ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION ON CRETE UNDER VENETIAN RULE
The administrative organization imposed by Venice on Crete was aimed at firmly establishing sovereignty over the island, the most important possession in the east, thereby serving the Serenissma’s financial interests in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin to the maximum extent possible.
To that end, a system of military colonization framed by a highly concentrated administrative machinery was adopted, along the lines of the mother city.
The island was initially divided into six administrative regions (sestieri). From the late 14th century these were reduced to four territori, coinciding with the present-day administrative division into prefectures (Heraklion, Chania, Rethymnon and Lassithi). The regions were further subdivided into smaller administrative districts known as castellanies (castellanie, castelli).
Land was granted to Venetian colonists by the Concessio Insulae Cretensii of 1211, in exchange for military and financial obligations towards the state. The colonists (feudatarii - feudati) did not have any political power beyond the advice they could direct to their various councils, such as the Feudal Council, (Consilium Feudatorum), the Grand Council (Maggior Consiglio) and the Council of Senators (Consiglio dei Pregati).
Political power was exercised by senior officials of absolute trust, directly appointed by the mother city. In the case of Crete, power lay with the duke and his two councillors, who assisted him while also keeping his authority in check. The three together constituted the government (regimen or regimento) of Crete, and usually served a two-year term.
From 1376 onwards, overall military command was in the hands of the Captain General (capitano general) of Chandax. From the 16th century he also had a say in the appointment of civil servants.
Under the new geographical and administrative division of the island in the 14th century, political and military authority in the three regions other than Chandax was assumed by three rectors (rettori), thus limiting the power held by the Duke and his council.
Two centuries later, the powers held by both the Duke and the Captain were further curbed by the regular posting to the island of a Provveditor General (also called the sindaco or inquisitor), by a practice established in law from 1569 onwards. He had absolute military authority, undertaking to implement decisions taken in Venice and to resolve fiscal and social issues concerning the island’s inhabitants.
In order to resolve problems faced by its subjects without delay, and to limit high-handedness on the part of officials and civil servants, Venice would send the Advocates and Inquisitors in the Levant (sindici et inquisitori in Levante) to its possessions in the East. From the mid-14th century onwards they were dispatched at regular intervals rather than occasionally, as before. Their number was not fixed, but in the 16th century they were limited to two. The inquisitors’ brief extended to all areas, though in the main they were authorized to inspect the work of administrators, review judicial decisions, hold audiences with subjects in the possessions and see to the resolution of their problems.
The lower ranks in the administrative hierarchy encompassed a multitude of officials (judges, policemen, market inspectors, health inspectors) and other public servants, such as clerks, notaries etc. Whether paid or not, they were drawn from the island’s upper classes and were appointed by the local authorities for a term of between one and three years. In some cases, e.g. notaries, the appointment was for life.
