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From Constantinople to Istanbul: The Residences of the Venetian Bailo (Thirteenth to Sixteenth Centuries)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

Aygül Ağır*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey
*

Abstract

Medieval Italian city-states with access to the sea, most notably the Venetian and Genoese, were in need of safe ‘stopovers’ that would allow their inhabitants to travel to distant places across the territories in which they conducted commerce. As the most important ‘stopover’ and centre of consumption, Constantinople became a point of attraction for Italian merchant colonies, particularly after the eleventh century. Among these, the most powerful one with the largest settlement was the Venetian colony. Following a decree dated 1082 (Chrysoboullos) that granted them certain privileges, the Venetians settled across the southern shores of the Golden Horn. In terms of administration, it appears that, until the Latin period (1204–1261), no formal officers were appointed to the Venetian Merchant Colony. ‘The bailo’ was first instituted in Constantinople only after the treaty of 18 June 1265. The mention of a house owned by the bailo dates as late as 1277. Documents on the residence of the bailo remain silent until the early fifteenth century. It is unclear if the palace of the bailo mentioned in fifteenth-century documents and the house allocated to the bailo in 1277 are the same building. Despite the Turkish conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Venetians, albeit with interruptions, continued to live on the historic peninsula. However, it is no longer possible to speak of a Venetian settlement similar to the one that had existed in Byzantine times. Per the agreement signed on 16 August 1454, the Venetians were granted a house and a church that ‘once’ belonged to Anconitans. The possible location and architectural features of the residences of the bailo, which have left behind no archaeological data, are discussed here through written sources including Ottoman documents.

Les cités-États italiennes du Moyen-Âge qui étaient accessibles par la mer, comme principalement Venise et Gênes, ressentirent le besoin d'établir des ‘étapes' sûres leur permettant de se rendre vers des destinations lointaines pour faire du commerce. Constantinople était la plus importante de ces ‘étapes' ’ et le plus grand centre de commerce mondial. C'est ainsi qu'à partir du XIe siècle, la ville devint pour les cités-États italiennes et en particulier pour la plus grande et la plus puissante d'entre elles, Venise, un pôle d'attraction pour l'établissement de colonies italiennes de commerce. Suite au décret (Chrysoboullos) de 1082 qui permetta l'accord de certains privilèges, les Vénitiens s'établirent sur la côte sud de la Corne d'Or (Haliç). En ce qui concerne l'administration, il n'y a pas d'agents officiels nommés à la colonie marchande vénitienne de Constantinople jusqu'à la période latine (1204–1261). La fonction de ‘baile’ a été instituée pour la première fois après le traité du 18 juin 1265. La mention d'une maison qui lui appartient ne date que du 1277. Les documents sur la résidence ou le palais du baile restent inconnus jusqu'au début du 15ème siècle. On ignore si le palais du baile indiqué dans les documents du 15ème siècle et la maison qui lui est allouée en 1277 sont les mêmes bâtiments. Après la conquête de Constantinople par les Turcs en 1453 et malgré quelques interruptions, les Vénitiens continuèrent d'asseoir leur présence dans la péninsule historique, mais on ne peux véritablement pas parler d'un ‘quartier’ vénitien comme durant la période byzantine. Par l'accord signé le 16 août 1454, les Vénitiens ont été attribués une maison et une église qui autrefois appartenaient aux Ancônitains. L'emplacement possible et les caractéristiques architecturales des résidences du baile, pour lesquelles il n'existe malheureusement aucun renseignement archéologique, sont discutés avec l'aide de documents ottomans et de sources écrites.

Die mittelalterlichen italienischen Stadtstaaten mit Zugang zum Mittelmeer, unter denen besonders die Venezianer und die Genueser, benötigten sichere ‘Haltestellen’, die ihre Reisen in den entfernten Handelsgebieten ermöglichten. Als der wichtigste Aufenthalts- und Handelsort wurde Konstantinopel besonders nach dem 11. Jahrhundert zum primären Anziehungspunkt für die italienischen Handelskolonien. Dabei besaßen die Venezianer die einflussreichste und größte Siedlung. Einer Begünstigungsanordnung aus dem Jahr 1082 folgend, besiedelten die Venezianer die Südküste des Goldenen Horns. Zur Regierung der venezianischen Handelskolonie in Konstantinopel wurden bis zu der Zeit des Lateinischen Kaiserreiches (1204–1261) offiziell keine Statthalter berufen. ‘Der Bailo’ (Gesandter) wurde erst nach dem Vertrag am 18. Juni 1265 ernannt. Die erste Erwähnung eines Hauses, das zu einem Bailo gehörte, ist auf das Jahr 1277 zurückzuführen. Vor dem frühen 15. Jahrhundert gibt es keine Dokumente, die von der Residenz oder dem Palast des Gesandten berichten. Es ist unklar, ob der Palast des Gesandten, der in den Dokumenten vom 15. Jahrhundert erwähnt wird, mit dem Haus des Gesandten von 1277 identisch ist. Trotz der türkischen Eroberung Konstantinopels im Jahr 1453, konnten die Venezianer ihren Wohnsitz auf der sogenannten historischen Halbinsel, obschon mit Unterbrechungen, beibehalten. Jedoch ist es dann nicht mehr möglich von einer ‘venezianischen Siedlung’ zu reden, die in dieser Form unter byzantinischer Herrschaft existierte. Gemäβ dem Vertrag, der am 16. August 1454 unterschrieben wurde, wurden die Venezianer mit einem Haus und einer Kirche, die ehemals zu Ankoniter gehörten, bevorrechtigt. Der mögliche Ort und die architektonischen Besonderheiten der Residenzen des Bailo, die keine archäologischen Spuren hinterlassen haben, werden anhand von schriftlichen Quellen (darunter auch osmanische Dokumente) diskutiert.

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Articles
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Copyright © 2015 the European Association of Archaeologists 

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