In this paper are investigated the movements of corsairs, pirates and slaves centered around Crete with the help of archival sources, both published and unpublished. The Venetians and the Ottomans left behind “traces of history” which allow us to study the past from primary sources. At the same time, the limits of freedom as a personal status are examined and the plunder is sought as a social experience, since the tactics of the corsairs were not eliminated from the island during the periods of either Venetian or Ottoman rule.

During the investigation of the sources, a network for the search and repatriation of missing persons kidnapped during the pirate attacks was identified. A network with many, unexpected and suspected extensions, much wider than presented here due to the time and space limitations. Pirates, ordinary citizens, noblemen, even the Venetian state itself, formed these networks and conspired with the people acting as partners to the business of pirating and organizing the slavers in Crete. In addition, the geopolitical and geostrategic significance of piracy is investigated and proved, as is the continuation of piracy through time until the end of the 19th century.