This is a list of rulers 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 Name Tenure Publius Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus 74 BC Gnaeus Tremellius Scrofa 51—50 BC Gaius Clodius VestalisUnless otherwise stated, the names of the proconsular governors from 31 BC to AD 67 are taken from Werner Eck, "Über die prätorischen Prokonsulate in der Kaiserzeit. Eine quellenkritische Überlegung", Zephyrus, 23/24 (1972-3), pp.244-247 during the reign of Augustus Marcus Titius during the reign of Augustus Publius Sulpicius Quirinius c. 21/20 BC Fabius before 13 BC Quintus Lucanius Proculus after 12 BC Publius Sextius Scaeva 7/6 BC Lucius Plotius Vicinas 2 BC – 7 AD (Lollius) Palikanus during the reign of Augustus Marcus Nonius Balbus during the reign of Augustus Scato during the reign of Augustus Gaius Rubellius Blandus during the reign of Augustus Cesius Cordus c. AD 21 Publius Octavius between AD 14 and 29 Occius Flamma during the reign of Tiberius Cornelius Lupus during the reign of Tiberius Publius Viriasius Naso during the reign of Tiberius Celer during the reign of Tiberius Augurinus during the reign of Caligula Quintus Cassius Gratus before 53 Caesernius Veiento c. 46/47 Publius Pomponius Secundus before 44 Cestius Proculus before 56 Pedius Blaesus before 59 Bruttidius Sabinus 1st half 1st century Lucius Turpilius Dexter 64/65 Titus Atilius Rufus 67 Aulus Minicius RufusUnless otherwise stated, the names of the proconsular governors from 71 to 135 are taken from Werner Eck, "Jahres- und Provinzialfasten der senatorischen Statthalter von 69/70 bis 138/139", Chiron, 12 (1982), pp. 281-362; 13 (1983), pp. 147-237 71/72 Catullus 72/73 Gaius Arinius Modestus 73–75 Silo during the reign of Vespasian Aulus Julius Quadratus 84/85 Gaius Pomponius Gallus Didius Rufus 88/89Sabinus during the reign of Domitian ? Helvius during the reign of Domitian Gnaeus Suillius Rufus during the reign of Domitian/Trajan Gaius Memmius ... 98/99 Lucius Elufrius Severus 99/100 Lucius Silius [...] First century AD Lucius Aemilius Honoratus during the reign of Trajan Titus Vibius Va[rus] during the reign of Trajan Q. [...] 118/119 Salvius Carus 134/135 Quintus Caecilius Marcellus DentilianusUnless otherwise stated, the names of the proconsular governors from 149 to 169 are taken from Géza Alföldy, Konsulat und Senatorenstand unter der Antoninen (Bonn: Rudolf Habelt Verlag, 1977), pp. 263f 149/150 Quintus Julius Potitus between 145 and 161 Gaius Claudius Titianus Demostratus 161/162 Pomponius Naevianus between 165 and 169 Veturius Paccianus shortly before 168 Quintus Servilius Pudens after 164 Lucius Saevinus Proculus c. 173/174 Quintus Caecilius Rufinus between 160 and 180 Numisius Marcellianus between 161 and 180 Lucius Sempronius [...] attested 191/192Unless otherwise stated, the names of the proconsular governors from 191 to 235 are taken from Paul M. M. Leunissen, Konsuln und Konsulare in der Zeit von Commodus bis Severus Alexander (1989), pp. 297f Gaius Julius Septimius Castinus c. 204 Gnaeus Petronius Probatus Junior Justus between 222 and 235
Roman governors of Crete After the reforms of Emperor Diocletian in the 290s, Crete's governor held the rank of consularis. Name Tenure Aglaus proconsul 286?/293PLRE, Vol. I, p. 1104. M. Aur. Buzes praeses 293/305Agrianus c. 304 Fortunatianus Servilius 364–370Szymon Olszaniec, Prosopographical Studies on the Court Elite in the Roman Empire (4th Century AD) (Nicolaus Copernicus University Press, 2013), p. 208. Fl. Fursidius Aristides 372/376 Oecumenius Dositheus Asclepiodotus 382–383J. C. Lamoreaux (1998), "The Provenance of Ecumenius' Commentary on the Apocalypse", Vigiliae Christianae 52(1), p. 97 n35. Aemilius Quintilius Pyrrhus after 383Callinicus 412/413PLRE, Vol. 2, p. 1285.
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 Helios (539)
Archon Theophanes Lardotyros (c. 764–767) John (8th century) Leo (8th century) Basil (8th century) Baasakios (8th/9th century) Nicholas (8th/9th century) Nicholas (8th/9th century) Petronas (first years of the 9th century) Constantine (first quarter of the 9th century)
Strategos Photeinos (827/828)
Emirs of Crete # Name Reign 1 Abu Hafs Umar (I) ibn Shuayb ibn Isa al-Ghaliz al-Iqritishi 827/828 – ca. 855 2 Shu'ayb ibn Umar ca. 855–880 3 Umar (II) ibn Shu'ayb ca. 880–895 4 Muhammad ibn Shu'ayb al-Zarkun ca. 895–910 5 Yusuf ibn Umar ca. 910–915 6 Ali ibn Yusuf ca. 915–925 7 Ahmad ibn Umar ca. 925–940 8 Shu'ayb (II) ibn Ahmad 940–943 9 Ali ibn Ahmad 943–949 10 Abd al-Aziz ibn Shu'ayb 949–961
Second Byzantine period Strategos Michael (10th/11th century) Basil (c. 1000) Bracheon Philaretos (c. 1028) Eumathios (1028)
Doux (katepano) Michael Karantenos (1088–1089) Karykes (1090–1092) Nikephoros Diogenes (before 1094) Michael (11th/12th century) John Elladas (1118) John Straboromanos (mid-12th century) Alexios Kontostephanos (1167) Constantine Doukas (1183) Stephen Kontostephanos (1193) Nikephoros Kontostephanos (1197)
Venetian period, 1212–1669
Genoese governors, 1204–1212 Name Rule Henry, Count of Malta 1206–1210
Dukes of Crete, 1209–1669 The supreme Venetian governor of Crete bore the title of "Duke of Crete" (, ). Name Tenure Jacopo Tiepolo 1209–1214 Pietro Querini 1216 Domenico Delfino 1216–1217 Paolo Querini 1222 Giovanni Michiel 1227–1228 Marino Storlato 1229–1230 Niccolò Tonisto 1230–1232 Stefano Giustiniani 1236 Jacopo I Barozzi 1244 Albertino Morosini 1255–1257 Giacomo Delfino 1261–1262 Giovanni Velenio 1273–1274 Marino Zeno 1274 Marino Morosini 1274–1276 Pietro Zeno 1276 Marino Gradenigo 1279 Jacopo Dondulo 1281–1283 Albertino Morosini 1290–1293 Michel Vitali 1299 Jacopo II Barozzi 1301 Marino Badoer 1313–1315 Nicolò Zani 1317 Giovanni Morosini 1327–1329 Mario Morosini 1329–1331 Viago Zeno 1333 Andrea Cornaro 1340 Nicolò Priuli 19 November 1340 – 10 February 1341 Petri Miani 26 October 1344 – 24 April 1345 Marco da Molin 24 April 1345 – 19 August 1347 Marco Cornaro 20 August 1347 – 25 November 1348 Marino Grimani 25 November 1348 – 17 September 1350 Pietro Gradenigo 24 September 1350 – 15 August 1352 Marino Morosini 20 September 1352 – 6 September 1355 Goffredo Morosini 6 September 1355 – 20 July 1357 Filippo Orio 30 July 1357 – 6 August 1358 Pietro Badoer 22 August 1358 – 14 July 1360 Leonardo Dandolo 12 October 1360 – 6 February 1362 Marco Gradenigo 1362–1364 Pietro Morosini 1364–1366 Paolo Zuliani 1382 Tommaso Mocenigo 1403–1405 Lodovico Morosini 1407–1409 Egidio Morosini 1417–1418 Andrea Mocenigo 1441–1443 Tommaso Duodo 1443-1445 Andrea Donato 1445-1447 Antonio Diedo 1447-1449Bernardo Balbi 1450-1453Benedetto Vitturi 1453-1456 Girardo Dandolo 1456-1459 Leonardo Duodo 1459-1462 Giacomo Barozzi ca. 1463 Benedetto Gritti 1472–1473 Giovanni Pisani 1477-1479 Giovanni Borgia 1497 Girolamo Donato 1508–1510 Paolantonio Emiliano 1510 Giacomo Cornaro 1528 Giovanni Morosini ca. 1530 Antonio Morosini ca. 1530 Antonio Amulio 1536–1538 Giovanni Moro 1538 Ferdinando Vitturi 1539 Alvise Renier 1550 Lodovico Gritti 1552–1554 Zacharia Mocenigo 1559–1563 Marco di Lauro Querini 1570 Nicolò Salamon 1580–1582 Pasqual Cicogna 1585 Giovanni Sagredo 1604 Francesco Morosini 1612–1614 Donato Morosini 1617–1619 Marco Gradenigo1627–1629 Lazaro Mocenigo 1629–1631 Bernardo Morosini 1644–1646 Giuseppe Morosini 1650–1653 Francesco Morosini 1656 Antonio Barbaro 1667 Girolamo Battagia 1667
Ottoman period, 1646–1898
Valis of Crete