In 1381 Paxos came under the rule of Venice. In 1423, Adam II San Ippolito, the feudal lord of the island, received permission by the Senate of Venice to build a Fortress on the island of Agios Nikolaos, in order to protect it from pirates. Among those pirates were Hayreddin Barbarossa and Turgut Reis, the infamous Mediterranean pirates. It is worth mentioning that its reconstruction was based on a design of Leonardo da Vinci! In its recent history, the Venetian Fortress was occupied by the British army in 1814. Member of the army was the hero of the Greek revolution Theodoros Kolokotronis. He was then serving as a major of the Greek group force of the English army. Best preserved parts of the fortress are the gunpowder depot, the tank, the observation tower and the cannons.