Just as the Ottoman Empire was preoccupied to the highest degree of the fate of Venice, so was the
Ducal Republic or Serenissima (“The Most Brilliant”), having developed a system of information
about what was happening in the Levant and especially in Constantinople. Venice was, since the
sixteenth century, a leading continental power, with special interests in the Levant and with its focus
on the evolution of the Ottoman Empire, wich has reached the pinnacle of its power. Watchfull
observers in the service of the Republic, from simple undercovered spies to offi cial ones, such as the
Venetians ambassadors called Baili (and vicebaili), were sending regular reports, detailed accounts
and even logs, to the Doge and especially to the Senate and to the Serenissima College. In this
article, from the deluge of information - offi cial or otherwise, from the archives of Venice - about
Constantinople, two are selected.
Keywords: Ottoman Empire, the republic of Venice, Constantinople, Venetian ambassadors

IOAN-AUREL POP