List of rulers of Crete


This is a list of the rulers and governors of the island of Crete throughout its history.

Antiquity

Crete was conquered for the Roman Republic by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus in 69 BC and united with the Cyrenaica in the province of Creta et Cyrenaica until 193 AD, when it became a separate province.

Roman governors of Creta et Cyrenaica

Roman governors of Crete

After the reforms of Emperor Diocletian in the 290s, Crete's governor held the rank of consularis.
NameTenure
Aglausproconsul 286?/293
M. Aur. Buzespraeses 293/305
Agrianusc. 304
Fortunatianus Servilius364–370
Fl. Fursidius Aristides372/376
Oecumenius Dositheus Asclepiodotus382–383
Aemilius Quintilius Pyrrhusafter 383
Callinicus412/413

Byzantine and Arab periods

Crete became part of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire upon the partition of the Roman Empire in 395 AD. It remained in Byzantine hands until it was conquered by Andalusian exiles in the mid-820s and became an emirate, nominally under Abbasid suzerainty. The emirate became a major base for Muslim naval raids along the coasts of the Byzantine Empire, and several attempts at reconquest failed. The Byzantines finally retook the island in 961 under the leadership of Nikephoros Phokas, and held it until 1205.

First Byzantine period

;Proconsul
;Archon
;Strategos

Second Byzantine period

;Strategos
;Doux

Genoese governors, 1204–1212

Dukes of Crete, 1212–1669

The supreme Venetian governor of Crete bore the title of "Duke of Crete".
NameTenure
Jacopo Tiepolo1212–1216
Pietro Querini1216
Domenico Delfino1216–1217
Paolo Querini1222
Giovanni Storlando1228
Stefano Giustiniani1236
Jacopo I Barozzi1244
Angelo Morosini1255–1259
Giacomo Delfino1261–1262
Giovanni Velenio1273–1274
Marino Zeno1274
Marino Morosini1274–1276
Pietro Zeno1276
Marino Gradenigo1279
Jacopo Dondulo1281–1283
Albertino Morosini1290–1293
Jacopo II Barozzi1301
Michel Vitali1299
Nicolò Zani1317
Mario Morosini1329–1331
Viago Zeno1333
Andrea Cornaro1340
Nicolò Priuli19 November 1340 – 10 February 1341
Petri Miani26 October 1344 – 24 April 1345
Marco da Molin24 April 1345 – 19 August 1347
Marco Cornaro20 August 1347 – 25 November 1348
Marino Grimani25 November 1348 – 17 September 1350
Pietro Gradenigo24 September 1350 – 15 August 1352
Marino Morosini20 September 1352 – 6 September 1355
Goffredo Morosini6 September 1355 – 20 July 1357
Filippo Orio30 July 1357 – 6 August 1358
Pietro Badoer22 August 1358 – 14 July 1360
Leonardo Dandolo12 October 1360 – 6 February 1362
Marco Gradenigo1362–1364
Pietro Morosini1364–1366
Paolo Zuliani1382
Tommaso Mocenigo1403–1405
Lodovico Morosini1407–1409
Egidio Morosini1417–1418
Andrea Mocenigo1441–1443
Tommaso Duodo1443-1445
Andrea Donato1445-1447
Antonio Diedo1447-1449
Bernardo Balbi1450-1453
Benedetto Vitturi1453-1456
Girardo Dandolo1456-1459
Leonardo Duodo1459-1462
Giacomo Barozzica. 1463
Benedetto Gritti1472–1473
Domenico Pisani1480
Giovanni Borgia1497
Girolamo Donato1508–1510
Paolantonio Emiliano1510
Giacomo Cornaro1528
Giovanni Morosinica. 1530
Antonio Morosinica. 1530
Antonio Amulio1536–1538
Giovanni Moro1538
Ferdinando Vitturi1539
Alvise Renier1550
Lodovico Gritti1552–1554
Zacharia Mocenigo1559–1563
Marco di Lauro Querini1570
Pasqual Cicogna1585
Giovanni Sagredo1604
Francesco Morosini1612–1614
Donato Morosini1617–1619
Lazaro Mocenigo1629–1631
Bernardo Morosini1644–1646
Giuseppe Morosini1650–1653
Francesco Morosini1656
Antonio Barbaro1667
Girolamo Battagia1667

Ottoman period, 1646–1898

Vali">Vali (governor)">Valis of [Crete]

NameTenure
Çelebi Ismail Pasha1693–1695
Hasan Pasha1699/1700
Kalaylikoz Haci Ahmed Pasha1701–1704
Abdullah Pasha1704–1713
Hüseyin Pasha1713
Kara Mehmed Pasha1713–1718
Silahtar Ibrahim Pasha1718–1719
Esad Pasha1719–1720
Cerkes Osman Pasha1720–1723
Osman Pasha1723–1724
Hüseyin Pasha1724–1725
Koca Mehmed Pasha1725–1726
Osman Pasha1726–1728
Haci Halil Pasha1728–1729
Mehmed Pasha1730–1731
Sahin Mehmed Pasha1731
Azimzade Ismail Pasha1731–1732
Haci Halil Pasha 1732–1733
Haci Ali Pasha1733–1734
Hafiz Ahmed Pasha1734–1735
Haci Huseyin Pasha1735–1736
Ismail Pasha1736–1737
Haci Ivazzade Mehmed Pasha1737–1740
Hüseyin Pasha1740–1741
Sari Mehmed Pasha1742
Haci Ivazzade Mehmed Pasha 1742–1743
Numan Pasha1743–1745
Ali Pasha1745–1746
Köprülüzade Ahmed Pasha1746–1747
Elçi Mustafa Pasha1747–1750
Mustafa Pasha1750
Ibrahim Pasha1750–1751
Numan Pasha1751–1754
Melek Mehmed Pasha1754–1755
Mehmed Said Pasha1755
Ali Pasha1755–1757
Mehmed Pasha1757–1758
Kiamil Ahmed Pasha1758–1764
Tosun Mehmed Pasha1764–1766
Hüsnü Pasha1766–1768
Feyzullah Pasha1768–1769
Tokmakzade Hasan Pasha1769–1770
Ampra Süleyman Pasha1771–1773
Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha1773–1774
Ibrahim Pasha1774
Dervish Ali Pasha1774–1776
Kara Ahmed Pasha1776–1778
Ibrahim Pasha 1778
Mustafa Pasha Hacizade1778–1779
Mustafa Pasha Mirahor1779
Mehmed Emin Pasha1779–1780
Mustafa Pasha Hacizade 1780
Raif Ismail Pasha1781–1782
Aslan Pasha1782–1783
Kassupis Seyit Ali Pasha1783
Abdullah Pasha1783–1784
Ekmezi Mehmed Pasha1784–1786
Süleyman Pasha Zorlu1786–1787
Mehmed Pasha1787
Mustafa Pasha Hacizade 1787
Mehmed Izzet Pasha1787–1788
Ekmezi Mehmed Pasha 1788–1789
Abdullah Pasha Azamzade1789
Yusuf Pasha1789–1790
Hüseyin Pasha1790–1793
Hasan Pasha1793–1797
Ferhad Pasha1797
Said Hafiz Pasha1797–1798
Mehmed Hakki Pasha1798–1799
Tahir Pasha1799–1801
Sami Pasha1801–1802
Ardinli Mehmed Pasha1802–1803
Abdullah Dervis Pasha1803
Mustafa Hasip Pasha1803–1804
Mehmed Hüsrev Pasha1804–1805
Vani Mehmed Pasha1805
Osman Pasha1805–1806
Said Hafiz Pasha 1806–1807
Kadri Pasha1807–1808
Marasli Ali Pasha1808–1809
Kadri Pasha 1809–1810
Hafiz Pasha1810–1811
Sami Bekir Pasha1811–1812
Kurd Haci Osman Pasha1812–1815
Ibrahim Pasha1815–1816
Vehid Fazil Pasha1816–1819
Hilmi Ibrahim Pasha1819–1820
Serif Pasha1820
Said Lütfullah Pasha1820–1826
Kara Süleyman Pasha1826–1829
Mehmed Zehrab Pasha1829–1830
Mustafa Naili Pasha1830–1851
Salih Vamik Pasha1851–1852
Mehmed Emin Pasha1852–1855
Veliüddin Pasha1855–1857
Abdürrahman Sami Pasha1857–1858
Hüseyin Hüsnü Pasha1858–1859
Ismail Rahmi Pasha1859–1861
Hekim Ismail Pasha1861–1866
Mustafa Naili Pasha 1866–1867
Hussein Avni Pasha1867
Serdar Ekrem Ömer Pasha1867
Hussein Avni Pasha 1867–1868
Arif Efendi 1868
Kücük Ömer Fevzi Pasha1868–1870
Rauf Pasha1870–1871
Kücük Ömer Fevzi Pasha 1871–1872
Redif Pasha1872
Safvet Pasha1872–1873
Rauf Pasha 1873–1874
Hasan Sami1874–1875
Redif Pasha 1875
Ahmed Muhtar Pasha1875–1876
Hasan Sami 1876–1877
Konstantinos Adosidis Pasha1877–1878
Ahmed Muhtar Pasha 1878
Alexander Karatheodori Pasha27 Nov 1878 – 14 Dec 1878
Ioannis Photiades Pasha1879–1885
Ioannis Savas Pasha1885–1887
Kostakis Anthopoulos Pasha1887–1888
Nikolakis Sartinki Pasha1888–1889
Hasan Reza Pasha1889
Shakir Pasha1889–1890
Ahmed Cevad Pasha1890–1891
Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha1891–1894
Turhan Pasha Përmeti1894–1895
Iskender Pasha1895–1896
Alexander Karatheodori Pasha Feb 1896 – Mar 1896
Turhan Pasha Përmeti 12 Mar 1896 – May 1896
Kölemen Abdullah PashaMay 1896 – Jun 1896
Djordje Berovich Pasha 28 Jun 1896 – 14 Feb 1897
Musavir Ismail Bey Feb 1897 – 4 Nov 1898
Ahmed Cevad Pasha 24 Jul 1897 – 10 Oct 1898
Shakir Pasha Oct 1898 – Nov 1898

Modern period, 1898–today

High Commissioners of the Cretan State

Crete became an autonomous state under international protection and nominal Ottoman suzerainty following the Greco-Turkish War of 1897. A High Commissioner of the Great Powers was installed to govern the island. In 1908, the Cretan Assembly unilaterally declared union with Greece, but this was not recognized by Greece until the outbreak of the First Balkan War in October 1912 and internationally until 1913.
#NamePictureTook officeLeft office
1Prince George of Greece and Denmark21 December 189830 September 1906
2Alexandros Zaimis1 October 190630 September 1911
3Three-member Commission30 September 191111 October 1912

Governors-General of Crete

From unification with Greece in 1912 until 1955, Crete as a whole was administered by a government-appointed governor-general, who supervised the administration of the island's four prefectures.
#NamePictureTook officeLeft office
1Stefanos Dragoumis11 October 191230 May 1913
2Georgios Ploumidis19131913
3Loukas Kanakaris-RoufosDecember 1913April 1915
4Ioannis TsirimokosApril 19151917
5Konstantinos Tsaldaris19211922
6Georgios Karpetopoulos§9 May 192228 August 1922
7Polychronis Polychronidis19221922
8Dimitrios Tombazis19221923
9Periklis Mazarakis19231924
10Petros Evripaios19241924
11Nikolaos Paritsis19241925
12Manousos Koundouros19251926
13Nikolaos Zouridis19261927
14Titos Georgiadis19271928
15Georgios Katechakis§10 March 192822 December 1930
16Nikolaos Askoutsis§22 December 193025 May 1932
17Dimitrios Kalitsounakis§26 May 19325 June 1932
18Michail Katapotis§19 June 19324 November 1932
19Vasileios Meimarakis§25 November 193216 January 1933
20Michail Kyrkos§16 January 1933
21Ioannis Moutzouridis§13 March 193325 May 1934
22Ilias Aposkitis§25 May 19341 June 1935
23Georgios Frangiadakis§19 July 193510 October 1935
24Georgios Tsontos§10 October 193530 November 1935
25Konstantinos Bakopoulos§7 December 193514 March 1936
26Panagiotis Sfakianakis§18 May 19361941
27Emmanouil Louladakis§194126 January 1943
28Ioannis Passadakis§26 January 194310 October 1944
29Agathangelos Xirouchakis19441944
30Nikolaos Papadakis19441945
31Manousos Voloudakis§29 January 19454 April 1946
32Dionysios Voultsos§8 May 19464 November 1946
33Emmanouil Papadogiannis§4 November 194624 January 1947
34Evangelos Daskalakis§31 January 194717 February 1947
35Christos Tzifakis19471947
36Emmanouil Baklatzis19471948
37Anastasios Hobitis19481948
38Polychronis Polychronidis19481950
39Nikolaos Krasadakis1950
40Stylianos Koundouros
41Ioannis Konotiakis1955

Regional governors of Crete

With the establishment of the region of Crete in 1986, Crete became again an administrative entity. Until 2011, the regional governors were government-appointed, but in accordance to the Kallikratis reform they were replaced with elected officials.

Appointed governors

Elected governors