The History of Greece under Ottoman and Venetian Domination

by George Finlay

From the preface: “THIS volume concludes the HISTORY OF GREECE UNDER FOREIGN DOMINATION. I have divided the long records of Hellenic servitude, which embrace nearly two thousand years, into six periods, each offering a distinct phase of Greek history:—1. Greece under the Romans; 2. The Byzantine Empire; 3. Greece under the Crusaders, who destroyed the Byzantine Empire; 4. The Greek Empire of Constantinople; 5. The Empire of Trebizond; and, 6. The Othoman and Venetian Domination. I commenced this work as an introduction to the History of the Greek Revolution. My original design was enlarged by the conviction that in history there is no present. Without an accurate knowledge of the various ties which connect the events we witness with those that have preceded; without a just appreciation of the circumstances which have moulded the characters of both nations and statesmen; and without some perception of the progress of public events which must exert an influence over the future, it is impossible to form an equitable judgment on the history of our own times. My object in becoming an author was to trace the success of the Greek Revolution to its true causes, and to examine the circumstances which tend to facilitate or to obstruct the progress of the Greeks in their attempt to consolidate a system of civil liberty on the firm basis of national institutions.”