More...
In 1573, two years after the defeat of the Ottoman fleet at the naval Battle of Naupaktos (Lepanto), the Turks built the Fortress of Pylos, with the aim of controlling the southern entrance to the bay of Navarino, the largest natural harbour in the Peloponnese. The new fortress was called Niokastro (New Castle), to distinguish it from Palio Navarino (Old Castle), the Frankish castle on the peninsula of Koryphasion, which had controlled the opposite, northern entrance to the bay up to this time. In 1686, the Venetian admiral Morosini captured Niokastro after a siege, and it was turned into the seat of the Overseer, the Venetian governor of the area. During their period of occupation (1686-1715), the Venetians repaired and strengthened the castle at many points. In 1715, Niokastro was recaptured by the Turks, who made it the headquarters of the vilaet of Navarino. It remained in Turkish hands until the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, apart from a brief interlude of a few months in 1770, when it was captured by the Russian forces under the Orloff brothers.
