134 Papadia-Lala
In the context of the historical developments of the era (e.g. the institu-
tionalisation of the Venetian nobility within the domain of the metropolis
and, by extension, on Crete, as well as other major political events on the
island, culminating in the revolt of Saint Titus in 1363–1364), the Cretan Great
Councils from the 14th century onwards began to be transformed into councils
of the Venetian nobles, who adhered to the Latin rite. The only exception was
the Orthodox Kallergis family who were granted Venetian nobility in 1381 in
recompense for their notable support rendered to the Venetian state. In the
mid-15th century, the new configuration of Cretan society motivated Venice
to institute the Cretan nobility, which was to rank second in the social hierar-
chy, directly below the Venetian nobility. This class was made up of Venetians,
westerners in general, but also Greeks—indigenous Cretans and refugees on
Crete from other Greek regions. Starting in the second half of the 15th century,
Venetian and Cretan nobles made up the councils of the nobles/feudatories
of Candia, Rethymon and Canea. In accordance with the metropolitan ordi-
nances, a prerequisite for entry into the Venetian nobility was the process of
“proof ” (prova di nobiltà), based on official birth/baptism certificates and on
marriage among its members. Οn the other hand, in the second half of the 16th
century, following the great increase in the granting of titles of Cretan nobility
and the consequent penetration of large numbers of new members into the
nobility, Venice embarked on meticulous monitoring of the existing members
and enacted strict rules of accreditation of social/family status.
Meanwhile, in Venetian-ruled Cyprus (1489–1571), following the cession of
the island in 1489 to the Venetian state by the Venetian-lineage Queen Caterina
Cornaro, the communal council of Nicosia was set up, thereby replacing the
former High Court of the Lusignan period. Its members were composed of
the older feudal lords/nobles who were of both western European and Greek
extraction, new noblemen as well as non-nobles/citizens (cittadini) and a few
“foreigners” who possessed the requisite civic qualifications. It is of note that
in fact the communal council of Nicosia was controlled by an elite group of
approximately ten families of the nobility who held the highest local admin-
istrative and ecclesiastical offices. By contrast however with Nicosia, the com-
munal council of Famagusta was comprised of cittadini and other bourgeois,
while in Keryneia we find a community composed of members of the lower
classes of the local population.
The second category, that of the “open” communities of the urban populace,
included communities of a large number of Venetian-ruled Greek lands char-
acterised by various individual features, relating to geographical situation, the
time and manner of their entry into the Venetian dominion and the nature of
the previous administration (Byzantine, Latin, Ottoman).