Castles of the Morea - Greece

"First published in 1953, this is still the defenitive work on Venetian artillery fortresses in Peloponnesian Greece, between 1685 and 1715. Andrews describes 18 castles, all pierced for cannon, but in 2 cases for light guns only. In every case, the original fortress was medieval, built by the Byzantine Empire or the Frankish conquerors of the 13th century. Most show Turkish influences, as they were all in Turkish hands from time to time and permanently after 1715. It was the Venitians, however, who converted them to artillery mode, in their attempts to maintain a significant political, military and above all commercial interest in Greece and the islands. At all times they were faced with the threat of the Ottoman Empire, resulting in over two centuries of conflict.

This new edition with its very important Foreword is most welcome, as the 1953 edition is long out of print. The Foreword emphasizes the significance of Andrews'work and explains the progression which has taken place in Greek fortification studies since Andrews' pioneering work in the late 1940' and early 1950's.  Andrews did not set out to create a gazetteer of castles in the Morea. He wrote in his introduction: "The title of this book is brief, and correspondingly indefinite". He describes those castles revitalized by the Venetians. Venice being a trade state par excellence, the castles are with one exception (Mistra) coastal fortresses designed for the protection of merchant shipping,  warehouses and the Venitian communities that grwe up around the ports.

Franceso Grimani, a Venetian soldier and administrator was active in the Venetian conquest of the Peloponnese between 1685 and 1715. In particular he was first Provveditore Generale and the Governor of the Morea. In each office he wrote a report to the Venetian authorities detailing the shortcomings and conditions of the various defences and describing what had to be accomplished in repairs and restorations. He also made suggestions concerning the urgent requirements for upgrading the fortifications. These reports were accompanied by drawings and plans. Twenty of these are large-scale plans of castle and their localities and six are plans of battles and sieges. They form a suptuous collection of colour plates, whereas in the 1953 edition, they are in monochrome.

Castles of the Morea is fortification study at its best. I imagine it is unlikely to be reprinted agian in the foreseeable future so this reprint is an opportunity not to be missed".

Gil Dowdall-Brown in Casemate No. 79 of May 2007, published by the Fortress Study Group.