ABSTRACT
The international diplomatic and military nature of the siege generated home-grown sources in Britain while contemporary interest in military siege-craft made Candia a case study for combined land/sea operations. Candia also features in the autobiographies of several prominent military figures who gained valuable technical experience there. An intensification of the siege of Candia in 1666 prompted the despatch of a European alliance relief force. The Order maintained more than sixty knights in Candia as a reliable battalion in addition to naval forces engaged in patrolling the Aegean. The story of one young knight exemplifies the generally pugnacious attitude adopted by the Order during the siege of Candia. A Scottish regiment in French service played an unexpected role in the story of the siege of Candia. The result of the Candia campaign was that the Turks gained both Crete and a valuable knowledge of the latest French siege techniques.
