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

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

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, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. 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 o ...

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 was the foremost, followed in order of seniority by the leaders of Negroponte, Corfu, Modon and Coron and Argos- Nauplion. The bailo of Corfu also administered the affairs of the Venetian dependencies of Butrinto and Lepanto in the mainland. Pantaleone Barbo 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 (, ; or , ; , ) 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 Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, ...

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

Senate of Venice The Senate (), formally the ''Consiglio dei Pregadi'' or ''Rogati'' (, ), was the main deliberative and legislative body of the Republic of Venice. Establishment The Venetian Senate was founded in 1229, or less likely shortly before that date. ...

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. 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 (; ; ) or Duchy of Candia (; ; ) was the official name of Crete during the island's period as an Stato da Màr, overseas colony of the Republic of Venice, from the initial Venetian conquest in 1205–1212 to its fal ...

the leader was called ''Duca'', in

Zante Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; ; ) or Zante (, , ; ; from the Venetian form, traditionally Latinized as Zacynthus) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands, with an area of , and a coastline in ...

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 (; ) connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and separates Italy from Albania. Its width between Punta Palascìa, eastern Salento, and Karaburun Peninsula, western Albania, is less than . The strait is named after ...

. 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
''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