The island of Crete under Ottoman rule in the nineteenth century saw successive revolts from its majority Christian population, who were set on union with the newly-independent Greece. This book offers an original perspective on the social, political and ideological transformation of Ottoman Crete within the nationalist context of the late nineteenth century. It focuses on the Cretan revolts of 1896 and 1897, and examines the establishment of the autonomous Cretan State and the withdrawal of Ottoman troops from the island in 1898. Based on Ottoman, British and American archival sources, the author demonstrates that, contrary to the standard view that the uprisings were merely an expression of discontent at Ottoman rule, Cretan Christians in fact aimed to radically change the socio-economic and political structure of Cretan society and to actually overthrow and expel the Ottoman administration. This book provides a deeper understanding of the Cretan experience, and of the wider politics of the Eastern Mediterranean, in the late nineteenth century.

Pinar Senisik is Assistant Professor of the Humanities at Dogus University, Istanbul. She graduated in Philosophy at Istanbul University and received her PhD in History from Bogazici University, Istanbul in 2007, with a doctoral dissertation entitled 'The Transformation of Ottoman Crete: Cretans, Revolts and Diplomatic Politics in the Late Ottoman Empire, 1895 1898'. Her research interests include the political and social history of the late Ottoman Empire, non-Muslim communities under Ottoman rule, comparative Mediterranean studies, and nationalism in the Balkans.