Legend has it that Crete is the birth place of Zeus, father of the gods. Zeus’ mother, Rea, came in Crete with the help of Gaia and Uranus because she was afraid of Cronos, Zeus’ father, who used to swallow his children so that they wouldn’t uzurp his power. Zeus was born in a cave, called the ”Idaian Cave” and was raised by Nimphs. After a great fight with Cronos, Zeus became father of all gods.
One day Zeus, assuming the form of a bull, abducted Europa from Phoenicia and brought her to Crete. From their union three sons were born: Minos, Rhadamanthys and Sarpidon. Minos, the most famous of Zeus’ three sons became king of Crete and ruled from his palace in Knossos. Minos' brother, Rhadamanthys, helped him administer his kingdom, while Sarpidon, founded his own kingdom in Lycia.

The god of seas, Poseidon, assured Minos that he would always be the king of the throne on condition that he would sacrifice a white bull sent by the god. Instead of sacrificing the white bull sent by Poseidon, Minos decided to sacrifice another bull. The god of seas wanted to punish Minos and had his wife fall in love with a bull. From their unnatural union was born the Minotaur, a creature with the head of a bull and a human body. Minos, after consulting the Oracle at Delphi, had Daedalus construct a gigantic labyrinth for the Minotaur. They fed the Minotaur with 7 young women and 7 young men sent each year from Athens, as a tribute for the murder of Androge, one of Minos' children, by the Athenians.

Theseus, an Athenian hero, revolted against that custom and decided to kill the Minotaur. He went to Knossos as one of the young men sent to sacrifice and with the help of Ariadne he entered the labyrinth and killed the monster. 

Daedalus, the builder of the labyrinth, wishing to escape from the island together with his son, Icarus, and knowing that king Minos controlled all the sea routes, had to make two pairs of wings, glue them together with wax and attach them to his son's back and to his own. During their flight, however, his son flew to close to the sun, his wings melted and he fell in the sea and drowned. Daedalus, flying carefully, was able to reach Sicily. Minos was murdered by the daughters of king Kokalos, while he was in Sicily searching for Daedalus in order to punish him.

The island’s history is full of battles for freedom against the Venetians, Turks and Germans. Crete is the place where the Minoan civilisation flourished and it is believed that the Minoans were the first who have helped the creation of Classical Greece.

The Minoan Period (2600 BC – 1100 BC)
The Minoans were the first European civilisation and their name comes from Minos, the mythical king of Knossos (now Heraklion). The first palaces were built in Crete around the year 2000 BC, at Knossos, Phaistos, Malia and Zakros, but they were destroyed by an earthquake in 1700 BC and rebuilt after that.
Minoan palaces did not have fortifications or walls, which shows that this civilisation had the Aegean under their control and were not afraid of enemies. The palaces are famous for their architecture. All of them had a courtyard around which special rooms were built for official ceremonies and rituals. The walls of the palaces are decorated with frescoes which represent, sometimes in life-size, scenes from everyday life of Minoans.
Due to its geographical position in the middle of the island, Knossos controlled the economic and political life. Their main activities such as farming and pottery helped the island’s economy flourish. The works of art created by the people of Knossos were exported to Egypt, Phoenicia and Syria, and the Minoan pottery has been discovered throughout the eastern Mediterranean.

The Sub-Minoan, Geometric and Archaic Periods (1100 BC – 900 BC)
After the collapse of the Minoan civilisation, Crete was conquered by the Dorians, who came from mainland Greece, and all the cities on the island were united under the leadership pf Knossos. Remains of Dorian cities can be found at Prinia (40 km from Heraklion), Lato (15 km from Agios Nikolaos), Gortun (45 kn from Heraklion).

The Classical, Hellenistic and Roman Periods (900 BC – 330 AD)
During the Classical  period, the cities of mainland Greece were  in constant conflict with one another and the island flourished. Crete did not participate in either the Persian or the Peloponnesian wars on  the mainland Greece. 
The island was exploited by the pirates of Celichia, who dominated the Eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea and marched against the Roman city of Ostia in the 2nd century BC. The Romans considered  this a reason to interfere in Crete’s political life. After the failed expedition of Marcus Antonius in 71 BC, commander Cointus Caecilius Metellus conquered the island in 67 BC,  after two years of siege. 
During the peace period that followed, the cities flourished, the population increased, roman buildings, temples, stadiums and baths were built. The Roman occupation din not influence the habits of Cretans, who kept their language and customs. Now the first church was founded on the island by Agios Titus, apostle Paul’s student and the patron saint of Crete. 

The Byzantine Period (330 – 1204)
In 330, when the Roman empire was divided, Crete became part of the Byzantine empire under the emperor Theodosios the Great. Gortyna was the administrative and religious centre of the island during this period. Between 826 and 960, Crete was conquered by Arabs. The Arab occupation  lasted till 960, when, after months of siege, Nikiforos Fokas brought Crete back to the Byzantine empire. Heraklion became the new capital of Crete and the seat of the Archbishop.

The Venetian Period (1204 – 1669)
In 1204 Crete was sold to the Venetioan. During this period many new buildings were built in Heraklion: the Doge’s Palace, the basilica St. Marc and the Loggia. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, many Greek nobles came in Crete. The Monastery of St. Catherine became a centre of culture, theology, philosophy, music and literature. The ”Cretan School” of Art was born, combining the traditional Byzantine style with the Italian Renaissance. The Cretan School is represented by artists such as Michail Damaskinos, Klontzas, Ioannis Kornaros and Domenico Theotokopoulos, also known as El Greco.

The Turkish Period (1669 – 1898)
The Turks conquered Chania in 1645, Rethymnon in 1646 and the rest of the island except Heraklion, by the end of 1648. In 1669 the Turks finally conquered Heraklion. During this period many Cretan churches were converted into mosques.The ”Great Cretan Rebellion” which burst out in 1866 and lasted until 1868 led to the destruction of the Arkadi Monastery and the loss of many lives. In 1897, Greek forces and volunteers reached Crete to liberate the island with the intention to unify it with the rest of Greece.

The Modern Period
The Great Powers (Britain, France and Russia) recognised the island an autonomous ‘Cretan State’ under the Prince George of Greece. The Cretan rebellion in Therisos in 1913 led to the union of Crete with Greece.
During the German occupation in the second World War, the Cretans fought for their liberation and after four years of German occupation, a period of peace began for the Cretans. From that point on the island flourished, thanks to agriculture and in recent years, tourism.