Castle of Agia Mavra #1286

Description

 Orsini initially constructed a small fortress in 1302, but the site changed hands frequently over the centuries. In 1331, it was conquered by G. de Brienne with forces from the Kingdom of Naples, and in 1362 it was annexed by Leonardo Tocco, the count of Kefalonia. Between 1410 and 1420, Carlo I Tocco made significant fortification improvements. The Ottomans captured the fortress in 1479, but it briefly fell into Venetian hands in 1502 before being traded back to the Turks in 1503 in exchange for Kefalonia. From 1566 to 1571, the Ottomans undertook extensive reconstruction and established a town at the site. In 1684, the Venetians, led by Morosini, reclaimed the fortress, but it was later occupied by the French in 1797. Russian forces, in alliance with the Turks, took control in 1798, only for the French to regain it in 1807 after Napoleon’s victories. The British captured it in 1810, and finally, in 1864, Lefkas and the Ionian Islands were united with Greece.