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71-533: Heraklion was Europe's fastest growing tourism destination for 2017, according to Euromonitor, with an 11.2% growth in international arrivals. According to the ranking, Heraklion was ranked as the 20th most visited region in Europe, as the 66th area on the planet and as the 2nd in Greece for the year 2017, with 3.2 million visitors and the 19th in Europe for 2018, with 3.4 million visitors. The name Herakleion (Ηράκλειον)

142-548: A bishopric, a bishop named Theodoros of Heracleopolis is mentioned at the Second Council of Nicaea . The name was revived in the 19th century and was in use by locals as early as 1867. 1. In antiquity : The area that would later become the city of Heraklion served as the port for the ancient city of Knossos , one of the centers of the Minoan civilization. This strategic location facilitated trade and communication across

213-726: A decades-long decline in Byzantine-Bulgarian diplomacy and was a prelude to the wars fought between the Bulgarians and later Byzantine emperors, particularly Basil II . Nikephoros' first military failures came in Sicily . In 962 the son of the governor of Fatimid Sicily , Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Kalbi , captured and reduced the Byzantine city of Taormina . The last major Byzantine stronghold in Sicily, Rometta , appealed to

284-642: A fortress in the harbour. Chandax was renamed Candia and became the seat of the Duke of Candia , and the Venetian administrative district of Crete became known as "Regno di Candia" ( Kingdom of Candia ). The city retained the name of Candia for centuries and the same name was often used to refer to the whole island of Crete as well. To secure their rule, the Venetians began in 1212 to settle families from Venice on Crete. The coexistence of two different cultures and

355-543: A letter to Nikephoros while Liutprand was in Constantinople calling Otto I Emperor of Rome and even more insultingly referring to Nikephoros merely as Emperor of the Greeks. Liutprand failed in his goal of procuring an Imperial princess as a wife for Otto's young son, the future emperor Otto II . Bishop Liutprand described Nikephoros as: Whereas Bishop Liutprand describes the emperor's hair as being bristly, Leo

426-467: A location in Ancient Crete is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Nikephoros II Nikephoros II Phokas ( Greek : Νικηφόρος Φωκᾶς , Nikēphóros Phōkãs ; c.  912 – 11 December 969), Latinized Nicephorus II Phocas , was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969. His career, not uniformly successful in matters of statecraft or of war, nonetheless greatly contributed to

497-759: A major tourist destination from the 1980s onwards. The oldest monument of architecture is the palace in Knossos on the outskirts of the city. Two largest medieval churches in the city were the Dominican church of St. Peter (built between 1248 and 1253) and the San Salvatore, belonging to the Augustinian Friars . The latter one stood in Kornaros Square, but was demolished in 1970. Other monuments of architecture from Venetian times include

568-533: A measurable amount on the ground occurring in February 2004. Heraklion falls in 11a hardiness zone . NOAA (precipitation days - dew point 1961-1990) The Cultural and Conference Center of Heraklion is a centre for the performing arts. The city is home to several sports clubs. Most notably, Heraklion hosts OFI and Ergotelis , two football clubs with earlier presence in the Greek Superleague ,

639-463: A nine-month siege of the fortress town of Chandax , where his forces suffered through the winter due to supply issues. Following a failed assault and many raids into the countryside, Nikephoros entered Chandax on 6 March 961 and soon wrested control of the entire island from the Muslims. Upon returning to Constantinople , he was denied the usual honor of a triumph , but was permitted an ovation in

710-524: A railway line in Crete, linking Chania, Rethymno, and Heraklion. No official plans exist for implementing this idea. Heraklion has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Csa in the Köppen climate classification ). Summers are warm to hot and dry with clear skies. Dry hot days are often relieved by seasonal breezes. Winters are mild with moderate rain. Because Heraklion is further south than Athens , it has

781-858: A relic with the image of Jesus to be later placed in the Church of the Virgin of the Pharos in Constantinople. He later sent a detachment to Barbalissos which returned with 300 prisoners, then he went to raid Wadi Butnan , Chalcis , Tizin and Artah , before laying siege to Antioch, but it was abandoned after eight days due to the lack of supplies. In 967 or 968, Nikephoros annexed the Armenian state of Taron by diplomacy, in addition to Arzen and Martyropolis . In October 968, Nikephoros conducted another expedition which started by besieging Antioch for thirteen days, then he went south raiding and sacking most of

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852-520: A riot and soon forcing Bringas to flee. On August 16, Nikephoros was proclaimed emperor and married the empress Theophano. Nikephoros II was not very successful in his western wars. Under his reign, relations with the Bulgarians worsened. It is likely that he bribed the Kievan Rus' to raid the Bulgarians in retaliation for them not blocking Magyar raids. This breach in relations triggered

923-508: A superior enemy invasion force along the eastern frontier; though it purports that the tactics were no longer needed since the danger of the Muslim states to the east had subsided. It is likely that this latter work, at least, was not composed by the Emperor but rather for him; translator and editor George T. Dennis suggests that it was perhaps written by his brother Leo Phokas, then Domestic of

994-472: A warmer climate during winter but cooler during summer because of the Aegean Sea . The maximum temperature during the summer period is usually not more than 28 - 30 °C (Athens normal maximum temperature is about 5 °C higher). The minimum temperature record is -0.8 °C in the airport while in the port it has never dropped below 0 °C. Snowfalls are rare with the last significant snowfall with

1065-475: Is derived from an ancient port of Heracleium that served as the harbour for Knossos . The port, bearing the same name, was named in honour of the hero Heracles (Hercules). In antiquity, it was located about 20 stadia (approximately 3.7 kilometers) from Knossos. Strabo also confirms the connection between the two. The site of the ancient port falls within the boundaries of the modern city, near today’s port area. Although ecclesiastical records do not list it as

1136-545: Is located within the modern Heraklion . The ancient port town gave its name to the modern city of Heraklion, which revived the historical name during the 19th century. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Smith, William , ed. (1854–1857). "Heracleium". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography . London: John Murray. 35°20′27″N 25°08′00″E  /  35.340702°N 25.133221°E  / 35.340702; 25.133221 This article about

1207-582: The Hagia Sophia , while his brother Leo Phokas escaped the city in disguise. Bringas was able to garner some support within the city from a few high-ranking officers, namely Marianos Argyros , but he himself was not a skilled orator and was unable to obtain the support of other popular officials such as the Patriarch Polyeuctus and the general Basil Lekapenos . The people of Constantinople soon turned against his cause, killing Argyros in

1278-636: The Hippodrome . Following the conquest of Crete, Nikephoros returned to the east and marched a large and well-equipped army into Cilicia . In February 962 he captured Anazarbos , while the major city of Tarsus ceased to recognize the Hamdanid Emir of Aleppo , Sayf al-Dawla . Nikephoros continued to ravage the Cilician countryside, defeating the governor of Tarsus, ibn al-Zayyat , in open battle; al-Zayyat later committed suicide on account of

1349-692: The Nika riots and its violent suppression within the stadium itself. The crowd within the Hippodrome panicked and began a stampede to retreat from the stadium, resulting in numerous deaths. Nikephoros was the author of extant treatises on military tactics, most famously the Praecepta Militaria , which contains valuable information on the art of war in his time, and the less-known On Skirmishing ( Medieval Greek : Περὶ Παραδρομῆς Πολέμου ), which concerned guerrilla-like tactics for defense against

1420-766: The Phokas family which had produced several distinguished generals, including Nikephoros' father Bardas Phokas , brother Leo Phokas , and grandfather Nikephoros Phokas the Elder , who had all served as commanders of the field army ( domestikos tōn scholōn ). From his maternal side he belonged to the Maleinoi , a powerful Anatolian Greek family which had settled in Cappadocia . Early in his life Nikephoros had married Stephano. She had died before he rose to fame, and after her death he took an oath of chastity. Nikephoros joined

1491-606: The Republic of Venice as part of a complicated political deal which involved, among other things, the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade restoring the deposed Eastern Roman Emperor Isaac II Angelus to his throne. The Venetians improved on the ditch of the city by building enormous fortifications, most of which are still in place, including a giant wall, in places up to 40 metres (130 ft) thick, with seven bastions, and

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1562-587: The Saint Mark's Basilica and the Renaissance loggia next to Lions Square (1626–28). Around the historic city center of Heraklion there are also a series of defensive walls, bastions and other fortifications which were built earlier in the Middle Ages, but were completely rebuilt by the Republic of Venice . The fortifications managed to withstand the longest siege in history for 21 years, before

1633-482: The 59th busiest in Europe, because of Crete being a major holiday destination with 8,066,000 passengers in 2022 ( List of the busiest airports in Europe ). The airfield is shared with the 126th Combat Group of the Hellenic Air Force . European route E75 runs through the city and connects Heraklion with the three other major cities of Crete: Agios Nikolaos , Chania , and Rethymno . Urban buses serve

1704-506: The Aegean. In 960, Byzantine forces under the command of Nikephoros Phokas , later to become Emperor, landed in Crete and attacked the city. After a prolonged siege , the city fell in March 961. The Saracen inhabitants were slaughtered, the city looted and burned to the ground. Soon rebuilt, the town remained under Byzantine control for the next 243 years. In 1204, the city was bought by

1775-617: The Byzantines and the Arabs. In the summer of 965, the conquest of Cilicia began in earnest. Nikephorus and Tzimiskes seized Mopsuestia July 13, while Leo Phokas invested Tarsus and Nikephoros and Tzimiskes arrived soon after. Nikephoros won a pitched battle against the Tarsiots, routing their forces with his "ironclad horsemen", referencing the Byzantine cataphracts . Within a fortnight, on August 16, Tarsus surrendered. Nikephoros allowed

1846-654: The Byzantines was largely due to mutual cultural biases, but also to the fact that both empires claimed to be the successors of the Roman Empire . Conflicts in southern Italy were preceded by religious contests between the two empires and by the malicious writings of Liutprand of Cremona . Otto first invaded Byzantine Apulia in 968 and failed to take Bari . Early the next year, he once again moved against Byzantine Apulia and Calabria , but, unable to capture Cassano or Bovino , failed to make any progress. In May he returned north, leaving Pandulf Ironhead to take charge of

1917-589: The Byzantines, but he too was routed, and Nikephoros and Tzimiskes entered Aleppo on 24 December. The loss of the city would prove to be both a strategic and moral disaster for the Hamdanids. It was probably on these campaigns that Nikephoros earned the sobriquet "The Pale Death of the Saracens". On 15 March 963, Emperor Romanos II died unexpectedly at the age of twenty-six of uncertain cause. Both contemporary sources and later historians seem to either believe that

1988-591: The Deacon says it was black with "tight curls" and "unusually long". John Julius Norwich says, about his murder and burial, "It was a honourable place; but Nikephoros Phocas, the White Death of the Saracens, hero of Syria and Crete, saintly and hideous, magnificent and insufferable, had deserved a better end". During the last decades of the tenth century, the Phokades repeatedly tried to get their hands again on

2059-590: The Eastern Roman Empire. They built a moat around the city for protection, and named the city rabḍ al-ḫandaq (ربض الخندق, "Castle of the Moat", hellenized as Χάνδαξ, Chandax ). It became the capital of the Emirate of Crete ( c.  827 –961). The Saracens allowed the port to be used as a safe haven for pirates who operated against Imperial (Byzantine) shipping and raided Imperial territory around

2130-540: The Hamdanids in Aleppo entered a period of unbroken decline until their destruction in 1002. In June 957 Nikephoros managed to capture and destroy Adata. The Byzantines continued to push their advantage against the Arabs until the collapse of the Hamdanids, except for the period from 960 to 961, when the army turned its focus to the reconquest of Crete . From the ascension of Emperor Romanos II in 959, Nikephoros and his younger brother Leo Phokas were placed in charge of

2201-529: The Mediterranean. Over time, as Knossos declined, the port area grew in significance, eventually becoming a prominent urban center. 2. Rabḍ al-ḫandaq (ربض الخندق): In 824 CE, Arab exiles from al-Andalus (Iberia) who conquered Crete and founded the Emirate of Crete moved the island's capital from Gortyna to a new castle they called rabḍ al-ḫandaq ("Castle of the Moat"). 3. Chándax (Χάνδαξ) / Chándakas (Χάνδακας): The Arabic name rabḍ al-ḫandaq

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2272-624: The Muslims, completing the Islamic conquest of Sicily. In 967, the Byzantines and the Fatimids hastily concluded a peace treaty to cease hostilities in Sicily. Both empires had grander issues to attend to: the Fatimids were preparing to invade Egypt , and tensions were flaring up on mainland Italy between the Byzantines and the German emperor Otto I . The constant tension between the Germans and

2343-610: The Ottoman period, the harbour silted up, so most shipping shifted to Chania in the west of the island. An earthquake located off the northern coast of Crete on October 12, 1856, destroyed most of the over 3,600 homes in the city. Only 18 homes were left intact. The disaster claimed 538 victims in Heraklion. In 1898, the autonomous Cretan State was created, under Ottoman suzerainty , with Prince George of Greece as its High Commissioner and under international supervision. During

2414-506: The Saracens to the positions of martyrs in the church – similar to the status of " Shahid " which the Emperor's Muslim foes bestowed on their own fallen soldiers. In the Christian context, this was a highly controversial and unpopular demand. In 967, he sparked a controversy in the capital by making a display of his military maneuvers in the Hippodrome similar in style to those displayed by the emperor Justinian centuries earlier preceding

2485-451: The West. Nikephoros was a very devout man, and he helped his friend, the monk Athanasios , found the monastery of Great Lavra on Mount Athos . The plot to assassinate Nikephoros began when he dismissed Michael Bourtzes from his position following his disobedience in the siege of Antioch. Bourtzes was disgraced, and he would soon find an ally with whom to plot against Nikephoros. Towards

2556-669: The Yeni Cami ("New Mosque"), and the Agios Minas Cathedral (1862–95). An example of modern architecture in Heraklion is the Heraklion Archaeological Museum built between 1937 and 1940 by architect Patroklos Karantinos. Several sculptures, statues and busts commemorating significant events and figures of the city's and island's history, like El Greco , Vitsentzos Kornaros , Nikos Kazantzakis and Eleftherios Venizelos can be found around

2627-514: The area. Only with the arrival of the Romans did some construction in the area begin, yet especially early into Byzantine times the area abounded with pirates and bandits. Heraklion was chosen as capital in 824, with fortifications starting being built the following year, by the Arabs under Abu Hafs Umar who had been expelled from Al-Andalus by Emir Al-Hakam I and had taken over the island from

2698-641: The army at an early age. He was appointed the military governor of the Anatolic Theme in 945 under Emperor Constantine VII . In 954 or 955 Nikephoros was promoted to Domestic of the Schools , replacing his father, Bardas Phokas , who had suffered a series of defeats by the Hamdanids and by the Abbasids . The new position essentially placed Nikephoros in charge of the eastern Byzantine army. From 955,

2769-716: The city fell to the Ottomans in 1669. The Koules Fortress ( Castello a Mare ), the ramparts and the arsenal dominate the port area. Many fountains of the Venetian era are preserved, such as the Bembo fountain, the Priuli fountain, Palmeti fountain, Sagredo fountain and Morosini fountain in Lions Square (1628). Architecture from the 19th century is represented by the St Titus Cathedral , built in 1869 as

2840-551: The city was Kandiye . 5. Megalo Kastro (Μεγάλο Κάστρο): After the Byzantine reconquest of Crete , the city was locally known as Megalo Kastro ( Μεγάλο Κάστρο , 'Big Castle' in Greek ) and its inhabitants were called Kastrinoi (Καστρινοί, "castle-dwellers"). Heraklion is home to the ruins of the palace of Knossos , located in the southern periphery of the city and part of the Heraklion municipality. In Minoan times, Knossos

2911-481: The city's Christian defenders perished. The Ottoman army under an Albanian grand vizier , Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed Pasha conquered the city in 1669. Under the Ottomans, Kandiye ( Ottoman Turkish قنديه) was the capital of Crete ( Girit Eyâleti ) until 1849, when Chania ( Hanya ) became the capital, and Kandiye became a sancak . In Greek, it was commonly called Megalo Castro (Μεγάλο Κάστρο 'Big Castle'). During

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2982-520: The city, with 39 different routes. Intercity buses connect Heraklion to many major destinations in Crete. From 1922 to 1937, a working industrial railway connected the Koules in Heraklion to Xiropotamos for the construction of the harbor. In the summer of 2007, at the Congress of Cretan emigrants held in Heraklion, two engineers, George Nathenas and Vassilis Economopoulos, recommended the development of

3053-607: The city. The municipality Heraklion was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units: The municipality has an area of 244.613 km, the municipal unit 109.026 km. Heraklion is an important shipping port and ferry dock. Travellers can take ferries and boats from Heraklion to destinations including Santorini , Ios Island , Paros , Mykonos , and Rhodes . There are direct ferries to Naxos , Karpathos , Kasos , Sitia , Anafi , Chalki and Diafani . There are also several daily ferries to Piraeus ,

3124-491: The eastern and western field armies respectively. In 960, 27,000 oarsmen and marines were assembled to man a fleet of 308 ships carrying 50,000 troops. At the recommendation of the influential minister Joseph Bringas , Nikephoros was entrusted to lead this expedition against the Muslim Emirate of Crete , and he led his fleet to the island and defeated a minor Arab force upon disembarking near Almyros. He soon began

3195-477: The emperor decided to take it by hunger (so as not to damage to city) and left a detachment (a taxiarchy) of 1500 men in the fort of Pagrae , which lies on the road from Antioch to Alexandretta . The commander of the fort, the patrikios Michael Bourtzes , disobeyed the emperor's orders and took Antioch with a surprise attack, supported by the troops of the stratopedarch Petros, eunuch of the Phokas family. Bourtzes

3266-444: The emperor. On the night of the deed, she left Nikephoros' bedchamber door unlocked, and he was assassinated in his apartment by Tzimiskes and his entourage on 11 December 969. He died praying to the mother of God. Following his death, the Phokas family broke into insurrection under Nikephoros' nephew Bardas Phokas , but their revolt was promptly subdued as Tzimiskes ascended the throne. The tension between East and West resulting from

3337-408: The end of 965, Nikephoros had John Tzimiskes exiled to eastern Asia Minor for suspected disloyalty, but was recalled on the pleading of Nikephoros' wife, Theophano. According to Joannes Zonaras and John Skylitzes , Nikephoros had a loveless relationship with Theophano. He was leading an ascetic life, whereas she was secretly having an affair with Tzimiskes. Theophano and Tzimiskes plotted to overthrow

3408-469: The fortresses and cities along his path including Maarrat Misrin , Arra , Capharda , Larissa , Epiphania and Emesa in the Orontes valley until he reached the city of Tripoli , then he went to take Arca , Antarados , Maraclea , Gabala and received the submission of Laodicea . His aim was to cut off Antioch from its allies: the city was unsuccessfully blockaded two times in 966 and 968, and so

3479-416: The foundation of new monasteries . By his heavy imposts and the debasement of the Byzantine currency , along with the enforcement and implementation of taxes across the centralized regions of the empire, he forfeited his popularity with the people and gave rise to riots. Nikephoros also disagreed with the church on theological grounds. He wished the church to elevate those soldiers who died in battle against

3550-412: The inhabitants to depart unharmed before the city was plundered by his army. With the fall of these two strongholds, Cilicia was in the hands of the Byzantines. In June 966, there was an exchange of prisoners between Sayf al-Dawla and the Byzantines, held at Samosata . In October 966, Nikephoros led an expedition to raid Amida , Dara and Nisibis , then he marched towards Hierapolis , where he took

3621-534: The loss. Thereafter, Nikephoros returned to the regional capital of Caesarea . Upon the beginning of the new campaigning season al-Dawla entered the Byzantine Empire to conduct raids, a strategy which left Aleppo dangerously undefended. Nikephoros soon took Syrian Hierapolis . In December, an army split between Nikephoros and John I Tzimiskes marched towards Aleppo , quickly routing an opposing force led by Naja al-Kasaki . Al-Dawla's force caught up with

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3692-414: The newly crowned emperor Nikephoros for aid against the approaching Muslim armies. Nikephoros renounced his payments of tribute to the Fatimid caliphs , and sent a huge fleet, purportedly boasting a crew of around 40,000 men, under Patrikios Niketas and Manuel Phokas , to the island. The Byzantine forces, however, were swiftly routed in Rometta and at the Battle of the Straits , and Rometta soon fell to

3763-420: The news of his proclamation as emperor, Nikephoros sent a fleet to secure the Bosphorus Strait against his enemies. Around the same time, he appointed Tzimiskes as Domestic of the East, now taking on the formal roles of emperor. He then sent a letter to Constantinople requesting to be accepted as co-emperor. In response, Bringas locked down the city, forcing Nikephoros' father Bardas Phokas to seek sanctuary in

3834-430: The novelist Nikos Kazantzakis (best known for Zorba the Greek ), the poet and Nobel Prize winner Odysseas Elytis and the world-famous painter Domenicos Theotokopoulos ( El Greco ). Heraklion is twinned with: Heracleium Heracleium or Herakleion ( Ancient Greek : Ἡράκλειον ), also known as Heracleia or Herakleia (Ἡράκλεια), or Heracleopolis was a town in ancient Crete , which Strabo calls

3905-412: The patrician Niketas Chalkoutzes recovered Cyprus . In the spring of 964, Nikephorus headed east. During the summer he captured Anazarbos and Adana before withdrawing. Later that year, Nikephoros attempted to quickly take Mopsuestia , but failed, returning to Caesarea. It was around this time that Niketas Chalkoutzes instigated a coup in Cyprus , which at the time was a shared condominium between

3976-542: The period of direct occupation of the island by the Great Powers (1898–1908), Candia was part of the British zone. At this time the ancient name of "Heraklion" was revived. In 1913, with the rest of Crete , Heraklion was incorporated into the Kingdom of Greece . Heraklion was severely damaged in the bombing campaign in May 1941 during the German invasion in the Battle of Crete . The city remained under German rule until 1945. Heraklion again became capital of Crete in 1971, replacing Chania. The city, and Crete generally, became

4047-413: The policies pursued by Nikephoros may be glimpsed in the unflattering description of him and his court by Bishop Liutprand of Cremona in his Relatio de legatione Constantinopolitana . His description of Nikephoros was clouded by the ill-treatment he received while on a diplomatic mission to Constantinople. Nikephoros, a man of war, was not apt at diplomacy. To add insult to injury, Pope John XIII sent

4118-447: The port of Athens in mainland Greece. The port of Heraklion was built by Sir Robert McAlpine and completed in 1928. Heraklion International Airport , or Nikos Kazantzakis Airport is located about 5 kilometres (3 miles) east of the city. The airport is named after Heraklion native Nikos Kazantzakis , a writer and a philosopher. It is the second busiest airport of Greece after Athens International Airport , first in charter flights and

4189-522: The port of Knossos , and was situated, according to the anonymous coast-describer (Stadiasmus), at a distance of 20 stadia from that city. Stephanus of Byzantium simply mentions the town as the 17th of the 23 Heracleias he enumerates. Although the ecclesiastical notices make no mention of this place as a bishop's see, yet there is found among the subscriptions to the proceedings of the Second Council of Nicaea , along with other Cretan prelates, Theodoros, bishop of Heracleopolis . The site of Heracleium

4260-472: The power of Nikephoros Phokas. The victorious general had been accepted as the actual commander of the army and maintained a strong connection to the aristocracy. Bringas was afraid that Nikephoros would attempt to claim the throne with the support of both the army and the aristocracy. This is exactly what he did. On July 2 in Caesarea, his armies, along with his highest-ranking officers, proclaimed Nikephoros emperor. From his position in Caesarea, and in advance of

4331-436: The resurgence of the Byzantine Empire during the 10th century. In the east, Nikephoros completed the conquest of Cilicia and retook the islands of Crete and Cyprus , opening the path for subsequent Byzantine incursions reaching as far as Upper Mesopotamia and the Levant ; these campaigns earned him the sobriquet "pale death of the Saracens ". Nikephoros Phokas was born around 912. From his paternal side, he belonged to

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4402-442: The siege. Pandulf was defeated and taken prisoner by the Byzantine general Eugenios, who went on to besiege Capua and enter Salerno . The two empires would continue to skirmish with each other until after the reign of Nikephoros, but neither side was able to make permanent or significant gains. From 964 to 965, Nikephoros led an army of 40,000 men which conquered Cilicia and conducted raids in Upper Mesopotamia and Syria , while

4473-425: The stimulus of the Italian Renaissance led to a flourishing of letters and the arts in Candia and Crete in general, that is today known as the Cretan Renaissance . During the Cretan War (1645–1669) , the Ottomans besieged the city for 21 years, from 1648 to 1669, the longest siege in history up until that time. In its final phase, which lasted for 22 months, 70,000 Turks, 38,000 Cretans and slaves and 29,088 of

4544-410: The throne, and almost succeeded when Nikephoros' nephew, Bardas Phokas the Younger , rebelled against the rule of Basil II. His death, possibly by cardiac arrest, put an end to the rebellion, and ultimately to the political prominence of the Phokades, although Bardas the Younger's own son, Nikephoros Phokas Barytrachelos , launched another abortive revolt in 1022 along with Nikephoros Xiphias . Phokas

4615-404: The time that Romanos died, however, Basil was five years old and Constantine only three years old, so Theophano was named regent . Theophano, however, was not allowed to rule alone. Joseph Bringas , the eunuch palace official who had become Romanos' chief councilor, maintained his position. According to contemporary sources he intended to keep authority in his own hands. He also tried to reduce

4686-463: The top tier of the Greek football league system . Furthermore, the city is the headquarters of the Heraklion Football Clubs Association , which administers football in the entire region . Other notable sport clubs include Iraklio B.C. ( basketball ), Atsalenios (football) and Irodotos (football) in the suburbs of Atsalenio and Nea Alikarnassos respectively. Heraklion has been the home town of some of Greece's most significant people, including

4757-493: The young Emperor had exhausted his health with the excesses of his sexual life and his heavy drinking, or suspect that the Empress Theophano (c. 941–after 976), his wife, poisoned him. Theophano had already gained a reputation as an intelligent and ambitious woman. Unfavorable accounts of her by later historians would characterize her as a woman known for ruthlessness in achieving her goals. Romanos had already crowned as co-emperors his two sons Basil II and Constantine VIII . At

4828-407: Was Hellenized to Χάνδαξ ( Chándax ) or Χάνδακας ( Chándakas ). 4. Candia : This name, derived from Chándax, was Latinized as Candia and adopted into other European languages: in Italian and Latin as Candia , in Spanish as Candía , in French as Candie , and in English as Candy . These names could refer to the island of Crete as a whole as well as to the city alone; the Ottoman name for

4899-401: Was disgraced for his insubordination, and later joined the plot that killed Phokas. Nikephoros' popularity was largely based on his conquests. Due to the resources he allocated to his army, Nikephoros was compelled to exercise a rigid economic policy in other departments. He retrenched court largess and curtailed the immunities of the clergy, and while he had an ascetic disposition, he forbade

4970-411: Was the author of a military manual, the Praecepta Militaria . On 19 November 2004, the Hellenic Navy named its tenth Kortenaer -class frigate in his honour as Nikiforos Fokas F-466 (formerly HNLMS Bloys Van Treslong F-824). Also, in the Rethymno regional unit in Crete, a municipality ( Nikiforos Fokas ) is named after him, as are many streets throughout Greece. Nikephoros II appears as

5041-410: Was the largest centre of population on Crete and is considered by many to be the oldest city in Europe. Knossos itself had a port at the site of Heraklion (in the modern area of Poros-Katsambas neighborhood) from the beginning of the Early Minoan period (3500 to 2100 BC). After the fall of the Minoans, Heraklion, as well as the rest of Crete in general, fared poorly, with very little development in

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