364 THE VENETIAN REVIVAL IN GREECE July with Poland, the Turks had their hands free to attack the enemy, against whom their own desire for revenge and French commercial jealousy urged them. The moment seemed favour- able, with Russia not yet recovered from her late Turkish war and pledged not to make an alliance with Venice, with the Moreote Greeks ' desirous to return ' (so the war-party argued)
- to their old obedience '. Both sides could rely, it was true,
on spiritual help ; but the support of Pope Clement XI was less valuable than the threat of the oecumenical patriarch to excom- mimicate all Greeks who fought for the schismatic republic, which had curtailed his revenues and privileges. An excuse for war was easily found : Venice, it was pretended, had supplied the Montenegrins with arms and money and received their bishop, Danilo I, at Cattaro. In vain the republic hoped for the emperor's mediation, and hastily sent munitions and provisions to the Morea. It was decided to abandon all places except Nauplia, Argos, Monemvasia, Modon, Coron, Kielefa, Zarnata, and the castle of the Morea — the corresponding castle on the opposite side of the Corinthian gulf had been ref ortified by Turkey in defiance of the treaty of Carlovitz — and to demolish both Navarinos. It was, however, too late. The campaign of 1715 was an unbroken series of Turkish successes for the Turkish army of over 100,000 men and the large fleet. The first blow was the loss of Tenos, a Venetian colony since 1390, whose cowardly commander, Balbi, capitulated at the first summons of the Turkish admiral, subsequently expiating his conduct by imprisonment for life. Its naturally strong fortress of St. Nicol6, which Tournefort ^ fifteen years before had found garrisoned by ' fourteen ragged soldiers, of whom seven were French deserters ', contained abundant food and ammunition ; the Teniotes, so predominantly catholic that the place was called
- the pope's island ', were loyal to Venice and formed an excellent
militia, which had repulsed the Turkish admiral, Mezzomorto, in the late war ; and this solitary Venetian island had been regarded as ' a thorn in the centre of the Turkish empire '. The Turkish army, under Ali Kamurgi, aided by many Greek militia- men from the northern shores of the gulf, crossed the isthmus and besieged Corinth. Minotto, who ' held in Corinth's towers The Doge's delegated powers ', resisted a five days' bombardment, although the Greek non-combatants desired to save their property by surrender, before he capitulated on condition that the garrison was transported to Corfu. But an explosion in the fortress, ascribed by Byron in ' The Siege of Corinth ' to Minotto himself, but perhaps due to accident, led the janissaries to massacre the Venetians and Greeks. Minotto was carried off as a slave to Smyrna, where he was ransomed by the wife of the > i. 138.
