free download here - Michael Llewellyn-Smith

The Great Island
public opinion was at last too strong for neutrality. Prince George of
Greece left Piraeus amid scenes of wild excitement with six torpedoboats;
and Colonel Vassos landed near Canea, with orders to take
possession of Crete in the King’s name. Meanwhile, the Powers occupied
Canca, and at one time bombarded the Cretans in their efforts to keep
the peace. The Greek action precipitated a Greco-Turkish war. And
when this ended in May 1897 a solution was ‘imposed’ on the Cretan
question.
That is to say, for some eighteen months the Powers looked for a
suitable High Commissioner, canvassing the merits of various Frankish
candidates. In the meantime, once again, the situation on Crete was
extraordinary. The island was divided into spheres of influence,
administered by the powers. The English garrisoned Heraklion; the
Russians Rethymnon, the French Sitea, the Italians Hierapctra; while
all four held Canea, and the fleet under the Italian Admiral Canevaro
lay off in support. The Mohammedans were confined for the most part
to the large towns where foreign troops offered some protection.
Independence had been unnaturally delayed some seventy years. It
came now, for though she remained under the suzerainty of the Porte
Crete was to be autonomous. Violence broke out in September 1898
and among the Christian victims were some British soldiers and the
vice-consul. Within two months the Turkish forces had left Crete, and
the Powers had offered the job of High Commissioner to Prince George,
second son of the King of Greece. He landed at Suda on 21 December.
From the pealing bells, the guns sounding the salute, the wild cheering,
enthusiastic crowds, you could have guessed that Crete’s troubles were
over.
And, more or less, they were. Hellenization proceeded peacefully
under Prince George. The foreign admirals left immediately after his
arrival, and a year or two later the British troops could leave too. The
Mohammedans, many of whom had left – and were encouraged to
leave by the Porte – had a favourable proportion of seats in the new
Assembly: 50 to 138 at the first meeting. There were internal troubles;
a quarrel between Prince George and the young lawyer Eleutherios
Venizelos led to the prince’s resignation. Under the new Commissioner
Zaimes, Crete proceeded on her unalterable course towards enosis,
which came in 1913,
The ‘Cretan Question’ belongs to recent history, and because the
Great Powers were involved, is well documented. Whole books have
been written about it. The spectacle of European politicians intriguing
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