Ottoman rule

The earliest Ottoman presence in (present-day) southern Albania was at Premedi and Korça, following campaigns by Sutan Beyazid I in 1394 and 1397. At the beginning of the 15th century the Ottomans conquered almost all of Albania, ruling it as the province of Arnavud-ili by a sancakbegi residing in Gjirokastra.

A semi-feudal timar system was introduced to control the land. This meant that land was assigned to certain lords on the condition that they supplied the Ottoman government in Istanbul with military support whenever required. The roughly 300 timar regions were in the hands of a limited number of Turkish and Albanian feudal families, who were vassals of the Ottoman state. In the course of the 16th century the timar system broke down and large estates appeared in the provinces. Control over these areas could be leased from the Sublime Ponte, the Ottoman government.

The richest Ottoman archives for Butrint are tahrir defters (tax registers) for the province and cizye registers (poll-tax on non-Muslim subjects). The first comprehensive Ottoman defter for the sancak of Arvanid dates to 1431-32 and mentions Vutrando [Butrint] as a harbour and embarkation point.

While both Turks and Venetians recognised Butrint’s strategic significance, as key to the security of Corfu, it was also attractive in terms of the revenues from the fisheries. In 1600 a Venetian chronicler wrote that the Turks were anxious to have Butrint because they had heard the fisheries were worth 100,000 gold ducats; in this they seem to have been misled, for the same chronicler goes on to state that the real value was nearer 6,000 ducats.

Fifty years later, 15,000 infantry- and cavalrymen apparently descended on Butrint with the intention of capturing the main fortifications, and thus the fishery. The bey responsible for the capture is said to have gone to Constantinople to boast of it and ask for workmen to fortify the old fortress. Left guarding Butrint were some 50 Turks and two cannons, the largest of which had a range of one mile. In October 1656 Venetian spies reported that the Turks were planning to build a fort, making note of the abundance of resources locally, such as timber and stone, and the recruitment of workmen.

In 1718, the constantly disputed boundary issues were to be settled. The treaty provided for the Venetians to claim one hour of land in each direction extending from the Triangular Castle at Butrint. This hour was measured by travel on horseback (or boat when necessary).

The local people farming the land and local junior officials were naturally not always in agreement with this treaty. For instance, it was argued that the fishery of Risa, which had been rented out for 30,000 aspers, should have remained in Ottoman territory. It appears that the terms of the agreement were not obeyed, for even as late as 1784 the Pasha of Delvina had to issue a buyrultu (decree or mandate), instructing junior officials to obey orders to abandon these disputed areas.