The Bailo of Corfu was the leader of the Venetian delegation to the island of

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

who oversaw the affairs of the island while under Venetian rule and protected the commercial and military interests of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. The first mention of a

bailo ''Bailo'' or ''baylo'' (plural ''baili'' or ''bayli'') is a Venetian title that derives from the Latin term '' baiulus'', meaning "porter, bearer". In English, it may be translated bailiff, or otherwise rendered as bailey, baili, bailie, bailli ...

in Corfu is in 1386 and is found in a Greek chronicle. The bailo of Corfu is also mentioned in a document by historian Marco Guazzo from 1544. Amongst the Venetian provincial administrators, the

Duke of Candia This is a list of the rulers and governors of the island of Crete throughout its history. Antiquity Crete was conquered for the Roman Republic by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus in 69 BC and united with the Cyrenaica in the Roman province, p ...

was the foremost, followed in order of seniority by the leaders of Negroponte, Corfu, Modon and Coron and

Argos Argos most often refers to: * Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece ** Ancient Argos, the ancient city * Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland Argos or ARGOS may also refer to: Businesses ...

Nauplion Nafplio ( ell, Ναύπλιο) is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece and it is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important touristic destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the ...

. The bailo of Corfu also administered the affairs of the Venetian dependencies of

Butrinto Butrint ( el, Βουθρωτόν and Βουθρωτός, ''Bouthrōtón'', la, Buthrōtum) was an ancient Greek and later Roman city and bishopric in Epirus. "Speakers of these various Greek dialects settled different parts of Greece at differen ...

and Lepanto in the mainland.

Pantaleone Barbo Pantaleone Barbo was a distinguished diplomat of the Venetian Republic. He was the Venetian ambassador to Constantinople, and became the first bailo of Corfu in 1389. Amongst his other diplomatic appointments, he served as ''Provveditore'' of Cr ...

was the first bailo of Corfu. The bailo of Corfu also made reports and recommendations to Venice regarding the construction of fortifications on the island.

Historical background

To protect its military and commercial interests the

had established missions in key locations in the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including C ...

and the Aegean. The Venetian missions were called ''reggimenti'' and their leaders were elected by the

Senate of Venice The Senate ( vec, Senato), formally the ''Consiglio dei Pregadi'' or ''Rogati'' (, la, Consilium Rogatorum), was the main deliberative and legislative body of the Republic of Venice. Establishment The Venetian Senate was founded in 1229, or le ...

or its Great Council. The leaders were elected for terms ranging between approximately 16 months to three years. The general title of the leaders was ''Rettore'', translated as

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

. However the specific title awarded the rector varied depending on the location they administered. Thus in the

Kingdom of Candia The Realm or Kingdom of Candia ( Venetian: ''Regno de Càndia'') or Duchy of Candia ( Venetian: ''Dogado de Càndia'' ) was the official name of Crete during the island's period as an overseas colony of the Republic of Venice, from the initial V ...

the leader was called ''Duca'', in

Zante Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; el, Ζάκυνθος, Zákynthos ; it, Zacinto ) or Zante (, , ; el, Τζάντε, Tzánte ; from the Venetian form) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Za ...

the term was ''Conte'' and in

the leader of the regiment was given the title of ''Bailo''. Being elected ''Rettore'' was an honour and established that the elected leader had the confidence of his peers in the Senate and Great Council and, although a mission in the overseas protectorates of Venice was expensive and dangerous, many Venetian noblemen lobbied for the position. Cuprus, Candia and possibly Corfu were considered the top locations of the Venetian realm. The position of Bailo of Corfu was considered prestigious. In one occasion when Gian Matteo, after retiring as ''Rettore'' of Cattaro, lost the election to the position in Corfu, he was consoled by Pietro, a Venetian nobleman:

Communication with Venice

During the Ottoman invasion of Albania, the bailo of Corfu sent intelligence to the Venetian Senate advising them of the Ottoman gains after they took Rugina, known at the time as the "Lady of Valona", and Valona proper. The Venetians were very concerned about the Ottoman incursions which threatened the dominion and commerce of Venice and its dependencies in the Adriatic and the

Strait of Otranto The Strait of Otranto ( sq, Ngushtica e Otrantos; it, Canale d'Otranto; hr, Otrantska Vrata) connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and separates Italy from Albania. Its width at Punta Palascìa, east of Salento is less than . The st ...

. The bailo of Corfu also sent messages to Venice regarding his ideas about fortifications. In 1538 in one such message the bailo of Corfu remarked:

Baili

This list is derived from

Karl Hopf Karl Hopf may refer to: * Karl Hopf (historian) Karl Hopf (Hamm, Westphalia, February 19, 1832 – Wiesbaden, August 23, 1873) or Carl Hermann Friedrich Johann Hopf was a historian and an expert in Medieval Greece, both Byzantine and Frankish. ...

''Chroniques gréco-romanes inédites ou peu connues''
(Berlin: Weidmann, 1873), pp. 392–96. In 1386, Venice was represented at Corfu by three ''provveditori'': Michele Contarini, Saracino Dandolo and Marino Malipiero. There followed a series of ''baili'' that lasted down to the end of the republic:

References

{{reflist, 30em Baili History of Corfu Venetian rule in the Ionian Islands

Historical background

Communication with Venice

Baili

See also

References