Venice: A Maritime Republic

by Frederic C. Lane

Combining engrossing detail and magisterial overview, Venice, A Maritime Republic traces the history of Venice from its origins in the sixth century through its rise and decline as the first modern empire of Europe. "Among the many cities men have made," Frederic C. Lane writes, "Venice stands out as a symbol of beauty, of wise government, and of communally controlled capitalism." Drawing on a lifetime of study and reflection, the author shows how that resplendent city came to have the institutions, the buildings, and the pattern of urban life that make it unique.

Genres: History, Italy, Nonfiction, European History, Maritime, Renaissance, Italian Literature

528 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1973

About the author

Frederic Chapin Lane was a historian who specialized in Medieval history with a particular emphasis on the Italian city and region of Venice.

Frederic C. Lane received his B.A. from Cornell University in 1921, his M.A. from Tufts College in 1922, where he wrote a master's thesis on "The economic history of Europe during the first half of the sixteenth century", and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1930 with a doctoral thesis on "Venetian Ships and Shipbuilders of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries". He began his graduate studies at the University of Bordeaux in 1923-24, then studied at the University of Vienna in 1924, before going to Harvard University in 1925-26. While a Harvard graduate student he was John Thornton Kirkland Fellow for Research in Italy in 1927-28. He was appointed instructor in history at the University of Minnesota in 1926, before being hired at The Johns Hopkins University as an instructor. There, he served as an assistant professor from 1931 to 1935. Promoted to associate professor in 1936, and full professor in 1946, he retired in 1966 as professor emeritus. Lane's research interests focused on the Italian city-state of Venice. His research on the city as a maritime trading center, particularly with his research in economic history, helped establish a standard for examining the development and growth of other Italian city-states. He applied his skills and interests in economic and maritime history to write the history of American wartime shipping during World War II.

From 1951 to 1954, he was assistant director, Social Science division, Rockefeller Foundation, and advised on European policy. He served as historian of the U.S. Maritime Commission, 1946-47. A member of the American Historical Association, he served as a member of council from 1959 to 1962, and was elected President of the American Historical Association for 1964-1965...

Active in a number of other professional organizations, he was editor of the Journal of Economic History, president of the Society for Italian Historical Studies in 1961-63, president of the American Historical Association in 1965, president of the Economic History Association 1956-58, and president of the International Economic History Association, 1966-1968. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Medieval Academy of America.

Reviews

[Chambermusic79 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lane's "Venice. A Maritime Republic" is mostly an economic and naval history of La Serenissima, with some (disappointing) information on the visual arts. The technical chapters about ships and trade routes may scare the amateur reader, but Lane is very good at avoiding any information overload, and he is particularly proficient at explaining complex issues in a clear way. His analysis of Venetian commerce and industry is absolutely brilliant, as it shows Venice's skill at adapting resources to shifting circumstances. Lane's essay is not the usual peaen to Venice's beauty; rather, it's a dispassionate review of how its business and government progressed through time. The town emerges as a lively multi-layered organism which has to balance different interests and needs (nobles, "citizens", craftsmen, sailors, etc.) in the competitive environment of international commerce. I enjoyed the book much more than Norwich (who is too focused on politics) and Ackroyd (who is excessively "lyrical"); maybe Lane is a bit dry and a tad academical, but after all he is a professional historian, unlike his direct competitors. I would suggest his essay to any Venice lover, maybe not as a general introduction but as a necessary complement to lighter readings for those interested in Venetian reality more than in Venetian charm.

[Dvd (#) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saggio eccellente.

Pecca di pesantezza nella parti (abbastanza limitate, per fortuna) di descrizione dei meccanismi bancario-finanziari che, indipendentemente dalla mia ignoranza assoluta in materia, andavano trattati, in quanto parte importante delle fortune di Venezia anche come centro finanziario internazionale.

Per il resto, scorre che è un piacere: sintetico, non si perde in particolarismi storici su battaglie e beghe politiche ma le tratteggia con rara capacità, cogliendone gli aspetti fondamentali; nella sua sinteticità è pur completo e permette di godersi una panoramica generale e globale sulla grande avventura storica delle Serenissima Repubblica, troppo interessante e mitica per essere relegata a qualche trafiletto sui libri di scuola.

In particolare, Lane riflette sulle cause della decadenza (numeri e fatti alla mano) e su quegli scarti che avrebbero potuto far sopravvivere e prosperare ancora la Repubblica: certo, sono pur sempre ragionamenti ex post, ma sfatano diversi miti duri a morire (ad esempio, sostenendo che la scoperta dell'America andò a incidere sul commercio veneziano solo cent'anni dopo - e infatti Venezia raggiunse l'apice della sua ricchezza proprio nel XVI secolo, quando i portoghesi già scorrazzavano sulle coste indiane da cui provenivano le spezie che tanta ricchezza avevano portate a Rialto).

Un altro quesito ci riguarda assai da vicino: come sarebbero andate le cose se Venezia fosse riuscita, come la sua potenza a più riprese le diede l'occasione e le fornì l'appetito, a conquistare gran parte dell'entroterra italiano (che, sempre fuor di credenza, tante ricchezze le portò in dote pur imponendo un ridimensionamento della sua potenza e, sopratutto, propensione marittima) ?

Domande che rimarranno nel campo dell'ucronia: eppur penso che ci sarebbe andata meglio che coi piemontesi savoiardi.

Comunque veramente un gran saggio, scorrevole, leggibile. Rimane pur sempre un saggio storico, con tutte le controindicazioni del caso per chi non fosse appassionato dell'argomento.

Agli altri, lo consiglio caldamente.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am still reading this book after months and months, it seems. However, it is chock full of interesting details and tidbits about Venice and it's history and culture. Everytime I say I will quit reading it to go on to something else, it brings me back with some dramatic battles with Genoa or the Turks, or some bureaucratic admonitions to keep the republic functioning. Very detailed, but interesting none the less.

[Stefano Pettarin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un ottimo libro che racconta tutta la storia di Venezia dall'inizio con l'invasione barbariche concludendo con l'invasione di Napoleone e la successiva cessione all'impero Asburgico.
Il libro descrive la storia analizzando in campo marittimo, economico, sociale e politico, agricolo e militare della Repubblica ma indaga anche la pittura, l'architettura, i rapporti internazionali che la Serenissima aveva prima con i vari regni e poi con gli imperi su cui confinava. Analizza anche il rapporto con le colonie; insomma un modo devo dire diverso da come a scuola si racconta questa storia
Se posso aggiungere, il lavoro meticoloso e preciso dell'autore non appesantisce il suo scritto

[Vera]

Stupendo excursus sulla storia di Venezia scritto dal grande Lane, docente di storia e ricercatore. Il libro, frutto di lunghe ed impegnantive ricerche d'archivio, è specialistico ma la lettura risulta scorrevole ed interessante.

[AskHistorians]

Still the gold standard in Venetian history in English. More technical than Madden's recent work (below), but well worth a read for someone who wants to understand the interlocking pieces of Venetian society.

[Laginestra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Venezia dietro il suo velo di incanto senza tempo: la nascita della Repubblica, la vocazione marinara, il sistema mercantile, la svolta "terrestre", la più affascinante decandenza della storia...

[Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a no-holds-barred history book that looks at Venice from the point of view of its relationship with the sea. Of course, that’s what defines Venice, to the point of the ceremony called “wedding with the sea” that was held every year until the end of the Republic; OTOH, that’s not what we today know Venice for: its palaces, its art, and its Carnival.
Well, you’ll see zero references to the Carnival, although there are concessions to art and culture in a couple of chapters. What you will see is a detailed, and well-sourced, account of history of shippings, ships, and how it was financed and had an influence in the ebbs and flows of Venetian power.
It’s an inestimable source for that aspect of history. It’s not an easy to find book, either; I got it through inter-university lending. All in all, an interesting source, if not the kind you should read from cover to cover.

[Βαγγέλης · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to the library of Panteion University!

[Giada]

Capp. XVI-XXIX

[The Academic Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eccolo qui il vostro mattonone storico fatto da storici. Lane regala un testo minuziosamente documentato, su cui costruisce un'analisi solida dell'ascesa e del declino della Serenissima. Non scorrevole come il "Storia di Napoli" di Ghirelli (uscito per la stessa collana) questo saggio ha comunque i suoi momenti topici che valgono il "prezzo del biglietto"come l'analisi delle strategie navali della Repubblica o la descrizione della peste del 300. Se vi piace/siete interessati alla storia di Venezia, questo libro non sfigurerà nella vostra collezione!

[Al Maki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve found copies of this book translated from English into Italian in two different editions in Venetian book stores. If Italians are reading a history of their own country written in Baltimore it has to have some value. A detailed history of the Venetian Republic from its beginning as a refuge in the Adriatic swamps until its capitulation to Napoleon 1300 years later. Venice was a mercantile state, similar to modern-day Singapore, and if you can look at history through fluctuations in the exchange rate of gold and silver, it's for you. It's refreshing in that most books about Venice tend to mythologize whereas this one is examines the sources of the myths. Very well researched in the style of the Annales.

[Daphne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If "life is a series of events", as the wise ones say, Frederic C. Lane offers the reader a remarkable depiction of the opportunities lost and those taken by the Venetian people. He has produced an invaluable work on an illuminating slice of history.

[Jose Antonio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obra classica da História Marítima. Conta os feitos dos venezianos. Texto não traduzido para o português.

[Misterc · Rating 3 out of 5]

bellissimo affresco della storia secolare di venezia... molto preciso nello spiegare i motivi che hanno permesso la durata della repubblica

[Sunil Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read before and during a trip to Venice. Fantastic, detailed account of the history of Venice. Was recommended to me by a historian of Venice.