In 1648, the Ottoman Empire laid siege to a single city on the island of Crete. They expected a quick victory. Instead, they got twenty-one years.

This video breaks down the real history of the Siege of Candia, the longest siege in recorded history, and one of the least talked-about major conflicts of the early modern world. You'll see why Venice fought so hard to hold onto Crete, how the city became a magnet for volunteers and reinforcements from across Christian Europe, the brutal naval war fought alongside the siege on land, what daily life looked like for generations who were born and grew old inside the walls, and how Grand Vizier Fazıl Ahmed Köprülü finally broke the stalemate in the siege's final years. You'll also learn what the fall of Candia in 1669 meant for the decline of Venice as a Mediterranean power, and why almost nobody remembers a war that lasted longer than most human lifetimes.

If you're into military history, Ottoman history, Venetian history, forgotten sieges, or the history of the Mediterranean world, hit subscribe new deep-dive history breakdowns every week.

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