By early 1714, his attention shifted to the Morea, which had been held by the Republic of Venice since the Morean War and the 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz. The Ottomans had never been reconciled to its loss. When the Venetians gave refuge to Serbian rebels from Montenegro and Herzegovina in their Dalmatian province, and some of their merchants were involved in disputes with Ottoman vessels, the Ottoman Porte (government) swiftly used this as a pretext to declare war.