Editing Greece (section)

=== Venetian possessions and Ottoman rule (15th century – 1821) ===
{{Main|Ottoman Greece|Stato da Màr}}
{{See also|Kingdom of Candia|Venetian rule in the Ionian Islands}}During the 15th to early 19th centuries, while much of [[Geography of Greece|mainland Greece]] and the [[Aegean Islands|Aegean islands]] fell under [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] control, [[Venice]] retained several key territories. Notably, [[Crete]] remained under [[Venetian rule in the Ionian Islands|Venetian rule]] until 1669, and the [[Ionian Islands]] were governed by Venice until 1797. These islands were subsequently ceded to [[First French Empire|French]] and later [[British Empire|British]] control.{{sfn|Clogg|1992|p=10}} While some Greeks in the Ionian islands and [[Constantinople]] lived in prosperity, and Greeks of Constantinople ([[Phanariots]]) achieved power within the Ottoman administration,{{sfn|Clogg|1992|p=23}} much of Greece suffered the economic consequences of Ottoman conquest. Heavy taxes were enforced, and in later years the Ottoman Empire enacted a policy of creation of hereditary estates, effectively turning the rural Greek populations into [[serfdom|serfs]],<ref>{{Cite book | last1 = Kourvetaris | first1 = George | last2 = Dobratz | first2 = Betty | title = A profile of modern Greece: in search of identity | page = 33 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ePwcAAAAYAAJ&q=Greece+chiflik+serfs | publisher = Clarendon Press | year = 1987 | isbn = 9780198275510 | access-date = 11 October 2015 | archive-date = 10 June 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240610021207/https://books.google.com/books?id=ePwcAAAAYAAJ&q=Greece+chiflik+serfs | url-status = live }}</ref> while the Ottoman conquest had cut Greece off from European historical developments.{{Sfn|Clogg|1992|pages=3}}

The [[Greek Orthodox Church]] and the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople]] were considered by the Ottoman governments as the ruling authorities of the entire [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]] population of the Ottoman Empire, whether ethnically Greek or not. Although the Ottoman state did not force non-Muslims to convert to [[Islam]], Christians faced discrimination. Discrimination, particularly when combined with harsh treatment by local Ottoman authorities, led to conversions to Islam, if only superficially. In the 19th century, many "[[Crypto-Christianity|crypto-Christians]]" returned to their old religious allegiance.{{sfn|Clogg|1992|p=14}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Venice and the Ottomans |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/learn/educators/curriculum-resources/art-of-the-islamic-world/unit-seven/chapter-two/venice-and-the-ottomans |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=The Metropolitan Museum of Art}}</ref>

[[File:White Tower and Beach front.jpg|thumb|The [[White Tower of Thessaloniki]], one of the best-known Ottoman structures remaining in Greece]]

The nature of Ottoman administration of Greece varied, though it was invariably arbitrary and often harsh.{{Sfn|Clogg|1992|p=14}} Some cities had governors appointed by the [[Ottoman Sultan|Sultan]], while others, like Athens, were self-governed municipalities. Mountainous regions in the interior and many islands remained effectively autonomous from the central Ottoman state for centuries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Ottoman-Venetian Border (15th-18th Centuries) |url=https://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/media/pdf/books/978-88-6969-138-6/978-88-6969-138-6.pdf}}</ref> The 16th and 17th centuries are regarded as a "dark age" in Greek history,{{Sfn|Clogg|1992|page=15}} with the prospect of overthrowing Ottoman rule appearing remote.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} However, prior to the Greek Revolution of 1821, there had been wars which saw Greeks fight against the Ottomans, such as the Greek participation in the [[Battle of Lepanto]] in 1571,{{sfn|Clogg|1992|p=15}} the [[Morean War]] of 1684–1699, and the [[Russian Empire|Russian]]-instigated [[Orlov revolt]] in 1770.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} These uprisings were put down by the Ottomans with great bloodshed.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Lyn |last=Harrington |title=Greece and the Greeks |page=124 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d7BAAAAAIAAJ&q=greece+revolts+ottoman+rule+bloodshed |publisher=T Nelson |year=1968 |access-date=11 October 2015 |archive-date=10 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610021226/https://books.google.com/books?id=d7BAAAAAIAAJ&q=greece+revolts+ottoman+rule+bloodshed |url-status=live}} 221 pp.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |first1=Jamie |last1=Stokes |first2=Anthony |last2=Gorman |title=Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East |page=256 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=stl97FdyRswC&q=greece%20ottoman%20rule%20revolts%20orlov&pg=PA256 |publisher=Infobase |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4381-2676-0 |access-date=11 November 2020 |archive-date=10 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610021208/https://books.google.com/books?id=stl97FdyRswC&q=greece%20ottoman%20rule%20revolts%20orlov&pg=PA256#v=snippet&q=greece%20ottoman%20rule%20revolts%20orlov&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> Many Greeks were conscripted as Ottoman subjects to serve in the Ottoman army and especially the navy, while the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, responsible for the Orthodox, remained in general loyal to the Empire.