Occasionally in history an event captures the essence or character of a people or culture.  One such event occurred during Venetian rule in 1453 when 1,000 Cretans answered the call of the Byzantine emperor and went to his aid in what can only be described as a suicidal mission to defend the freedom and honour of their fellow Greeks.  In January 1453 Sultan Ahmed II had completely surrounded Constantinople.  With only 7,000 soldiers left to defend the city against his huge army of over 150,000 and fleet which numbered over 150 ships it was only a matter of time before the city fell.  The cry went out for help.  Against these impossible odds 1,000 Cretans under the leadership of Manousos Kallikratis sailed in 5 ships towards the desperate city.  They managed to break through the Turkish blockade and went on to courageously defend the city.  When the city finally fell the surviving 170 Cretans barricaded themselves inside one of the city towers and continued fighting.  Their refusal to surrender in the face of certain death so impressed the Sultan that he allowed them to leave the city with their arms.  They sailed back to Crete in one of their ships knowing the huge burden they carried to retain their Greek Orthodox heritage over the difficult years ahead.     

Erotokritos: A Cretan Epic 

Erotokritos which was written by Vintsentzos Cornaros is considered a masterpiece of Greek poetry.  It consists of 10,015 fifteen syllable rhyming lines.  It is an epic story about love, exile, suffering, patriotism, loyalty, friendship and courage.  In this it reflects the romanticism and notions of valour and chivalry during the renaissance period.  The poem was probably written towards the end of Venetian rule around 1600.  The first known manuscript still in existence was produced in 1710 in the Ionian Islands where many Cretans escaped following the Turkish invasion.  The poem was first published in 1713 in Venice.
The poem tells the story of Erotokritos who is precluded by social class from marrying Aretousa, the daughter of an Athenian king, who he is in love with.   When the king discovers the young lovers relationship Erotokritos is forced into exile.  He later returns, having changed his appearance by drinking a magic potion, to help the Athenians defeat the attacking Vlahs.  In the process he saves the king’s life and as a reward for his courage the Athenian king offers him the hand of Aretousa in marriage.  Aretousa who has waited patiently, having earlier been jailed for her refusal to marry anyone other than Erotokritos, initially refuses to marry the stranger.  However, when he reveals his true identity to her their love is finally fulfilled.
Despite its intricate and twisting plot the poem was written in a style that was easy to read and understand and quickly became popular amongst the Greeks living under the oppressive Turkish occupation as it captured their imagination and reflected their national aspirations that one day they would also triumph over adversity and achieve their freedom.  Even today the poem is still widely recited and parts of it have made it into popular songs.