Editing Lemnos (section)

=== Middle Ages ===
{{further|Byzantine Greece|Frankokratia}}
[[File:Myrina castle from romeikos gialos day.JPG|thumb|View of the fortress of Myrina.]]

As a province of the Byzantine Empire, Lemnos belonged to the [[Theme (Byzantine district)|theme]] of the [[Aegean Sea (theme)|Aegean Sea]], and was a target of [[Saracen]] raids in the 10th century and of [[Seljuk Turks|Seljuk]] raids in the 11th century.<ref name="ODB">{{ODB | last = Gregory | first = Timothy E. | title = Lemnos | page=1205}}</ref><ref name="EI2">{{EI2 | volume = 5 | title = Limni | last = de Groot | first = A. H. | pages = 763–764}}</ref> Following the dissolution and division of the Empire after the [[Fourth Crusade]], Lemnos (known by Westerners as ''Stalimene'') was apportioned to the [[Latin Empire]], and given as a fief to the Navigajoso family under the Venetian (or possibly of mixed Greek and Venetian descent) ''[[megadux]]'' [[Filocalo Navigajoso]].<ref name="EI2"/><ref>{{The Latin Renovatio of Byzantium | pages = 112, 130, 144}}</ref> Filocalo died in 1214, and was succeeded by his son [[Leonardo Navigajoso|Leonardo]] and his daughters, who partitioned the island into three fiefs between them. Leonardo retained the title of ''megadux'' of the Latin Empire and half the island with the capital, [[Myrina, Greece|Kastro]], while his sisters and their husbands received one quarter each with the fortresses of Moudros and [[Kotsinos]]. Leonardo died in 1260 and was succeeded by his son [[Paolo Navigajoso]], who resisted Byzantine attempts at reconquest until his death during a siege of the island by the Byzantine admiral [[Licario]] in 1277. Resistance continued by his wife, but in 1278 the Navigajosi were forced to capitulate and cede the island back to Byzantium.

During the last centuries of Byzantium, Lemnos played a prominent role: following the loss of [[Asia Minor]], it was a major source of food, and it played an important role in the recurring civil wars of the 14th century.<ref name="ODB"/> As the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] threat mounted in the 15th century, possession of Lemnos was demanded by [[Alfonso V of Aragon]] in exchange for offering assistance to the beleaguered Byzantines, while the last Byzantine emperor, [[Constantine XI Palaiologos]], offered it to the [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] captain [[Giustiniani Longo]], if the Ottoman besiegers were driven off.<ref name="ODB"/> [[Dorino I Gattilusio]], the ruler of [[Lesbos]], also acquired Lemnos as his fief shortly before the [[Fall of Constantinople]] in 1453.<ref name="EI2"/>