| A discussion of a specific event in 1859, when a villager from Kalyves in Sfakia requested the protection of Seraphim, a Catholic priest, from plundering Turkish soldiers. Seraphim requested the intervention of the French Consul, who saw to the removal of the Turkish garrison from the village. This event caused widespread upheaval in Chania and Rethymnon provinces, as a large section of the population asked to convert to Catholicism in order to enjoy the protection of the Catholic Church. The issue led to a diplomatic incident, had serious repercussions on Franco-Turkish relations and provoked the intervention of the Metropolitan of Crete. The affair is presented based on the relevant correspondence from the archives of the French Consulate at Chania, in French with a brief Greek summary. |