A strategic enclave

The Venetian presence at Butrint during the late 16th to 18th centuries was in effect an enclave on the Ottoman mainland, and the fate of the city during these centuries was hence inextricably entwined with the relations between these two empires.

Venetian Butrint was a four-sided district, in which ancient landmarks formed nodal points: the Dema wall, Kalivo and Cape Stillo, with Butrint in the centre. The boundaries were formalised in 1718 by agreement of the Venetians and Ottomans, and frequently reviewed as the Venetian continued to complain of Ottoman incursions. Other than its strategic importance of preventing Ottoman attacks, Butrint also furnished much of the fish and livestock requirements of the island, while the rich fisheries provided cash revenues for the treasury in Venice.

Venice continued to invest in the defences of Butrint describing it as the tutela et ochio dextro (‘the protector and right eye’) of Corfu, which in turn guaranteed the Venetian trade routes through the Ionian. The perceived threat was very real indeed. Twice – in 1537 under Suleiman II and in1716 under Ahmet III – Turkish invasions of Corfu were attempted and both times these were repulsed. These attacks, as well as the continued Ottoman incursions on the mainland, meant that by the eighteenth century the defensive focus of Butrint was the large Triangular Castle. Added to this were several towers, at least two of which can still be seen today close to the Vivari Channel.

Already by the 1570s the use of the old city appears to have been reduced and the Venetian presence more or less limited to those working in the fishery and a small defence force. Indeed, in the latter half of the seventeenth century, Venice appears to have allowed the Turks de facto occupation. It was only after 1718 that Venetian control was secure, but even then, local villagers persisted in usurping territory that they believed to be theirs.

By the late 18th century the city’s security and revenue value to Venice no longer justified the investment. The fall of the Venetian republic in 1797 and the French occupation of the Ionian Islands were accompanied by the occupation of Butrint by Ali Pasha of Tepelena, marking the end of the Venetian presence on the mainland.

 

• Venetian Butrint
• A strategic enclave
• The fisheries and the castles
• Cyriacus of Ancona and antiquarianism

Venice and the Lion of Saint Mark

The winged lion, the symbol of Saint Mark the evangelist, has been the emblem of Venice since the 9th century AD when he was elected the patron saint of the city.
The story goes that in 828 AD the body of the saint was stolen from his tomb in Alexandria in Egypt by Venetian merchants. Since Alexandria was held by the Ottomans, the Venetians placed the body in a basket and covered it with herbs and pork meat in order to avoid detection. In response to questions they simply called out Khwazir (pork) and thereby reached their ship in safety.