Postage stamps and postal history of Crete
Encyclopedia
This is a survey of the postage stamps
and postal history
of Crete
.
under Turkish suzerainty
, but was nevertheless garrisoned by an international military force from Britain, France, Italy and Russia. Britain and Russia issued stamps inscribed in Greek but France and Italy used their own stamps, overprinted with the name of the island.
in 1913 and Greek stamps have been used on the island since then. Remaining Cretan stamps were overprint
ed and issued in Greece in 1923.
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
and postal history
Postal history
Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of postage stamps and covers and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems...
of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
.
Autonomy
In 1898 Crete obtained autonomyCretan State
The Cretan State was established in 1898, following the intervention by the Great Powers on the island of Crete. In 1897 an insurrection in Crete led the Ottoman Empire to declare war on Greece, which led the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Russia to intervene on the grounds that the Ottoman...
under Turkish suzerainty
Suzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
, but was nevertheless garrisoned by an international military force from Britain, France, Italy and Russia. Britain and Russia issued stamps inscribed in Greek but France and Italy used their own stamps, overprinted with the name of the island.
Greek stamps
Crete became part of GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in 1913 and Greek stamps have been used on the island since then. Remaining Cretan stamps were overprint
Overprint
An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage stamp or banknote after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative purposes such as accounting but they are also employed in public mail...
ed and issued in Greece in 1923.
See also
- Austrian post offices in CreteAustrian post offices in CreteAlong with several other nations, the Austro-Hungarian Empire maintained its own post offices in Crete in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The three post offices, in Chania, Heraklion and Rethymno, operated from 1890 until 1914, replacing earlier Austrian Lloyd postal agencies and official...
- French post offices in CreteFrench post offices in CreteThe French post offices in Crete were among a collection of post offices maintained by foreign countries during the 1900s in Crete, after Crete had broken away from the Ottoman Empire and before it united with Greece, in 1913....
- Hellenic Philotelic SocietyHellenic Philotelic SocietyThe Hellenic Philotelic Society is a philatelic organisation in Athens devoted to promoting the philately of Greece and the Greek area.The society played an important part in the development of philately in Greece...
- Russian post offices in CreteRussian post offices in CreteThe Russian post offices in Crete were established by Russia in the area of Crete it occupied as part of the joint occupying force that arrived in 1898.Russia issued postage stamps for its district of Rethymno in 1899...
- Postage stamps and postal history of GreecePostage stamps and postal history of GreeceGreece's first postal service was founded in 1828, at the time of Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire. This initial service continued mail delivery and, later, the issuing of postage stamps until 1970. It was then succeeded by the Hellenic Post S.A. , which remains Greece's official postal...
Further reading
- Crete - postal history & stamps. Greek Philatelic Society of the Netherlands, 1986.