Andros

Andros (in Greek old Ἄνδρος ) is a Greek island of the archipelago of the Cyclades in Aegean Sea. Its surface is of 380 km ².

Located between the Eubée and Tinos, it is the most septentrional island of the archipelago, and also one of vastest.

It is relatively fertile and wooded compared to its neighbors and has many sources, the water of the one of them being even exported (Sariza Source in Apikia).

Administratively, it is divided into 3 dèmes (municipalities): Ydroussa in North, Andros in the center and Korthio in the south. The capital of the island names Chora or Andros and is located on the east coast; it détrôné the old Messaria capital at the 19th century following the rise to power of the ship-owners vis-a-vis the landowners. The principal port is Gavrio on the west coast. The most attended estival station is Batsi in the west.

Famous families of ship-owners (Goulandris, Embirikos) are originating in the island, and play sometimes a part of patron.

Population of the North-West of the island east traditionally Arvanite.

In Antiquity, Andros is famous for its wine: the island is devoted to Dionysos; regularly, the spring water located under its temple would have changed into wine. (Pausanias VI, 26,2).

History

Antiquity

the Ionian ones arrive on the island about the 10th century before our era.

It is colonized by Érétrie to the VIII E
In its turn it founds towards 650 three colonies in Chalcidique, Acanthos, Sanè and Stagire, future town of birth of Aristote. It also founds Argilos in Thrace.

During the second war medic, Andros submits to the Large King achéménide Xerxès I {{er}} and provides him ships (Hérodote, VIII, 66). For this reason, it is besieged by Thémistocle ( ibid , VIII, 111).
After the war, it enters the Ligue of Délos but maintains bad relations with Athens, which finishes by him imposing Clérouquie S.
During the Peloponnesian War, of the quotas of Andros take part in the Athenian operations, in particular in Corinthie, 425. In 407, Alcibiade makes stage with Andros on the road of Samos, but does not manage to take the island.

In 378 - 377, Andros joined the second Athenian league.
Lastly, in 200, Andros is taken and plundered by the fleets of Rome and Pergame.

Worsen Byzantine

In 681, Constantinople granted to Andros its own bishop. At the 11th century, the island became a great center of breeding of worms with silk (flat of Messaria). One of crossed First crusade, Seawulf attests the existence in of it 1102. This industry disappeared only at the 19th century, following an epidemic which killed the worms in the cocons.
In 1119, Jean II Comnène refused to renew the Chrysobulle that his/her Alexis father had granted to Venetian, considering that they deceived their privileges. Venice benefitted from the call of Baudouin II of Jerusalem after the defeat of the Field of Blood to settle its disagreement with the Byzantine Emperor. In 1122, a fleet of more than one hundred ships left Venice for the Holy Land. With the outward journey, the fleet devastated the Dalmatian coast. With the return, in 1125, various Byzantine islands were plundered, such Andros.

Periods franque and Othoman

Andros had to undergo the consequences of the Fourth crusade and was conquered by the Latin lords. Although clearly granted to Venice in the Partitio Terrarum , the island was left to the Venetian adventurers. Marino Dandolo seized some and made of it (with Santorin) a dependence of the Duché of Naxos. However, the widow of Marino Dandolo had married in second weddings Jacopo Querini. Their son Niccolo Querini wished to keep sovereignty on Andros. The Duke of Naxos, Marco II Sanudo, refused to entrust the stronghold to him. Querini called some with the Venetian Senate which convened Marco Sanudo. In feudal operation, this last asserted that Venice was not qualified to settle this disagreement which raised of feudal justice naxiote. Moreover, the suzerain de Marco Sanudo was not the Republic of Venice, but Prince de Morée. The Duke of Naxos ends up conceding Andros with his half-sister Maria Sanuda.
In 1384, Francesco I Crispo then his/her son Giacomo I, Ducs of Naxos gave Andros to Pietro Zeno which preserved it until in 1427. An agreement between Venice and the Ottoman Empire in 1419 confirms Venetian sovereignty on Andros. But, the decline of Sérénissime made it possible Génois to plunder the island. It passed then to Sommaripa of Vérone. In 1468, the lord of Andros Giovanni Sommaripa was killed at the time of an Othoman raid which destroyed also will chora it and took along part of the population in esclavage.
She was one of the islands of the archipelago most divided by franque feudality. The big families, the tzakia , shared the island in very many fiefs.
The passage under the Othoman domination in 1566 did not change anything with operation island. The serfs continued to work for the tzakia which served the new capacity as they had served the old one. Only a aga attested Othoman presence.

S

In the middle of the 18th century, part of the country population turned to the sea to escape the feudal domination. The island became an island of ship-owners. She did not know, at her beginnings, same successes and the same power as Hydra or Spetses, but contrary to its rivals, she could take the turn of the vapor in the middle of the 19th century. This power of the ship-owners succeeds in destroying the feudal power of the tzakia .
The most famous ship-owners andriotes come from the Goulandris family, with which one must of many museums, as well in Chora on Andros as with Athens, mainly that of the cycladic civilization.

Myths

Origin of its name :

- According to the mythology, it draws its name from Andreos, with which Rhadamanthe left the control from the island (Diodore of Sicily, V, 79).

- According to another tradition, it is populated by warriors of Cos carried out by Phidippos, of return of the Trojan War (Pseudo-Apollodore, Épitome , VI, 15b).

Remarkable places

the church of Taxiarques :

This church is located at Messaria, with a few kilometers in the south-west of the Andros chief town. It was rested by the emperor Manuel Comnène at the 13th century apr. J-C. One finds there marbles polychrome and frescos restored at the 18th century apr. J-C.

References

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