Barbaro’s Glass Ball and Sokollu Mehmed’s Finesse. Ottoman-Venetian Peace in 1573

Abstract

While the naval battle of Lepanto as well as the founding and dissolution of the Holy League has attracted significant scholarly attention, the preparation and ratification of the ensuing peace treaty between Ottoman Empire and Republic of Venice has received relatively little attention. Nonetheless, the three months of lengthy negotiations that culminated in the treaty of capitulations provide a valuable insight into the early modern Ottoman approaches to international negotiations and treaty-making. Sokollu Mehmed Pasha (1565-1579), Grand Vizier of Sultan Selîm II (1566-1574), was the principal protagonist of these negotiations on the Ottoman side. This article focuses on the encounters of the latter with Marcantonio Barbaro, Venetian bailo and François de Noailles, ambassador of King of France Charles IX and aims to provide a new perspective on their bargainings by emphasising the participants’ points of view, achievements and failures, hidden agendas, as well as tactics.