Phillip Barelli

Phillip Barelli (Albanian: Filip Barelli), also attested as Philipus Barelli in Ragusan documents, was a 14th-century Venetian merchant and chamberlain in Albania during the Middle Ages. Barelli worked in the courts of Albanian nobility, such as those of Gjergj Thopia, the prince of the Principality of Albania, as well as the protovestiar of Balsha II and managed the finance and trade of the Lordship of Zeta.

Contracts and Service Barelli appears as a witness for George I Balsha and Balsha II for a commercial deal located at the mouth of the Mat River in 9 June 1374. Barelli was the only Venetian witness present in the document, while all the other witnesses were local Albanians.

On 13 January 1381, Barelli was asked by his trade partner Angelo Condelmario to be able to load 400 pairs of clothes onto galleys leaving Venice and stored in Ulcinj. In this regard, the Venetian republic granted them the right of use against payment fees. If the merchants were unable to do so, Barelli ordered that could load them in Durrës, Corfu or Crete. Citizens of Zeta were able to purchase land from Venetians through Philip Barelli.

Imprisonment and later release According to one account, the Serbian Lord Vuk Branković had attempted to bribe Barelli to betray George Stracimir’s fortress in Ulcinj with a payment of 500 “litres” of silver. In 1390, Balsha grew suspicious of Barelli and had him immediately imprisoned. Barelli insisted on his loyalty and claimed that he had expelled Vuk’s envoy with “insulting words”. Venice consistently pleaded to the Balsha for the release of Barelli, and confirmed his innocence. Balsha continued to declare Barelli as guilty, and the envoys continued to attempt to intervene for the release of his innocent sons.

On 29 July 1390, Venice sent another ambassador for the release of Barelli and his sons, which was also unsuccessful. Two months later, after many letters from Venice, Balsha responded to Antonio Zuchato who informed him that the senate asked Balsha to order an independent investigation, which according to Venice could prove Barelli’s innocence. According to Venice, this also affected other Venetian citizens as Barelli was in debt of 3,800 ducats to other citizens and many of his property had been purchased with the money of his creditors.

In 1391 Barelli was also suspected of conspiring with Balsha’s cousin, Konstantin Balsha, leading Balsha to charge him with a “felony against the prince” and confiscated his property, while the crime he was accused of had still remained unresolved. Philip Barelli’s creditors sent an agent at their own expense to recover the debts he owed them. On 15 September 1391, Venice demanded that Balsha returned the money to the creditors and all the property held by Barelli before his imprisonment. Ten days later Venetian envoys met Balsha, who claimed that Barelli had been acting against the state. The Venetians reassured Balsha that Barelli had always wanted him to expand his dominions. By Venice’s request, on 26 September 1391, Balsha agreed to release Barelli from imprisonment.

On 18 August 1392, during the relinquishment of Durrës from Albanian to Venetian control, Barelli was appointed as the provestiar of the Thopia. No further sources ever mention Barelli after the incident.

Family Barelli had a wife who was abducted in 1400 and her identity remains unknown. His son, Çanino Barelli, appears as an envoy to Ragusa and the Ottomans. Çanino helped open trade channels and secured funding for different Albanian principalities. Çanino is also recorded to have dealt with Albanians who had been imprisoned in Ragusa after fleeing from Ottoman invasions. Because of Çanino’s efforts, Ragusa decided to free the Albanian prisoners and ordered a decree on the ban of Albanian slaves.