Fernández de Heredia, grand master of the order of the Knights Hospitaller at Rhodes, endeavoured to make himself master of Achaea and took Patras by storm. In 1408, Patras became Venetian, and by the close of the 15th century the city was governed by the archbishop in the name of the pope. It was nevertheless seized and recaptured once more in 1430, by the Despotate of Morea and its despot Constantine Palaiologos, who succeeded in recapturing almost the whole of Morea, apart from Venetian possessions. The administration of Patras was appointed to George Sphrantzes, while Constantine was immediately contested by the Ottoman Empire and later, in 1449, became emperor of the Byzantine empire.
Patras remained a part of the Despotate of Morea until 1458, when it was conquered by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmet II. Under the Ottomans, it was known as Baliabadra, from the Greek Παλαιά Πάτρα, as opposed to Νέα Πάτρα, the town of Ypati in Central Greece. Though Mehmet granted the city special privileges and tax reductions, it never became a major centre of commerce. Venice and Genoa attacked and captured it several times during the 15th and 16th centuries, but never re-established their rule effectively, except during Venetian rule of 1687–1715.
Modern era
Patras was one of the first cities in which the Greek Revolution began in 1821; but the Turks, confined to the citadel, held out until 1828. The city was liberated on 7 October 1828 by the French expeditionary force in the Peloponnese, under the command of General Maison. Patras developed quickly into the second largest urban centre in late 19th century Greece. The city benefited from its role as the main export port for the agricultural produce of the Peloponnese. Italian migrants came to Patras after the failure of Garibaldi and later. At the same time, Patras was a gateway for emigration to the USA (most notably following the “raisin crisis” of 1920 which
