File:Gramvousa after the storm.jpg

English: Gramvousa is a small island with the remains of a Venetian fort close to the coast of north-western Crete. The fort at Gramvousa used to be one of three important forts located on the coast of Crete and despite being subject to Venetian and Ottoman rule was regularly used by Cretan insurgents.

Gramvoussa was fortified by the Venetians, who built a well-fortified castle on the top of a steepy rock at an altitude of 137 m. Construction on the fortress of Gramvoussa started in 1579 and ended in 1582. It was destroyed in 1588, however, when thunder struck on the powder store. The castle was rebuilt in 1630. It was one of the three castles to remain under Venetian dominion after the Turkish occupation of Crete (the other two were those of Souda and Spinalonga). Even though the castle might have been impregnable, on 6 December 1691, during another Ottoman–Venetian war, the Neapolitan Captain de la Giocca betrayed the Venetians by surrendering Gramvousa to the Ottoman Turks for a generous bribe (he lived the rest of his life in Constantinople and was well known by the nickname "Captain Grambousas").

During the Greek uprising against the Turks, Gramvoussa played an important and desicive role. After many attempts the castle was finally occupied by the Cretan revolutioners in 1825, when a team of Cretans disguised as Turks entered the castle. Gramvoussa was the first part of Crete to be liberated. The rocky island became a shelter for over 3000 people, and a base of operations for the revolution teams. But it also became a base of pirates that plundered every ship that passed to the seas around the island, so with the agreement of the Greek Government a English-French garrison took over the island of Gramvoussa in 1828. After signing the Protocol of London, Crete remained under Turkish occupation and the castle of Gramvousa was handed over to the Turks once again.