This is a list of rulers of the island of Crete throughout its history.
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.
| Name | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|
| Publius Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus | 74 BC | |
| Gnaeus Tremellius Scrofa | 51—50 BC | |
| Gaius Clodius Vestalis[1] | during the reign of Augustus | |
| Marcus Titius | during the reign of Augustus | |
| 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 | |
| during the reign of Augustus | ||
| Scato | during the reign of Augustus | |
| during the reign of Augustus | ||
| Cesius Cordus | c. AD 21 | |
| Publius Octavius | between AD 14 and 29 | |
| Occius Flamma | during the reign of Tiberius | |
| 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 | |
| before 44 | ||
| Cestius Proculus | before 56 | |
| Pedius Blaesus | before 59 | |
| Bruttidius Sabinus | 1st half 1st century | |
| Lucius Turpilius Dexter | 64/65 | |
| 67 | ||
| Aulus Minicius Rufus[2] | 71/72 | |
| Catullus | 72/73 | |
| Gaius Arinius Modestus | 73–75 | |
| Silo | during the reign of Vespasian | |
| 84/85 | ||
| 88/89 | ||
| Sabinus | 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 Dentilianus[3] | 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 191/192[4] | |
| Gaius Julius Septimius Castinus | c. 204 | |
| Gnaeus Petronius Probatus Junior Justus | between 222 and 235 |
After the reforms of Emperor Diocletian in the 290s, Crete's governor held the rank of consularis.
| Name | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|
| Aglaus | proconsul 286?/293[5] | |
| M. Aur. Buzes | praeses 293/305 | |
| Agrianus | c. 304 | |
| Fortunatianus Servilius | 364–370[6] | |
| Fl. Fursidius Aristides | 372/376 | |
| Oecumenius Dositheus Asclepiodotus | 382–383[7] | |
| Aemilius Quintilius Pyrrhus | after 383 | |
| Callinicus | 412/413[8] |
See main article: Byzantine Crete and Emirate of Crete. 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.
| Name | Reign | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 827/828 – ca. 855 | ||
| 2 | ca. 855–880 | ||
| 3 | ca. 880–895 | ||
| 4 | ca. 895–910 | ||
| 5 | ca. 910–915 | ||
| 6 | ca. 915–925 | ||
| 7 | ca. 925–940 | ||
| 8 | 940–943 | ||
| 9 | 943–949 | ||
| 10 | 949–961 |
The supreme Venetian governor of Crete bore the title of "Duke of Crete" (Italian: duca di Candia, Latin: dux Cretae).
| Name | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|
| 1209–1214 | ||
| Pietro Querini | 1216 | |
| Domenico Delfino | 1216–1217 | |
| Paolo Querini | 1222 | |
| Giovanni Michiel | 1227–1228 | |
| Marino Storlato | 1229–1230 | |
| Stefano Giustiniani | 1236 | |
| 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 | |
| 1281–1283 | ||
| Albertino Morosini | 1290–1293 | |
| Michel Vitali | 1299 | |
| 1301 | ||
| Marino Badoer | 1313–1315 | |
| Nicolò Zani | 1317 | |
| Giovanni Morosini | 1327–1329 | |
| Mario Morosini | 1329–1331 | |
| Viago Zeno | 1333 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 22 August 1358 – 14 July 1360 | ||
| Leonardo Dandolo | 12 October 1360 – 6 February 1362 | |
| Marco Gradenigo | 1362–1364 | |
| Pietro Morosini | 1364–1366 | |
| 1382 | ||
| 1403–1405 | ||
| Lodovico Morosini | 1407–1409 | |
| Egidio Morosini | 1417–1418 | |
| Andrea Mocenigo | 1441–1443 | |
| Tommaso Duodo | 1443-1445 | |
| Andrea Donato | 1445-1447 | |
| Antonio Diedo | 1447-1449 | |
| Bernardo Balbi | 1450-1453 | |
| Benedetto Vitturi | 1453-1456 | |
| Girardo Dandolo | 1456-1459 | |
| Leonardo Duodo | 1459-1462 | |
| ca. 1463 | ||
| Benedetto Gritti | 1472–1473 | |
| Giovanni Pisani | 1477-1479 | |
| Giovanni Borgia | 1497 | |
| 1508–1510 | ||
| Paolantonio Emiliano | 1510 | |
| 1528 | ||
| Giovanni Morosini | ca. 1530 | |
| Antonio Morosini | ca. 1530 | |
| Antonio Amulio | 1536–1538 | |
| Giovanni Moro | 1538 | |
| Ferdinando Vitturi | 1539 | |
| Alvise Renier | 1550 | |
| 1552–1554 | ||
| Zacharia Mocenigo | 1559–1563 | |
| Marco di Lauro Querini | 1570 | |
| 1585 | ||
| Giovanni Sagredo | 1604 | |
| Francesco Morosini | 1612–1614 | |
| Donato Morosini | 1617–1619 | |
| Marco Gradenigo | 1627–1629 | |
| Lazaro Mocenigo | 1629–1631 | |
| Bernardo Morosini | 1644–1646 | |
| Giuseppe Morosini | 1650–1653 | |
| Francesco Morosini | 1656 | |
| 1667 | ||
| Girolamo Battagia | 1667 |
See main article: Ottoman Crete.
| Name | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|
| 1693–1695 | ||
| Hasan Pasha | 1699/1700 | |
| Kalaylikoz Haci Ahmed Pasha | 1701–1704 | |
| Abdullah Pasha | 1704–1713 | |
| Hüseyin Pasha | 1713 | |
| Kara Mehmed Pasha | 1713–1718 | |
| Silahtar Ibrahim Pasha | 1718–1719 | |
| Esad Pasha | 1719–1720 | |
| 1720–1723 | ||
| Osman Pasha | 1723–1724 | |
| Hüseyin Pasha | 1724–1725 | |
| Koca Mehmed Pasha | 1725–1726 | |
| Osman Pasha | 1726–1728 | |
| Haci Halil Pasha | 1728–1729 | |
| Mehmed Pasha | 1730–1731 | |
| Sahin Mehmed Pasha | 1731 | |
| Azimzade Ismail Pasha | 1731–1732 | |
| Haci Halil Pasha (again) | 1732–1733 | |
| Haci Ali Pasha | 1733–1734 | |
| Hafiz Ahmed Pasha | 1734–1735 | |
| Haci Huseyin Pasha | 1735–1736 | |
| Ismail Pasha | 1736–1737 | |
| 1737–1740 | ||
| Hüseyin Pasha | 1740–1741 | |
| Sari Mehmed Pasha | 1742 | |
| Haci Ivazzade Mehmed Pasha (again) | 1742–1743 | |
| Numan Pasha | 1743–1745 | |
| Ali Pasha | 1745–1746 | |
| Köprülüzade Ahmed Pasha | 1746–1747 | |
| Elçi Mustafa Pasha | 1747–1750 | |
| Mustafa Pasha | 1750 | |
| Ibrahim Pasha | 1750–1751 | |
| Numan Pasha | 1751–1754 | |
| Melek Mehmed Pasha | 1754–1755 | |
| Mehmed Said Pasha | 1755 | |
| Ali Pasha | 1755–1757 | |
| Mehmed Pasha | 1757–1758 | |
| Kiamil Ahmed Pasha | 1758–1764 | |
| Tosun Mehmed Pasha | 1764–1766 | |
| Hüsnü Pasha | 1766–1768 | |
| Feyzullah Pasha | 1768–1769 | |
| Tokmakzade Hasan Pasha | 1769–1770 | |
| Ampra Süleyman Pasha | 1771–1773 | |
| 1773–1774 | ||
| Ibrahim Pasha | 1774 | |
| Dervish Ali Pasha | 1774–1776 | |
| Kara Ahmed Pasha | 1776–1778 | |
| Ibrahim Pasha (again) | 1778 | |
| Mustafa Pasha Hacizade | 1778–1779 | |
| Mustafa Pasha Mirahor | 1779 | |
| Mehmed Emin Pasha | 1779–1780 | |
| Mustafa Pasha Hacizade (again) | 1780 | |
| Raif Ismail Pasha | 1781–1782 | |
| Aslan Pasha | 1782–1783 | |
| Kassupis Seyit Ali Pasha | 1783 | |
| Abdullah Pasha | 1783–1784 | |
| Ekmezi Mehmed Pasha | 1784–1786 | |
| Süleyman Pasha Zorlu | 1786–1787 | |
| Mehmed Pasha | 1787 | |
| Mustafa Pasha Hacizade (yet again) | 1787 | |
| Mehmed Izzet Pasha | 1787–1788 | |
| Ekmezi Mehmed Pasha (again) | 1788–1789 | |
| Abdullah Pasha Azamzade | 1789 | |
| Yusuf Pasha | 1789–1790 | |
| Hüseyin Pasha | 1790–1793 | |
| Hasan Pasha | 1793–1797 | |
| Ferhad Pasha | 1797 | |
| Said Hafiz Pasha | 1797–1798 | |
| Mehmed Hakki Pasha | 1798–1799 | |
| Tahir Pasha | 1799–1801 | |
| Sami Pasha | 1801–1802 | |
| Ardinli Mehmed Pasha | 1802–1803 | |
| Abdullah Dervis Pasha | 1803 | |
| Mustafa Hasip Pasha | 1803–1804 | |
| 1804–1805 | ||
| Vani Mehmed Pasha | 1805 | |
| Osman Pasha | 1805–1806 | |
| Said Hafiz Pasha (again) | 1806–1807 | |
| Kadri Pasha | 1807–1808 | |
| Marasli Ali Pasha | 1808–1809 | |
| Kadri Pasha (again) | 1809–1810 | |
| Hafiz Pasha | 1810–1811 | |
| Sami Bekir Pasha | 1811–1812 | |
| Kurd Haci Osman Pasha | 1812–1815 | |
| Ibrahim Pasha | 1815–1816 | |
| Vehid Fazil Pasha | 1816–1819 | |
| Hilmi Ibrahim Pasha | 1819–1820 | |
| Serif Pasha | 1820 | |
| Said Lütfullah Pasha | 1820–1826 | |
| Kara Süleyman Pasha | 1826–1829 | |
| Mehmed Zehrab Pasha | 1829–1830 | |
| 1830–1851 | ||
| Salih Vamik Pasha | 1851–1852 | |
| Mehmed Emin Pasha | 1852–1855 | |
| Veliüddin Pasha | 1855–1857 | |
| Abdürrahman Sami Pasha | 1857–1858 | |
| 1858–1859 | ||
| Ismail Rahmi Pasha | 1859–1861 | |
| 1861–1866 | ||
| Mustafa Naili Pasha (again) | 1866–1867 | |
| 1867 | ||
| Serdar Ekrem Ömer Pasha | 1867 | |
| Hussein Avni Pasha (again) | 1867–1868 | |
| Arif Efendi (acting) | 1868 | |
| Kücük Ömer Fevzi Pasha | 1868–1870 | |
| 1870–1871 | ||
| Kücük Ömer Fevzi Pasha (again) | 1871–1872 | |
| Redif Pasha | 1872 | |
| Safvet Pasha | 1872–1873 | |
| Mehmed Rauf Pasha bin Abdi Pasha (again) | 1873–1874 | |
| Hasan Sami | 1874–1875 | |
| Redif Pasha (again) | 1875 | |
| 1875–1876 | ||
| Hasan Sami (again) | 1876–1877 | |
| 1877–1878 | ||
| Ahmed Muhtar Pasha (again) | 1878 | |
| 27 Nov 1878 – 14 Dec 1878 | ||
| Ioannis Photiades Pasha | 1879–1885 | |
| Ioannis Savas Pasha | 1885–1887 | |
| 1887–1888 | ||
| Nikolakis Sartinki Pasha | 1888–1889 | |
| Hasan Reza Pasha | 1889 | |
| Shakir Pasha | 1889–1890 | |
| 1890–1891 | ||
| Mahmud Celaleddin Pasha | 1891–1894 | |
| 1894–1895 | ||
| Iskender Pasha | 1895–1896 | |
| Alexander Karatheodori Pasha (again) | Feb 1896 – Mar 1896 | |
| Turhan Pasha Përmeti (again) | 12 Mar 1896 – May 1896 | |
| May 1896 – Jun 1896 | ||
| Djordje Berovich Pasha (Georgios Verovits) | 28 Jun 1896 – 14 Feb 1897 | |
| Musavir Ismail Bey (acting) | Feb 1897 – 4 Nov 1898 | |
| Ahmed Cevad Pasha (Ottoman Military Governor) | 24 Jul 1897 – 10 Oct 1898 | |
| Shakir Pasha (Ottoman Military Governor) | Oct 1898 – Nov 1898 |
Crete became an autonomous state under international protection and nominal Ottoman suzerainty following the Greco-Turkish War of 1897. A High Commissioner of the Great Powers (Ύπατος Αρμοστής) was installed to govern the island. In 1908, the Cretan Assembly unilaterally declared union with Greece, but this was not recognized by Greece until the outbreak of the First Balkan War in October 1912 and internationally until 1913.
| Name | Picture | Took office | Left office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 December 1898 | 30 September 1906 | |||
| 2 | 1 October 1906 | 30 September 1911 | |||
| 3 | Three-member Commission | 30 September 1911 | 11 October 1912 |
From unification with Greece in 1912 until 1955, Crete as a whole was administered by a government-appointed governor-general (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Γενικός Διοικητής Κρήτης), who supervised the administration of the island's four prefectures (Chania, Heraklion, Lasithi and Rethymno).
| Name | Picture | Took office | Left office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 October 1912 | 30 May 1913 | |||
| 2 | Georgios Ploumidis | 1913 | 1913 | ||
| 3 | December 1913 | April 1915 | |||
| 4 | Ioannis Tsirimokos | April 1915 | 1917 | ||
| 5 | 1921 | 1922 | |||
| 6 | Georgios Karpetopoulos§ | 9 May 1922 | 28 August 1922 | ||
| 7 | Polychronis Polychronidis | 1922 | 1922 | ||
| 8 | Dimitrios Tombazis | 1922 | 1923 | ||
| 9 | Periklis Mazarakis | 1923 | 1924 | ||
| 10 | Petros Evripaios | 1924 | 1924 | ||
| 11 | Nikolaos Paritsis | 1924 | 1925 | ||
| 12 | Manousos Koundouros | 1925 | 1926 | ||
| 13 | Nikolaos Zouridis | 1926 | 1927 | ||
| 14 | Titos Georgiadis | 1927 | 1928 | ||
| 15 | Georgios Katechakis§ | 10 March 1928 | 22 December 1930 | ||
| 16 | Nikolaos Askoutsis§ | 22 December 1930 | 25 May 1932 | ||
| 17 | Dimitrios Kalitsounakis§ | 26 May 1932 | 5 June 1932 | ||
| 18 | Michail Katapotis§ | 19 June 1932 | 4 November 1932 | ||
| 19 | Vasileios Meimarakis§ | 25 November 1932 | 16 January 1933 | ||
| 20 | Michail Kyrkos§ | 16 January 1933 | |||
| 21 | Ioannis Moutzouridis§ | 13 March 1933 | 25 May 1934 | ||
| 22 | Ilias Aposkitis§ | 25 May 1934 | 1 June 1935 | ||
| 23 | Georgios Frangiadakis§ | 19 July 1935 | 10 October 1935 | ||
| 24 | Georgios Tsontos§ | 10 October 1935 | 30 November 1935 | ||
| 25 | Konstantinos Bakopoulos§ | 7 December 1935 | 14 March 1936 | ||
| 26 | Panagiotis Sfakianakis§ | 18 May 1936 | 1941 | ||
| 27 | Emmanouil Louladakis§ | 1941 | 26 January 1943 | ||
| 28 | Ioannis Passadakis§ | 26 January 1943 | 10 October 1944 | ||
| 29 | 1944 | 1944 | |||
| 30 | Nikolaos Papadakis | 1944 | 1945 | ||
| 31 | Manousos Voloudakis§ | 29 January 1945 | 4 April 1946 | ||
| 32 | Dionysios Voultsos§ | 8 May 1946 | 4 November 1946 | ||
| 33 | Emmanouil Papadogiannis§ | 4 November 1946 | 24 January 1947 | ||
| 34 | Evangelos Daskalakis§ | 31 January 1947 | 17 February 1947 | ||
| 35 | Christos Tzifakis | 1947 | 1947 | ||
| 36 | Emmanouil Baklatzis | 1947 | 1948 | ||
| 37 | Anastasios Hobitis | 1948 | 1948 | ||
| 38 | Polychronis Polychronidis | 1948 | 1950 | ||
| 39 | Nikolaos Krasadakis | 1950 | |||
| 40 | Stylianos Koundouros | ||||
| 41 | Ioannis Konotiakis | 1955 |
Notes: § denotes a person bearing cabinet rank as Minister General-Governor of Crete (Υπουργός Γενικός Διοικητής Κρήτης) or Vice-Minister General-Governor of Crete (Υφυπουργός Γενικός Διοικητής Κρήτης).
With the establishment of the region of Crete (Περιφέρεια Κρήτης) in 1986, Crete became again an administrative entity. Until 2011, the regional governors (περιφερειάρχες) were government-appointed, but in accordance to the Kallikratis reform they were replaced with elected officials.