Dursteler|189to consider themselves Muslim, the law nonetheless obliged them to remain in
their birth faith. As for Margherita, Mustafa insisted that she remained his wife
whether she was Christian or not. If, as Maria stridently claimed, Margherita had
indeed been baptized as an infant, then as Mustafa rightly argued, her marriage
to him at age nine remained in vigor and was unaffected by her flight, as sharia
law allowed him to marry a non-Muslim.
In the end, the legal nuances of the case were much less significant than its
political and diplomatic implications. Because of the affair’s potential to disrupt
Veneto-Ottoman relations, Venetian officials debated intensely over how to pro-
ceed. Venice had long-standing Capitulations with the Ottomans that, as Mu-
stafa repeatedly pointed out, were operative in this case. Cases of cross-border
flight were common enough that the treaties directly addressed the issue of ex-
tradition. All Ottomans who fled to Venetian lands were to be returned with
any goods they took with them. The same held true for Venetian subjects. As
officials in both Venice and Istanbul knew, however, the reality along the frontier
was much more complicated than the stark language of treaties suggested. The
Venetians tried to argue “that given the friendship [between Venice and the Ot-
tomans] these sorts of passages of subjects from one side to the other had been
practiced by both without suspicion” or concern and that the case of Maria and
her family ought to be considered in light of this long precedent of turning a
blind eye to the constant border crossings between the two polities. While there
was generally a tendency on both sides of the political frontier to ignore such
unexceptional occurrences or resolve them locally, because of the status of the
women and the position of Mustafa Efendi and because the issue had been esca-
lated to both capitals, this attempt by the Venetians ultimately fell flat.
In response to these challenging questions, on August 1 Zuane Mocenigo
sent the women to Crete, where several high Venetian officials were tasked with
continuing the investigation. They were accompanied by Santo Burlion and a
significant naval escort for their protection. On Crete, the rector of the chief city
took personal responsibility for their care and placed them in a secure convent.
There they “passed their days with disgust and displeasure, as it seemed to them
that they were more like prisoners,” awaiting the resolution of their case. At one
point “in desperation” they threatened that “they would rather take their own
lives than return” to Milos.
The deliberations and negotiations dragged on for months. By late sum-
mer, Mustafa Efendi had become impatient and threatened to take the matter
before the divan. Bailo Contarini used all his diplomatic prowess to stave this
off, including buying time by giving gifts and small payments to the spurned
husband. In mid-September, Mustafa indicated that he would be willing to settle
the matter for a payment of 2,000 reals. Still awaiting the senate’s final decision