Venice’s Knowledge of the Qizilbash – The Importance of the Role of the Venetian Baili in Intelligence-Gathering on the Safavids

While the subject of Venetian espionage in Ottoman empire has received scholarly attention, no attempt been made to study baili’s intelligence-gathering activities on Safavid issues a systematic way. Through close scrutiny baili dispatches and other relevant materials State archives, this paper examines role diplomats Istanbul information-gathering Safavids. It demonstrates that used various techniques, particularly gifting, bribery, information exchange with officials order collect transmit Venice wide range Ottomans’ arch-rivals,