strong leader, the four governors whom Carlo II had appointed to form the regency council for his son (Jacobus Rosso, Andreas de Guido de Strione, Gaeatius de Santa Columba and Marinus Miliares) looked across the Adriatic Sea for aid in defending the Tocco lands from the Ottomans. Some looked to the Republic of Venice for aid, one governor even offering to sell his island to the Venetians, whereas others looked to Alfonso V of Naples due to former connections between the Tocchi and the Neapolitan crown. Though Venice entered into negotiations to send aid, the Ottomans struck before an agreement could be concluded. The capital of the despotate, Arta, fell to the Ottomans on 24 March 1449, whereafter all of Leonardo's mainland possessions, save for the three settlements of Vonitza, Varnazza and Angelokastro, were annexed. These lands would thereafter be called Karli-Ili (Carlo's country) by the Ottomans, in reference to Leonardo's ancestor Carlo I Tocco. Though the fall of the mainland made the threat of further Ottoman conquest clear, neither Venice nor Naples offered much aid. Alfonso seems to have regarded Leonardo as his vassal and Venice proved unwilling to help when it became clear that Leonardo and his regens were not willing to exchange Venice's aid for ceding them Zakynthos or other parts of Leonardo's domain, nor in exchange for Venice being allowed to govern the islands during his minority. Nevertheless, Leonardo eventually succeeded in securing protection by Venice, and in doing so became an honorary citizen of the republic. In times when Leonardo's realm was truly threatened, Venice did expend resources in ensuring his safety, such as in 1463, when numerous incidents with Ottoman ships near Leonardo's islands resulted in Venice sending ships to observe the situation, demonstrate power, and protect the local population. Venetian protection was however also often only nominal, with many of Leonardo's appeals for aid being rejected. Staving off Ottoman conquest After the fall of Arta, Leonardo's domain enjoyed several years of peace, with even the scant possessions on the mainland being free from Ottoman incursions. Why the Ottomans left Leonardo alone is unknown. Contemporary records explained this through 'God's will', though it is more likely due to the Ottomans' preoccupation with the conquest of other Balkan realms during this period. Though not a powerful ruler by any means, Leonardo worked to resist the rise of the Ottoman Empire. In a move which historian