The Cretan War 1645-1671

 I have an article in the new edition of Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy (138), on the Cretan War 1645-1671. It provides an overview of the lengthy conflict between Venice and the Ottoman Empire, which extended far beyond Crete, to the Balkans and the Dardanelles. It also includes some suggestions for refighting the war on the tabletop and a scenario using Pikeman's Lament. This post expands on the article.

In 1645, the Ottomans launched a large invasion of Crete, quickly capturing most of the island except for the heavily fortified capital, Candia. This began a long and brutal struggle marked by sieges, naval battles, and shifting alliances in Europe. The war ultimately ended with the Ottomans conquering Crete, marking one of Venice’s most significant territorial losses.

The most comprehensive book on the conflict is The Cretan War, 1645-1671, by Bruno Mugnai (Helion, 2018). This has all you need, including colour plates. His book on the Ottoman Empire (Helion, 2020) provides a deeper examination of the Ottoman armed forces, complemented by Ottoman Warfare 1500-1700 by Rhoads Murphey (UCL Press, 1999). For the Ottoman navy, there is The Sultan’s Fleet by Christine Isom-Verhaaren (I.B.Taurus, 2022). For a broader look at Venice, John Julius Norwich’s Venice, The Greatness and the Fall (Allen Lane, 1981), is a great read.

The best-known action of the war is the Siege of Candia, the second-longest siege in history. This is a period map I found in the British Library.

And the harbour on my last visit. There is a small museum inside. 

I suggest two ways of replicating this on the tabletop. Either using the board game, Fire and Stone, designed for the Siege of Vienna, but I have used it for most sieges of this period. Hat tip to the Istanbul wargames club for flagging this clever game.

The other is a sortie, of which there were many. There wasn't space in the magazine to do a second scenario, but we have played a couple of games using Pikeman's Lament. 

We also played the raid scenario in the magazine again.

The naval struggle was a key element of the war. The Venetians intercepted Ottoman supply lines and challenged the Ottoman fleet in the Dardanelles. I use Black Seas and the warlord models for this.

A wargamer with an interest in this period is likely to have an Ottoman army. The infantry core was provided by the Janissaries, supplemented by Azabs and other provincial infantry. Cavalry mainly came from the Sipahi, although many fought on foot during the sieges. For the siege of Candia, vast numbers of Topçu artillerymen and Laginçi miners were deployed, with around 60,000 of them becoming casualties during the last three years of the siege.

Venice treated its army and navy as a single military force, with the Capitano Generale da Mar (Sea Captain General) directing both naval and field operations. In times of peace, most of the army was deployed in garrisons. During the Cretan War, the army consisted of mainland Italians; the Oltramontani, German, Swiss, Dutch and later French units; and the Oltramarini, recruited from Venetian subjects along the Adriatic coast. Compared to the Ottomans, the numbers were not large, with the Candia garrison ranging between 3,000 and 5,000 men. In 1645, Venetian troops resembled other armies of the period, so figures from the Thirty Years' War and even the English Civil War would be suitable. More than 80% would be musketeers, and the balance would be pikemen. The cavalry consisted of cuirassiers and light cavalry, many of the latter recruited from Venetian territories in Albania. Later in the war, European regiments reflected the military dress of Louis XIV’s wars in Europe. This means that many wargamers will not have to paint entirely new units to refight the Cretan War.

The Cretan War really has it all—sieges, skirmishes, small battles and naval actions, right across the eastern Mediterranean. Venice did manage a modest comeback in the Morean War (1684-1699), briefly occupying Athens, although they wrecked the Parthenon in the process. However, the loss of its trade routes to the Levant and the opening of new routes via the Cape and the Americas undermined Venice's economic base. The Ottomans arguably reached their peak during the Siege of Vienna in 1683. However, they would remain a major power for more than two centuries.