Gramvousa
Two small islands off Crete with a Venetian fort and pirate history.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Gramvousa refers to two small uninhabited islands off the coast of the Gramvousa Peninsula in northwestern Crete, administered by the municipality of Kissamos. The islands, Imeri Gramvousa and Agria Gramvousa, are known for their Venetian fort and their role as a base for Cretan insurgents and pirates during the Greek War of Independence.
- location
- Northwestern Crete, regional unit of Chania
- administered_by
- Municipality of Kissamos
- notable_islands
- Imeri Gramvousa (Tame Gramvousa) and Agria Gramvousa (Wild Gramvousa)
- ancient_name
- Korykos (for the larger island)
- fort_built
- 1579–1584
- historical_role
- Venetian fort, pirate base during Greek War of Independence
Lore & Background
The fort at Imeri Gramvousa was built between 1579 and 1584 during Venetian rule to defend against the Ottoman Turks. It remained in Venetian hands after the 1669 treaty that surrendered Crete to the Ottomans, along with the fortresses of Souda and Spinalonga. In 1691, during the Morean War, the Venetian commander betrayed Gramvousa to the Ottomans and later lived in Constantinople as 'Captain Grambousas'.
Reader's Guide
During the Greek War of Independence, the fort fell to insurgents. In August 1825, a group of Cretans disguised as Turks captured the fort, ushering the 'Gramvousa period' of revitalized insurgency. Besieged for over two years, the insurgents turned to piracy, making Gramvousa a hive of piratical activity that affected Turkish-Egyptian and European shipping. In 1828, Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias sent forces with British and French ships to destroy the pirate ships, and the fort came under British control. Today, Imeri Gramvousa is a popular tourist attraction, hosting remains of the Venetian fort and buildings left by Cretan insurgents.
Did You Know?
- The larger island was known in ancient times as Korykos, meaning 'leather bag'.
- The name 'Gramvousa' honors Vousa, the wife of a pirate chief who evaded capture when pirates were removed.
- Agria Gramvousa, also called False Gramvousa, is much less hospitable than Imeri Gramvousa.
- During the Gramvousa period, insurgents built a school and a church named Panagia i Kleftrina, dedicated to the wives of the pirates.
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