colony · Greece and the Aegean

Venetian Tinos

1390 CE – 1715 CE · capital Tinos

Venetian-ruled island of Tinos, the last Venetian possession in the Aegean, which held out until 1715 and kept a lasting Catholic community.

Origins

In 1390 the last of the Ghisi family, Giorgio III, died and left the Lordship of Tinos and Mykonos to Venice. The Republic took over the two islands, first through lessees and later through officials sent from Venice, making Tinos part of its overseas Stato da Mar.

Rule and society

A Venetian rettore governed from the hilltop fortress of Exobourgo, which protected the islanders from pirates and Turkish raids. Tinos produced silk, wine and other goods, and a significant part of its population became Catholic, alongside an Orthodox majority. Mykonos was lost to the Ottomans in 1537, but Tinos repelled several attacks.

Decline and legacy

At the start of the Ottoman-Venetian war of 1714-1718, a large Ottoman fleet attacked Tinos in 1715 and its governor surrendered. The Treaty of Passarowitz confirmed Ottoman rule. Tinos still has a substantial Catholic community.

Lineage

Lordship of Tinos and Mykonos 1207 CE – 1390 CEVenetian Tinos

Connections (2)

More states of Greece and the Aegean →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Venetian Tinos. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/venetian-tinos
MLA
“Venetian Tinos.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/venetian-tinos. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Venetian Tinos.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/venetian-tinos.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Venetian Tinos’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/venetian-tinos (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻