Cyprus to the Ottomans in the fourth Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573), the island of Crete (the "Kingdom of Candia") was the last major overseas possession of the Venetian Republic. Its important strategic position made it an obvious target for future Ottoman expansion, while its size and fertile ground, together with the bad state of its fortresses, made it a more tempting prize than Malta. On the Venetian side, the Serenissima, with its weak military and great dependence on uninterrupted trade, was anxious not to provoke the Ottomans. Hence Venice scrupulously observed the terms of its treaty with the Ottomans, securing over sixty years of peaceful relations. By the early 17th century moreover, Venetian power had declined considerably. Its economy, which had once prospered because of its control over the Eastern spice trade, had suffered as a result of the opening of the new Atlantic trade routes, and from the loss of the important German market because of the Thirty Years' War. In 1645, the war broke out as Ottoman forces moved to capture Crete from the Venetians. A Venetian fleet had been ordered to blockade the Dardanelles Straits since April of 1648. On 19 November, most of the fleet withdrew, leaving thirteen warships, under da Riva to maintain the blockade. In Spring 1649, he was joined by Bertucci Civrano with seven more warships, bringing up the total strength of his fleet to nineteen warships, as he had lost a warship to bad weather in the previous months. In early May, the Ottoman fleet appeared from the direction of Istanbul. Only two of Riva's ships actually managed to engage them, and in the ensuing chaos, the Ottoman fleet safely made it out of the Strait and headed southwards. Giacomo da Riva, marshaling his fleet, ordered them to follow and successfully trapped the Ottoman fleet at the port of Focchies, on the mainland. Many of the Venetian ships were hired Dutch or English armed merchantmen, and da Riva had to promise to compensate their captains for any damage, due to da Riva realizing that the Dutch or English captains would be unwilling to risk their ships unless they knew that they were going to be adequately compensated for their efforts. On May 12, da Riva ordered his fleet to sail into the harbour and engage the Ottoman ships lying at anchor. Battle Leading the action from his flagship, the Rotta Fortuna, da Riva