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In 1204, during the Fourth Crusade, the Marchese Marco Venieri was given command of the Greek island of Kythera. He claimed a family descent from Aphrodite under her other name, Venus. In year of the great naval battle of 1571 in Nafpaktos (Battle of Lepanto, October 7, 1571) the Venieri donated a number of galleons to the western allies. Although the main branch of the family lived in Crete they held control of the island right up to the Campoformio Convention of 1797. The family spread over the Aegean holding power in many other islands including Mykonos.
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