88 Gasparis
every change of ownership (whether by inheritance or sale) a new grant was
made by the duke and his councillors.
The portion of land that the Venetian state reserved for its own use was
offered to private tenants at public auction in return for an annual rent for a
period of 29 years, with the possibility of renewal for a further 29 years. The
tenants of public land could then make whatever use of their rented prop-
erty they considered most lucrative, just like the feudatories did with theirs.
Of course they were not permitted to sell or permanently alienate the land,
since they only held it for a fixed term. The state closely supervised the use of
the public land to ensure that it was not destroyed and that it did not lose its
productive value.
The portion assigned to the churches and monasteries was not burdened by
the dues that the feudatories had to render but any change in ownership had to
first be approved by the authorities, that is the duke and his councillors.
The grants that Venice made to her subjects in Crete incorporated every-
thing that was contained within the vast parcels of land which she handed out,
including settlements, human workforce, buildings and natural resources. The
colonists were also given houses and plots of land in Candia (where they were
required to reside) and they were provided with pastures for their livestock, in
particular their horses, which they had to keep in fulfilment of their military
responsibilities. They were allowed to sell all their produce freely, whilst a great
part of their annual cereal production was bought by the state sometimes at a
better price than that which it would fetch in the open market.24 The feudato-
ries quickly took advantage of their rights to free trade. Many of them in fact
were already involved with trade before the conquest (some of them even in
Crete) and continued their mercantile activities after becoming feudatories.
In return for all these privileges the feudatories swore fidelity to Venice and
undertook to defend the colony of Crete against any threat and to maintain its
integrity for the honour of Venice and the benefit of all. This oath, which was
always combined with the undertaking of military service (varnitio) and ought
in theory to be renewed every five years, was supposed to be sworn by the heirs
of the feudatories, provided they were of age, within a year of inheriting the
property and after seeking the approval of Venice. If the heir was under the age
of 16 or female, then the oath was taken by a substitute who would also assume
responsibility for the military service.
24 On the production and sale of cereal in Crete, see Dimitris Tsougarakis, “H σιτική πολιτική
της Bενετίας στην Kρήτη τον 13ο και 14ο αιώνα. Παραγωγή, διακίνηση και τιμές του σιταριού”
[“Venetian Policies on Cereal in Crete in the 13th and 14th Centuries. Production,
Transportation and Pricing of Wheat”], Mεσαιωνικά και Nέα Eλληνικά 3 (1990), 333–85.