Historical Overview
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of Athens and the principality of Achaia. Apart from the
islands of the NE Aegean that were allocated to the Latin
empire of Constantinople, the Cyclades, Euboea and Crete
were transferred to Venice, the foremost maritime power at
the time. Venice dominated most of the islands by allowing
certain families to occupy them and form small autonomous
states with feudal organisation. Distinctive among these
states was the duchy of the Archipelago, which was
established by Venetian Crusader Marco Sanudo in 1207.
Naxos was the seat of the duchy, which included Paros,
Antiparos, Kimolos, Milos, Amorgos, Ios, Sikinos, Syros
and Sifnos. In addition, Andros, Tinos along with Mykonos,
Serifos and Kea, Anafi, Santorini and Astypalaia formed
smaller separate hegemonies. Crete was directly included
in Venetian territories due to its key strategic importance.
Euboea was also organised according to a feudal system.
Nevertheless, Byzantium had not collapsed completely.
Powerful families regrouped their forces in the territories of the
divided empire, formed autonomous states and competed to
restitute the empire. The empire of the Byzantine Laskarids
in Nicaea controlled the largest part of the Asia Minor
coastline and recovered important islands, such as Lesbos,
Chios, Samos, Icaria and Rhodes. On the other side of the
Aegean, the duchy of the Archipelago temporarily dominated
Thessalonica and the coasts of Thessaly. Thessalonica was
later passed over to the autonomous state of Neopatria.
In 1261 the new dynasty occupying the throne of Nicaea
associated its name with the reoccupation of Constantinople
and the beginning of the last phase of the empire’s existence.
Michael VIII, the first emperor from the Palaeologus family,
restored the forces of the Byzantine fleet in the Aegean for a
period of time, and, under the command of the Italian admiral
Licario, it managed to regain a major part of the territories
of the duchy of the Archipelago and other Cycladic islands.
The main concern of the new Western conquerors was to
secure their conquests. The pre-existing Byzantine castles
on the Asia Minor coastline and the Aegean islands were
repaired and improved, while many new ones were built that
still survive; they are distinctive mainly at insular settlements.
The Franks and Venetians tried to incorporate the Orthodox
population into the Catholic Church by imposing strict rules;
however, there were instances of compromise and tolerance.
The foundation of numerous small Orthodox churches,
especially in the 13th c., as well as their decoration with wall-
paintings by local populations, has been interpreted as a
reaction to these measures. These churches reflect the loyalty
to and persistence of Byzantine tradition, which indicates
dedication to the Orthodox doctrine and the superiority of
Constantinople as an artistic centre.
Iconoclasm, which shook the Byzantine empire for more than
a century (726-843), as attested by the aniconic decoration
of churches in Naxos, Amorgos and Rhodes. The very few
monuments displaying ecclesiastical art from this period
are characterised by poor means and reduced construction
know-how, which was to be expected given the particular
historical conditions.
In the early 9th c. the hostilities between the Arabs and the
Byzantines were particularly intense and had ambiguous
results. 961 would be a milestone for the medieval Aegean,
as Emperor Nikephoros Phokas achieved the re-acquisition
of Crete, which was the Arabs’ main base. Peace was
restored and the commercial traffic in the Aegean seaways
was again unhindered, contributing to a new economic
boom. Moreover, the state administration took care of the
fortification of central ports in order to ensure safe transfer
of goods to Constantinople. These new conditions favoured
cultural development, which is indicated by the monuments
built from the early 11th c. onwards, clearly radiating the
capital’s influence.
The generous imperial sponsorship of monastic centres (e.g.
Nea Moni on Chios, Saint John’s monastery on Patmos)
demonstrated the state’s increased interest in the Aegean’s
affairs during the 11th c. Yet Byzantium entered a decline
as a political organisation after 1025, which deeply affected
the life of the Aegean people. The disastrous defeat of
the Byzantine army in Manzikert in 1071 encouraged the
movement of the Seljuq Turks to the Asia Minor coastline
and as a result many cities were captured and sea traffic
was disturbed. Under the Comnenus dynasty Byzantine
predominance was restored on the Anatolian coastline and
partly in the interior. This, however, was the beginning of
Byzantium’s commercial breakdown, with Venice gaining
the privilege in 1082 to trade products in all the ports of the
empire, without paying taxes. In the second half of the 12th c.
the central administration lost control of the provinces, which
were displaying autonomous tendencies. On the other hand,
this century was a period of great artistic development, often
supported by local lords who sponsored the construction
of monastery churches and their decoration with reliefs and
exquisite wall-paintings.
The islands and the coastline experienced radical historical
changes in 1204, when the forces of the Fourth Crusade
conquered Constantinople and overthrew the Byzantine
state. Territories were allocated among the victors in the
treaty known as Partitio Romaniae: the mainland coastline
of the Balkan peninsula was passed over to the new states
established by the Franks in the Oriens, to the Latin empire
of Constantinople, the kingdom of Thessalonica, the duchy
