Una spia portoghese e la crociata all’indomani di Lepanto

The victory won at Lepanto by the forces of the Holy League was not just a turning point in the self-representation process of the Western Euro-Christian imagina tion. It also gave momentum to numerous anti-Turkish political-diplomatic projects and negotiations that saw Rome, Madrid and Venice turn not only to the European courts but also to eastern princes and countries, both Christian and Muslim. In this context, an important role was played by collaborators with expertise in the internal dynamics of the Ottoman Empire and endowed with a wide network of contacts that allowed them to communicate with Persians, Copts, Ethiopians and other eastern populations hostile to the Turks. These attributes can be found in the Portuguese spy Matthias Biqudo who had worked for Lisbon’s intelligence from his base in Egypt before approaching the Spanish and pontifical courts to enter their service in the very years surrounding the battle of Lepanto. The specific aim of this essay is to analyse a long letter written by Biqudo to Pius V on how to take full advantage of the victory over the Turks on 7 October 1571 by adopting a specific political, military and economic strategy that also envisaged the collaboration of eastern peoples inimical to the Ottoman sultan.