Agne, daughter of Alexios Kallergis

During the last two decade preceeding the fall of the Empire in 1204, two brothers, Isaac II and Alexios III fought over the rule, and after Alexios won over his brother, another Alexios, son of Issac II brought his claims on the throne. Beeing persecuted Alexios (IV) fled to the Latins preparing a crusade and promised them someterritories in case they would have provided necessary support ruterning the Byzantine throne. That was the pretext for the following fall  of the City and the disaster of the conquest. However, according to Ch. Maltezou, Alexios IV himself fleeding to Boniface of Monferrat passed him the island as the reward. Therefore, when the lords of Latin Romania started to divide the byzantine lands, Crete was not considered among them. However, in 1204 Boniface of Monferrat sold the island to Venice for 1000 silver marca. And since than the Republic used an argument that the rights of the Byzantine emperor had now been transferred to the Doge (as one can find out from the message of the latin archbishop of Crete sent to the Doge in 1320) and the transfer was legitimate. After being taken by the Venetians the island was devided into 4 districts: Candia (Chandaka) Rethymno, Chania and Sitia, while the Rethymno district itself was devided into 3 castellania (Milopotamo, San Basilio and Amari) - (see Crete in 1563. Nautical map by Giorgio Calapoda). The highest authority on the island was Duke with 2 consiliari, these were representators of Venice, changed every 2 years, and lived in Candi. In the districts there were rectores having military and governmental powers.

The Castellani had to ensure the full equipment of soldiers, were obliged to inform their administrative center about penalties and fines being imposed and to keep records of the guards. They were forbidden to participate in food trade and Orthodox mysteries. Various boards with mainly advisory character, were established by the highest authorities: the Council of feudalism (Consilium Feudatorum), the Grand Council (Consilium Maius) and the Council for pleads (Consilium Rogatorum). The nobility and later bourgeoisie could send embassies to the capital with various requests, usually related vesting privileges.

The highst power belong to the venetians (nobili veneti, feudati, "ευγενέστατοι άρχοντες και εκλαμπρότατοι αφέντες"), who were the new-comers and catholics and passed their titles hereditary (see - Historical Museum of Iraklion (Candia): coats of arms of local Venetian magistrates at the sides of that of Doge Pietro Loredan (1567-70)). The greek nobility was subordinated, but according to the legend it derived from 12 archontopoules sent by the Byzantine emperor  to Crete under"kyr Phoka" . Cretan Greek nobility considered the Byzantine emperors to be the only legitimate source of power, which is reflecte for example in mentioning the Byzantine rulers in the dedicatory  inscriptions in the churches built during the Venetocratia.

City dwellers, who were not nobles, were called citizens or bourgeois (cittadini, burgenses). This class consisted of civil servants and professionals. To the lower social rank belonged the people of the cities and the countryside (plebe, populari or populani, villani or contadini). The villagers were divided into unwritten (agrafi), freedmen (franchi) and paroikoi (villani parici), working on the public or private land. Villagers paid taxes (akrosicho, kapniko) and was forced to execute supplementary taxes in goods such as kaniskia. Unlike them the "tsitadinoi" were free from the taxes in nature. They had the obligation of military service, paying little tax and giving accommodation to the foreign mercenaries serving in Crete. The heaviest natural tax was working for galleys. Many times those who were appointed to this works were forced to flee to the mountains to avoid it or to sell their property to pay for replacements. Most Cretans belonged to the class of paroikoi.

The interests of the Italian Republic were focused mainly on the beneficial geographical location of the island on the crossroads of Mideterranean sea-routes, and therefore the majority of the Venetians inhabitated the sea-side towns and lands (see - Bastione Sabbionara of Candia and a winged lion and erased 1590 coats of arms of the Venetian officers who promoted the construction of the bastion).

Dowries were inherited according to juxta usum Graecorum. Shared memory of Byzantium was used by local archontes as a propaganda tool strengthening their prestige, increasing their influence and formed strong bonds with the population

According to catholic priest and traveller Christoforo Buenodelmonti (1415), the archontes had important roles and were represented as having received their power from time of Byzantine appointment, these were several families, who were intermarried, lived separately from the Venetians, used Greek, had Greek titles. The rural areas were predominantly Greek (rura Romeorum) and an archon was their only connection to the Venetian authorities. 

In this circumstances, the life of the local rural Greecs was changing slowly and preserved continuity with the Byzantine epoch.

In 1283 on Crete the biggest revolution of the Cretan aristocracy against the Venetians began and it was led by powerful archon of Mylopotamos(see the photo) Alexios Kallergis. He tried to compel the Venetians to cede to him privileges and to recognize the independence of this territory. He knew very well that the independence of Crete was impossible and the union with Byzantium also impossible. He secured the support of many noble families, paroikoi and the clergy and began to make small-war attacks (guerilla), which exhausted the Venetian forces. He quickly became a master of Western Crete and for ten years he followed the same tactic. At the same time Venetians and Genoese broke out. Both, the Genoese and the Emperor Andronikos II sought help of Kallergis. So, Kallergis decided it was time to pose his demands to the Venetians. So he turned to capitulation which resulted into the agreement of 1299. With this the Venetians recognized the ruling position of Kallergis in exchange for the oath of loyalty and obedience to the Venetian state. Kallergis returned his land and even received some more. The Republic satisfied all his demands: he could keep horses, release paroikoi, move freely in the cities and fortresses and to accept kaniskia. Kallergis acquire the right to manage the state monasteries and that of of the Latin Patriarchate and the dioceses Mylopotamo. He might install in the area of Arios a Greek bishop. Cretans were entitled to go out of Crete to be ordained as priests, deacons and their children, if they were paroikoi, were not "diakratimenoi paroikoi." The treaty with Venice of Allexio Kalergis was beneficial to all Cretans, lords, clergy and paroikoi. The 1381 Venice bestowed the privilege usually given to the Venetian nobility to Alexios’ son, Georgios Kallergis.

Agne was the only legitimate daughter of Alexis Kallerges (Kalergis) and Eirene Skordyle. She was born in Kastri, above the town of Mylopotamos and spent there most of her life. At the time of her birth, the 13th century, Kastri was a center of the rebel movement headed by her father against the Venetians. At that time the village had its castle called Apanokastri (see above and below- now archeological remains in Paliokastro, Kastri) with a church of Panagia, which is still present next to the castle (close to so-called pyrgos of Kallerges). Unfortunatelly the church didn't preserve its murals, but the remnants of Kallerges' coat of arms are visible on the eastern part of the building's exterior.

Agnes was born somewhere around 1299 when her father signed the reace treaty with the Venetians. She was married to Jakobos Kornaros, a Venetian Cretan, who bore a nickname Kornaraki witnessing about his rather small stature. her husband for the first time appear in the documents 1328, but without mentioing Agnes.
What was so special about this Cretan lady? Almost nothing, except the fact that one can read her last will dictated to the notary on 9th February of 1331. So, 10 years past since the death of her mighty father, and now feeling herself ill, she decided to take care about the postmortem arrangements "seeing dedath approaching". So, she wrote her will in Latin, or more precisely, the notary was venetian, and therefore the will was in Latin.

Agnes bequeaths to her husband Jacobos Cornaro most of her dowry and all other movable and immovable property. Some other sums went to churches and more distnt relatives, including two sisters. The balance sum of splits in churches, the monastery of Sinai and various relatives.

Her parents were buried in St. John church in Mylopotamou and she bequeathed 30 heperpyra to bishop Makarios (episcopus Graecorum), Itemdimitto episcopatui Milopotamensi ubi sunt sepulti mei parentes et mortui mei

Agnes didn't live long after writing her will. In 1333 protopapas Costas Vergitsis (Κώστας Βεργίτης ) gives a receipt to Agnes' husband assuring him that he collected money from the testament and that they ought to be spent for executing the will of the deceased  Agnes at the church of Virgin of the village Kato Kastri in order to comemorate her.

Bibliography:

Maltezou, Chryssa. “Byzantine 'Consuetudines' in Venetian Crete,” Dumbarton Oaks Papers 49 (1995): 269–280

Μαλτέζου, Χρύσα Α., "Η Κρήτη στη διάρκεια της περιόδου της βενετοκρατίας (1211-1669)," in: Κρήτη: Ιστορία και Πολιτισμός, ed. Ν. Μ. Παναγιωτάκης, εκδοτική φροντίδα «Βικελαία Δημοτική Βιβλιοθήκη», Vol. 2 [Σύνδεσμος Τοπικών Ενώσεων Δήμων και Κοινοτήτων Κρήτης] (Crete: 1988): 105-161

http://www.kallergis.info/

http://kallergides.blogspot.hu/

McKee, Sally.  Wills from Late Medieval Venetian Crete, 1312-1420 (Dumbarton Oaks, 1998), vols. 1-3.

McKee, Sally. Uncommon Dominion: Venetian Crete and the Myth of Ethnic Purity (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010)