Venetians at Butrint

Venetians at Butrint. Venecianët në Butrint. The texts on this marker are written in Albanian (shqip) (top left) and English (bottom left). Only the English text has been transcribed. To read the Albanian (shqip) text, enlarge the marker image by clicking on it. , English: , The Republic of Venice was an economic powerhouse, dominating Mediterrean trade between Europe and the Levant through naval might from the 11th to the 18th centuries. In 1387, the Republic purchased Corfu along with Butrint to control shipping and trade along the Adriatic coast. Aside from its strategic importance, the enclave at Butrint provided fish, timber, olives and pasture for the horses of the Venetian garrison on Corfu. , From the 15th century, the Venetians were in a state of almost perpetual conflict with the burgeoning Ottoman Empire. Butrint was repeatedly assaulted by the Ottomans, with an eye on Corfu as the main prize, and the occupation of the city passed back and forth. , In the late 15th-early 16th centuries, the Venetians re-fortified Butrint to protect their valuable mainland resources, first building the Triangular Fortress and then a massive square blockhouse, known as the Venetian Tower. As the site of the ancient city crumbled, the fortress 'became' Butrint, continuing to safeguard the fisheries, and surrounding Venetian landholdings. Venice capitulated to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1797, whereupon Butrint promptly fell into the hands of the infamous local despot Ali Pasha of Tepelena.