie went to meet the rebels in order to engage in negotiations. The Italian gendarme ordered

8160-423: The ten directly named by Prince George). The Theriso insurgents called for a boycott of the elections and for an armed struggle against the regime. The new assembly, which met on 20 April at Chania, was opened by a speech from Prince George on the economy and planned reforms. However, as soon as he left the chamber, the assembly voted in favour of Enosis . In the assembly hall, entirely decorated with Greek flags ,

8262-466: The title the Prince of Candia. From 1883, George lived at Bernstorff Palace near Copenhagen with Prince Valdemar of Denmark , his father's younger brother. The queen had taken the boy to Denmark to enlist him in the Danish royal navy and consigned him to the care of Valdemar, who was an admiral in the Danish fleet. Feeling abandoned by his father on this occasion, George would later describe to his fiancée

8364-575: The union of Crete with Greece. Vassos established his headquarters in Platania Alikianos. On February 19, a group of 600 men, composed of Cretan rebels and volunteers along with Greek soldiers, stormed and captured the Turkish fortress of Voukolias . After the capture of Voukolias, the European Powers demanded a ceasefire. To back up their demands, they threatened to stop resupply of Vasso's army from Greece. Vassos said that he would not enter

8466-419: The victims of the fighting were certain insurgent leaders. The reports of the French consul at Chania observe that, despite these events, the insurgents were not leading a systematic attack against European troops. At the beginning of summer in 1905, Prince George realised the importance of renewing dialogue with Venizelos. He wished to do so through a mutual acquaintance, James Bourchier , then correspondent in

8568-471: The walls of Chania announced the Prince's dismissal of Venizelos. After his departure, the newspapers launched an anti-Venizelos campaign. A series of articles possibly written by the Prince's secretary referred to him as the "insolent counselor", criticising his policies as anti-union, anti-dynastic and pro-Powers. After his dismissal, Venizelos withdrew from politics. However, in December 1901, he responded to

8670-465: The withdrawal of these troops. On 1 July, the administrative council of admirals gave the Cretan Assembly the power to elect an executive committee. On the 28th, a committee of five members was elected, including Venizelos. The seat of government, also chosen by the admirals in Halepa, In September 1898, the European admirals decided to collect taxes to support the new administration in Crete. On September 15,

8772-537: The women learned the patience not to intrude upon their husbands' private moments. During the first of these visits, Marie Bonaparte and Valdemar found themselves engaging in the kind of passionate intimacies she had looked forward to with her husband who, however, only seemed to enjoy them vicariously, sitting or lying beside his wife and uncle. On a later visit, Marie Bonaparte carried on a passionate flirtation with Prince Aage, Valdemar's eldest son. In neither case does it appear that George objected, or felt obliged to give

8874-612: Was a successful insurrection by the Greek Orthodox population of Crete against the rule of the Ottoman Empire after decades of rising tensions. The Greek insurrectionists received supplies and armed support first from the Kingdom of Greece ; then later from the Great Powers : the United Kingdom , France , Italy , Austria-Hungary , Germany and Russia . The conflict ended in 1898 with Cretan-allied victory and Ottoman retreat when

8976-977: Was abolished and the Greek constitution adopted. An executive committee met, with Venizelos at its centre holding the foreign affairs portfolio. The Greek government of Georgios Theotokis did not risk ratifying this union, but the Great Powers only protested half-heartedly, continuing their military withdrawal and completing it in June 1909. In 1913, following the First Balkan War , Crete achieved official union with Greece. The Theriso revolt established Eleftherios Venizelos’ fame in Crete and also in continental Greece; he would go on to serve as Prime Minister of Crete from April to September 1910. The following month, King George I invited him to become Prime Minister of Greece, an office he would hold seven times between 1910 and 1933. Prince George of Greece and Denmark Prince George of Greece and Denmark ( Greek : Γεώργιος , romanized : Geórgios ; 24 June 1869 – 25 November 1957)

9078-497: Was assassinated in March 1913. George went to Copenhagen to settle his father's financial affairs there, as he had never ceased to be a Prince of Denmark. Following a Parisian luncheon between King George and Prince Roland Bonaparte in September 1906 during which the king agreed to the prospect of a marriage between their children, George met Roland's daughter, Princess Marie Bonaparte (2 July 1882 – 21 September 1962) on 19 July 1907 at

9180-572: Was bombing Athens and in Paris Briand was suspected, alternately, of having seduced Marie in a futile attempt to bring Greece over to the Allied side, or of having been seduced by her to oust Constantine and set George upon the Greek throne. Although he was on friendly terms with his wife's mentor, Sigmund Freud , in 1925 George asked Marie to give up her work as a psychoanalyst to devote herself to their family life, but she declined. When he learned from

9282-561: Was defended by narrow gorges, easy for the insurgents to control. Moreover, these gorges concealed numerous grottoes and caverns that served as natural shelters for the insurgents who converged around Theriso. The village was already a symbol of resistance before 1905: in 1821, during the Greek War of Independence , several hundred Greeks there had routed an army of 21,000 Ottomans. The rebellion broke out officially in broad daylight on 23 March [ O.S. 10 March] 1905, when some 1,500 Cretans met at Theriso, which thenceforth became

9384-489: Was discreetly removed by the British Army and replaced with a Cretan flag. Later however, as the Great Powers realised that Prince George had lost popular support, they arranged for negotiations. On 13 July, the insurgent leaders were invited to meet the European consuls. The following day, Venizelos, Foumis and Manos met them at a monastery near Mournies. Each leader went to the monastery accompanied by his men, who surrounded

9486-419: Was elected president of the Cretan Assembly, defeating Konstantinos Foumis by 34 to 31 votes. Impressed by the efforts the Cretan government had made, and having received assurances regarding the safety of the Muslim population, the European powers decided to send their troops home. On 26 August 1908, the first French contingents embarked at Chania, paving the way for a complete evacuation of the island. In 1908,

9588-408: Was far too conservative and granted the Prince too much power. The Cretan assembly had few powers and only met once every two years. Moreover, ministers were in fact counselors to the prince, who alone could approve laws. In foreign relations, Prince George alone was authorised to deal with the Great Powers, as illustrated by the absence of a foreign affairs minister. The Prince took responsibility for

9690-425: Was for an appointment for three years, during which the prince must pacify the island and provide it with an administration. He had to recognize the Ottoman sovereignty over the island and let the Ottoman banners float over the fortresses. Each of the four protecting nations granted a loan of one million francs to the new High Commissioner to carry out his task. Prince George arrived in Crete on 9 December, welcomed by

9792-427: Was liable to erupt in insurrection yet again. Tensions between the supporters of each side led to conflict. For instance, when municipal elections were held and the opposition won 40 of 77 available mayoral posts, bloodshed resulted. In February 1906, the Great Powers sent a mission to evaluate Crete's administration and finances. At the end of March, the members of the commission finished their study, which they gave to

9894-521: Was not enough to satisfy Cretan nationalists . Eleftherios Venizelos was the leader of the movement to unite Crete with Greece. He had fought in the earlier revolts and was now a member of the Assembly, acting as minister of justice to Prince George. They soon found themselves opposed. George, a staunch royalist , had assumed absolute power. Venizelos led the opposition to this. In 1905, however, he summoned an illegal revolutionary assembly in Theriso , in

9996-637: Was sent to Crete on ships from France, the United Kingdom, Austria-Hungary, the German Empire, the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. In February 1897, prime minister of Greece Theodoros Diligiannis ordered a military intervention in Crete. Yielding to pressure from the opposition and public opinion , he placed Prince George of Greece at the head of a fleet tasked with blockading Ottoman ships from supplying Crete. On February 11, 1897, 300 Greek volunteers and 800 boxes of ammunition arrived from Greece at

10098-404: Was tentatively accepted, the bride's father was astonished when George waived any contractual clause guaranteeing an allowance or inheritance from Marie; she would retain and manage her own fortune (a trust yielding 800,000 francs per annum ) and only their future children would receive legacies . George wed Marie civilly in Paris on 21 November 1907, and in a Greek Orthodox ceremony in Athens

10200-410: Was the minister who endured attacks from the press. Venizelos handed in his resignation on two occasions: first on 5 March 1901, citing health reasons, and then on 18 March, explaining that he could not work while in permanent disagreement with his colleagues and the High Commissioner. George refused to accept his resignation, instead preferring to dismiss him for insubordination. On 20 March, posters on

10302-456: Was the second son and child of George I of Greece and Olga Konstantinovna of Russia , and is remembered chiefly for having once saved the life of his cousin the future Emperor of Russia , Nicholas II in 1891 during their visit to Japan together. He served as high commissioner of the Cretan State during its transition towards independence from Ottoman rule and union with Greece , under

10404-436: Was withdrawing from Crete and would not oppose or approve the choice of Prince George as governor. The next day, the ship Oldenburg left Chania. On April 12 Austria-Hungary also dropped opposition to Prince George, The remaining European powers now organized an administrative council on Crete and asked for the gathering of Ottoman troops in certain points of the island. The admirals in turn asked their respective governments for

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