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Venice: A New History
An extraordinary chronicle of Venice, its people, and its grandeur
Thomas Madden’s majestic, sprawling history of Venice is the first full portrait of the city in English in almost thirty years. Using long-buried archival material and a wealth of newly translated documents, Madden has weaves a spellbinding story of a place and its people, tracing an arc from the city’s humble origins as a lagoon refuge to its apex as a vast maritime empire and Renaissance epicenter to its rebirth as a modern tourist hub.
Madden explores all aspects of Venice’s breathtaking achievements: the construction of its unparalleled navy, its role as an economic powerhouse and birthplace of capitalism, its popularization of opera, the stunning architecture of its watery environs, and more. He sets these in the context of the rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire, the endless waves of Crusades to the Holy Land, and the awesome power of Turkish sultans. And perhaps most critically, Madden corrects the stereotype of Shakespeare’s money-lending Shylock that has distorted the Venetian character, uncovering instead a much more complex and fascinating story, peopled by men and women whose ingenuity and deep faith profoundly altered the course of civilization.
Thomas Madden’s majestic, sprawling history of Venice is the first full portrait of the city in English in almost thirty years. Using long-buried archival material and a wealth of newly translated documents, Madden has weaves a spellbinding story of a place and its people, tracing an arc from the city’s humble origins as a lagoon refuge to its apex as a vast maritime empire and Renaissance epicenter to its rebirth as a modern tourist hub.
Madden explores all aspects of Venice’s breathtaking achievements: the construction of its unparalleled navy, its role as an economic powerhouse and birthplace of capitalism, its popularization of opera, the stunning architecture of its watery environs, and more. He sets these in the context of the rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire, the endless waves of Crusades to the Holy Land, and the awesome power of Turkish sultans. And perhaps most critically, Madden corrects the stereotype of Shakespeare’s money-lending Shylock that has distorted the Venetian character, uncovering instead a much more complex and fascinating story, peopled by men and women whose ingenuity and deep faith profoundly altered the course of civilization.
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2012
401 people are currently reading
2086 people want to read
About the author
Thomas F. Madden
43 books157 followersThomas F. Madden (born 1960) is an American historian, the Chair of the History Department at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, and Director of Saint Louis University's Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.
He is considered one of the foremost historians of the Crusades in the United States. He has frequently appeared in the media, as a consultant for various programs on the History Channel and National Public Radio.
In 2007, he was awarded the Haskins Medal from the Medieval Academy of America, for his book Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice, which was also a "Book of the Month" selection by the BBC History magazine.
He is considered one of the foremost historians of the Crusades in the United States. He has frequently appeared in the media, as a consultant for various programs on the History Channel and National Public Radio.
In 2007, he was awarded the Haskins Medal from the Medieval Academy of America, for his book Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice, which was also a "Book of the Month" selection by the BBC History magazine.
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September 1, 2015I never understood Venice before. Everything I read always said "Venice is different" or "except for Venice", and when I was there I was struck by how much it wasn't Western Europe, and I have read a bunch of stuff about it before, but it took reading this to make me understand. Venice isn't actually part of European civilization. It's a sibling civilization, also a descendant of our common Roman parent, but a completely different evolution. The Venetians fled from civilization to the lagoon when the Huns came, and they took with them their civilized city-based mindset, and they stayed there being a city with an economy and were never feudal -- they never did the city/villa/village thing that everywhere else did. They looked to Byzantium and then took over Byzantium and nobody understood them (I'm not the only one) and there they were for a thousand years, a Republic with the rule of law, right next to Italy and the Empire and also the Adriatic and looking East.
Fascinating city, fascinating book, highly recommended.
Fascinating city, fascinating book, highly recommended.
July 20, 2013
It does the job. There are lots of great anecdotes, the major periods are covered, and it is an easy, fun read that is written well. There is a habit, throughout, however, of treating Venice as an organic, living body, with a relatively undifferentiated populace (despite the recurring theme of shifts in power relations between doge, elites, etc.). Adjectives are attributed to the whole, and its history told in the style of a national history of the rise and fall of some great monumental creature. While Madden occasionally points out where one should be skeptical of popular tales, in other places, he doesn't see any trouble in describing events, speeches, and individual acts with a confident voice that we cannot possibly know with any certainty.
The aspect I found most frustrating however, is the book's habit of constantly acting as an apologist for Venice. We are constantly told how everyone has misunderstood poor Venice. Its surveillance institutions like the bucche were not oppressive, its justice system fair, its political institutions were really republican, its benevolent elites acted on behalf of the people, its plucky capitalists so progressive in comparison to those tired old landed elites in the rest of Italy, and so on. Madden writes with little reference or comparison with other republican experiments in the world (indeed sometimes you are left with the impression there were none). It is a story which would make the historical elites of Venice proud.
The period following the coming of Napoleon, naturally, is really a sad afternote. Now that the great lion has fallen, the rest of the book seems to merely go through the motions.
The aspect I found most frustrating however, is the book's habit of constantly acting as an apologist for Venice. We are constantly told how everyone has misunderstood poor Venice. Its surveillance institutions like the bucche were not oppressive, its justice system fair, its political institutions were really republican, its benevolent elites acted on behalf of the people, its plucky capitalists so progressive in comparison to those tired old landed elites in the rest of Italy, and so on. Madden writes with little reference or comparison with other republican experiments in the world (indeed sometimes you are left with the impression there were none). It is a story which would make the historical elites of Venice proud.
The period following the coming of Napoleon, naturally, is really a sad afternote. Now that the great lion has fallen, the rest of the book seems to merely go through the motions.
June 21, 2013
As the story of Venice unfolds with each chapter you can see that this author knows and loves his subject.
Without the Roman army to protect them, residents of the Italian peninsula were vulnerable. When the Huns invaded the lands at the north end of the Adriatic Sea, the residents fled to the islands of the lagoon. Thomas Madden shows how due to the unique geography these refugees started an unusual nation.
With no land for farming Venetians escaped feudalism and developed a complex democracy, much more inclusive than the other republics on the Italian peninsula. To survive they needed food and hence became masters of trade. These were early capitalists, in a world of controlled economies became extraordinarily wealthy. Venice as an independent republic lasted over 1000 years, ending with Napoleon (as Emperor) who was determined to make Venice a republic (which it already was) and free political prisoners (and there were none).
The history is rich and lively. Venice survived the fall of Constantinople, lead and contributed to Crusades and created great works in the Renaissance. Today its population is declining while the streets are filled with tourists who fuel the economy. It's aging infrastructure, built at sea level faces major challenges.
I'd like to see more books like this that provide history in a readable way. It takes knowledge and talent to distill thousands of years of people and events and create a readable narrative. Madden really succeeds.
Without the Roman army to protect them, residents of the Italian peninsula were vulnerable. When the Huns invaded the lands at the north end of the Adriatic Sea, the residents fled to the islands of the lagoon. Thomas Madden shows how due to the unique geography these refugees started an unusual nation.
With no land for farming Venetians escaped feudalism and developed a complex democracy, much more inclusive than the other republics on the Italian peninsula. To survive they needed food and hence became masters of trade. These were early capitalists, in a world of controlled economies became extraordinarily wealthy. Venice as an independent republic lasted over 1000 years, ending with Napoleon (as Emperor) who was determined to make Venice a republic (which it already was) and free political prisoners (and there were none).
The history is rich and lively. Venice survived the fall of Constantinople, lead and contributed to Crusades and created great works in the Renaissance. Today its population is declining while the streets are filled with tourists who fuel the economy. It's aging infrastructure, built at sea level faces major challenges.
I'd like to see more books like this that provide history in a readable way. It takes knowledge and talent to distill thousands of years of people and events and create a readable narrative. Madden really succeeds.
December 28, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2017
A succinct, vividly-written, and sweeping history of the city on the lagoon, and, moreover, of the Most Serene Republic of Venice that dominated Mediterranean trade for centuries. It's a new history, more compact than the magisterial history of Venice by John Julius Norwich, but goes further by telling the history of Venice from the fall of the Republic in 1798 to Bonaparte, and brings it up to the present day. This book also tells us of the city's contributions to art, literature, cinema and the Grand Tour -- indeed, its long relationship to world tourism from 1700 on. It's eye-opening in its story, not just of a beautiful city, but of the Most Serene Republic that built it over a milennium, and its unique and separate identity: in a medieval Italy fraught with intramural and dynastic strife, the Republic was remarkably stable and worldly. Highest recommendation.
May 6, 2020
既然看了義大利海洋城市
那就一起看威尼斯通史吧
印像中在此之前繁體書寫通史的
就只有鹽野七生的海都物語和廣場出的威尼斯共和國的故事
海都物語大學時看的而且只寫到共和國亡國
威尼斯共和國的故事四五年前只看了一半現在已忘得差不多了
這本應該是第三本繁中威尼斯通史吧
一路寫到現代的威尼斯
在中世紀到文復興時期
一個海洋城邦國家能以小國寡民稱霸地中海
和大鯨魚奧斯曼土耳其對抗數百年
不能不說威尼斯人真的很有一套
但是隨著地理大發現和民族國家的出現
國土太小終究無力對抗頹勢
不過威尼斯人還是很有彈性的轉為觀光城市繼續活下去
要不是碰上拿破崙，或是十人委員會的外交策略更彈性一些
威尼斯可能可以活到義大利統一才亡國吧
用幾百頁來介紹一個立國一千多年的國家
不免只能像流水帳一樣，有點可惜
我想知道的各時代政治制度著墨不多
不過做為入門已經很夠了
那就一起看威尼斯通史吧
印像中在此之前繁體書寫通史的
就只有鹽野七生的海都物語和廣場出的威尼斯共和國的故事
海都物語大學時看的而且只寫到共和國亡國
威尼斯共和國的故事四五年前只看了一半現在已忘得差不多了
這本應該是第三本繁中威尼斯通史吧
一路寫到現代的威尼斯
在中世紀到文復興時期
一個海洋城邦國家能以小國寡民稱霸地中海
和大鯨魚奧斯曼土耳其對抗數百年
不能不說威尼斯人真的很有一套
但是隨著地理大發現和民族國家的出現
國土太小終究無力對抗頹勢
不過威尼斯人還是很有彈性的轉為觀光城市繼續活下去
要不是碰上拿破崙，或是十人委員會的外交策略更彈性一些
威尼斯可能可以活到義大利統一才亡國吧
用幾百頁來介紹一個立國一千多年的國家
不免只能像流水帳一樣，有點可惜
我想知道的各時代政治制度著墨不多
不過做為入門已經很夠了
June 17, 2013
A rare breed--a truly popular history based on deep archival research. I learned a lot from this and enjoyed it as well (for instance, thank Attila for the foundation of Venice). He answers questions I didn't even know to ask: How did Venice's unique geographical situation create its particular political and economic situation? What was Venice's relation with the Byzantines (a Catholic Christian people and an Eastern Christian power)?
July 7, 2024
This is a wonderful introduction to the story of Venezia and its empire.
Although at over four hundred pages it seems very detailed, a lot is left unsaid. I happened to look up in Wikipedia a couple of events - for example, the Battle of Pola (1379) - and found that there was a lot more to the story than was
given here. Ideally, this would have been a several volume work.
The introductory nature of it all becomes bothersome when the information provided gives the wrong impression. For example, it talks about how "the Normans" conquered what became Normandy and later southern Italy. This makes it sound like one force pursuing a path of expansion. But really, the so-called Norman invasion of Italy was the story of some Normans not connected with the ruling family in Normandy who were already in Italy deciding to try to take over, which is very different.
On the other hand I really enjoyed many of the sections, such as those on trade, and on art and architecture. The latter are really fun because it doesn't just describe the works the way an art history does, but also discusses the origins. How did that church come to be? What was the purpose of this painting? And so on. If I were traveling to Venice again, I would definitely reread that chapter before going.
Finally, I completely agree with the author's remark that "guide books are where bad history goes to die". It's great that he is able to debunk some of the more popular myths here.
Although at over four hundred pages it seems very detailed, a lot is left unsaid. I happened to look up in Wikipedia a couple of events - for example, the Battle of Pola (1379) - and found that there was a lot more to the story than was
given here. Ideally, this would have been a several volume work.
The introductory nature of it all becomes bothersome when the information provided gives the wrong impression. For example, it talks about how "the Normans" conquered what became Normandy and later southern Italy. This makes it sound like one force pursuing a path of expansion. But really, the so-called Norman invasion of Italy was the story of some Normans not connected with the ruling family in Normandy who were already in Italy deciding to try to take over, which is very different.
On the other hand I really enjoyed many of the sections, such as those on trade, and on art and architecture. The latter are really fun because it doesn't just describe the works the way an art history does, but also discusses the origins. How did that church come to be? What was the purpose of this painting? And so on. If I were traveling to Venice again, I would definitely reread that chapter before going.
Finally, I completely agree with the author's remark that "guide books are where bad history goes to die". It's great that he is able to debunk some of the more popular myths here.
June 21, 2018
Listened to on Audible. A comprehensive history of Venice from its founding to the modern day. The book does a good job, I believe, separating the myth from the fact. Particularly good discussion of its early years (before 1400), especially regarding the Fourth Crusade and Venice's relations with Constantinople. The history correctly traces its decline to the rise of the age of exploration.
The author could be criticized for an uncritical view of Venice and its institutions. I felt the author's defense of contemporary attacks on Venice's piety were persuasive (Venice was a leading Crusader state but got tired of being left holding the bag and when other European powers failed to uphold their end of the bargain), but found his response to Enlightenment-era attacks that the government was oligarchic and "the 10" a terrifying secret police unpersuasive. With those caveats, this book is worth reading (or listening to).
The author could be criticized for an uncritical view of Venice and its institutions. I felt the author's defense of contemporary attacks on Venice's piety were persuasive (Venice was a leading Crusader state but got tired of being left holding the bag and when other European powers failed to uphold their end of the bargain), but found his response to Enlightenment-era attacks that the government was oligarchic and "the 10" a terrifying secret police unpersuasive. With those caveats, this book is worth reading (or listening to).
September 17, 2024
Es mi primer libro leído sobre la historia de Venecia y la verdad fue muy buena la experiencia, cómo menciona el autor es una historia accesible de este gran imperio, aunque la verdad el autor mencionó qué es su historia iba a tener varios actores, cosa que no llegue a apreciar mucho, puesto que era una historia más que todo política y algo económica, no había mucho componente social.
En el primer capítulo el autor nos afirma que se usó Venecia como un lugar para sobrevivir, las primeras personas que vivieron en Venecia eran pescadores, la primera llegada de personas a este lugar se debió a la invasión goda, algunos regresaron a sus lugares y otros se quedaron allí, pero las conquistas por parte de Atila el huno, lleva a que muchas personas huyeron hacia esta Laguna, estableciéndose el primer gobierno veneciano. Formándose una identidad veneciana entre Constantinopla y Roma, sus primeros pobladores vivían sencillamente y comiendo pescado, siendo su mayor fuente de riqueza la venta de sal. Los lombardos llevarían a la segunda fundación de Venecia ya que las incursiones de estos llevarían a más personas a vivir en Venecia.
En el segundo capítulo tenemos el nacimiento de Venecia como tal, se seleccionó al nuevo dogo, el cual era elegido por medio del pueblo a causa de la escasez de tierra en Venecia surgió la necesidad de comerciar, de allí que surgiera un espíritu capitalista e individualista entre los venecianos. El hijo de Carlomagno, Pipino, llevó a cabo una invasión a Venecia por el apoyo de estos hacia barcos bizantinos que atacaron su reino, No obstante, su empresa llevó a unificar a los venecianos en una causa común, detener la invasión, esta última, fracasó, Venecia ahora era jurisdicción del imperio bizantino, por lo que estos ayudaron a crear una nueva capital en Venecia, construyendo de paso un nuevo monasterio.
En el tercer capítulo tenemos el inicio de la vida comercial en Venecia, ante el fracaso de Bizancio de patrullar las aguas a causa de sus problemas internos, surgió entre los venecianos el interés de patrullar el mar adriático, surgió un nuevo peligro para Venecia, los magiares, los cuales llegaron a conquistar varias tierras al norte de Italia, aunque nuevamente los venecianos pudieron detener la posible invasión, posterior a esto surgió una época tranquila, en donde se dieron los primeros inicios de lo que sería el gran Consejo de Venecia, los normandos se posicionaron como los nuevos enemigos de Constantinopla, frente a esto Venecia apoyó a los bizantinos, creándose los primeros buques y galeras venecianos, en estas guerras al fin y al triunfo Venecia que logró acceder a los ricos puertos comerciales bizantinos, además de tener soberanía en Dalmacia y Croacia. Su nueva prosperidad se vio en la nueva iglesia de San Marcos.
En la primera cruzada Venecia invirtió mucho, construyendo muchos barcos para los cruzados, los venecianos fueron favorecidos gracias a los nuevos puertos comerciales y al negocio de llevar peregrinos a tierra Santo, los venecianos también llevaron a cabo una cruzada en la que lograron una victoria contra los musulmanes, con los años el estado veneciano no interferiría en los asuntos de la Iglesia, algo muy innovador para la época medieval. Un acontecimiento marcaría la ruptura entre las cordiales relaciones entre Venecia y el imperio bizantino, el encarcelamiento de los comerciantes venecianos, los cuales fueron 20.000, los venecianos se enfurecieron, querían una venganza contra los bizantinos, pero estos intentos fracasaron por tratar de solucionarlo por medios diplomáticos, la represión contra los venecianos fue por no apoyar a los bizantinos en invadir el sur de Italia y también por sus acercamientos a Génova.
Venecia sería partícipe de la Liga lombarda con el objetivo de detener a Barbarroja, el emperador del sacro imperio romano germánico. Muchos refugiados del norte de Italia llegaron a Venecia, sería en este mismo lugar que el papá firmaría la paz con Federico, acontecimiento que sería muy importante para la historia de Venecia. Mientras tanto en Venecia un nuevo emperador bizantino alentó la masacre contra los católicos occidentales, acto del que se salvaron los venecianos puesto que estaban en la cárcel, este acto hizo que Génova le declarara la guerra al imperio bizantino, frente a esto el emperador buscaría ayuda de Venecia liberando a los rehenes y devolviendo a los comerciantes venecianos a sus puestos comerciales. En Zara, un dominio veneciano, se está revelando contra Venecia, por lo que era necesario actuar.
En el capítulo 6 encontramos uno de los acontecimientos más importantes de la historia de Venecia la cuarta cruzada, la cual fue alentada por las victorias de Saladino en Tierra Santa, los francos buscarían ayuda de Venecia gracias a sus enormes recursos marítimos, por lo que la próxima cruzada sería por vía marítima y no terrestre, esta nueva cruzada sería muy grande y se dirigiría contra Egipto, Venecia apoyó esta cruzada a cambio de mucho dinero, empezando así una de las más grandes empresas que había hecho inicia la construcción de numerosas embarcaciones, como las poderosas galeras de guerra, muchos cruzados llegaron a la ciudad, pero eran muy desorganizados puesto que no eran militares como los conocemos en día, frente al gran coste que suponía esta cruzada antes de llegar a su objetivo era necesario reconquistar Zara, pero había un problema, este lugar está bajo la protección papal, lo que causó muchos conflictos a futuro, la ciudad caería y se llevaría a cabo una gran masacre.
Un sucesor del trono del imperio bizantino llegaría ante los cruzados con el objetivo de buscar ayuda para que le sea regresado su corona, a cambio este pagaría una cuantiosa suma a los cruzados y sería obediente al papá, aunque se tiene la creencia que fue Venecia la que impulsó la conquista de Constantinopla, lo cierto es que otros líderes cruzados ya habían negociado con deponer al emperador bizantino, con esto en mente los cruzados llegaron a Constantinopla empezando los primeros ataques en contra de esta capital, el emperador huiría de Constantinopla y el nuevo emperador no podría pagar el dinero que había acordado, por lo que se saqueó la capital del imperio, la muerte este emperador iniciaría una guerra entre los bizantinos y los cruzados, luego de esto se eligió un nuevo emperador, con el apoyo de los franceses y los venecianos, estos últimos adquirieron Creta y una parte del imperio bizantino, surge así el imperio de Venecia.
La cuarta cruzada destruyó mucho de la actividad comercial en Venecia, pero estos sacarían provecho del rico comercio de Constantinopla, eso no querían hacerse del poder del imperio bizantino pues será muy difícil y riesgoso, los venecianos también aprovecharon la ruta de la seda controlada por los mongoles, pero en esta época la rivalidad entre Venecia y Génova empezaría a generarse, con la reconquista de los griegos del trono bizantino, los genoveses se harían muy ricos gracias al comercio en el mar negro, aunque posteriormente los venecianos volverían a Constantinopla, posterior a esto se nos describen todas las aventuras de Marco polo, así como la orden de los franciscanos y los dominicanos, lo que muestra el gran apoyo de la clase alta a la iglesia de Venecia.
En 1289 se mostró la necesidad de reformar el Consejo de Venecia, puesto que nuevas personas querían entrar, una reforma haría mucha más fácil la entrada del Consejo, aunque posteriormente se cerraría la puerta para nuevos miembros, aunque ello no implicó una mayor oligarquía, para acceder a la nobleza veneciana era fácil, por lo que se evitó futuros conflictos, es decir, que las personas ricas tenían una forma fácil de movilidad social. La caída de Acre afectó mucho la economía de Venecia ya que no pudo acceder a los mercados orientales, por lo que debía buscar nuevos mercados, uno de estos estaba en el mar negro donde los genoveses eran muy hostiles hacia los venecianos, posteriormente se nos describe un intento de golpe de Estado el cual fracasa estrepitosamente, los intentos de los hermanos Della Scala, de conquistar el norte de Italia, fracasaron, ayudando a Venecia a tener por primera vez territorios terrestres.
Venecia como otras ciudades europeas, fue afectada por la peste negra, en la que murió la mitad de su población, se construyeron los primeros hospitales allí y surgió la cuarentena, pese a las múltiples guerras de Génova esto es vería su fin hacia 1355 por ahora, ya que los nuevos gobernantes de Génova no estaban interesados en una guerra, En esta época Venecia sería expulsada de Dalmacia por parte del Rey de un Hungría, aunque establecería nexos comerciales con Siria y Egipto para atraer especias. Nuevamente surgirán tensiones entre genoveses y venecianos, pero un nuevo enemigo supondría un gran peligro para los venecianos, los turcos otomanos. La Guerra de Chioggia, sería la última y la más grande guerra entre las dos potencias marítimas, Génova se aliaría con Hungría y Venecia con Milán, en un primer momento los genoveses se pudieron hacer con el dominio del adriático, al punto de casi conquistar Venecia en su totalidad, aunque un contra ataque veneciano daría marcha atrás a este logro, serían 1381 que se firmaría finalmente la paz, posteriormente también Venecia adquirirán nuevos territorios, lo que haría que para el 1410 el comercio veneciano fuera muy grande.
Aunque para el 1400 el imperio bizantino ya era un imperio moribundo, Venecia seguía manteniendo negocios con estos, bueno eso se le fue entregada la segunda capital del imperio bizantino tesalónica, aunque resistieron ante las grandes embestidas de los otomanos, hostia ciudad caería a manos de los turcos, estos últimos se empezarían a interrumpir el comercio veneciano, que sería aún más afectado con la caída de Constantinopla, Venecia fue 1 de los pocos estados occidentales que apoyó hasta el final la resistencia bizantina.
Luego de esto el autor no se hace mención sobre el ámbito económico de Venecia, sería este país y nadie los que empezaría a acuñar monedas, puesto que usaban las monedas bizantinas pero éstas se empezaron a devaluar, los venecianos también de innovaron en el Banco de depósito, también estaban allí los primeros banqueros, que llevaron a cabo los primeros préstamos, esta tarea era llevado a cabo en un principio por judíos, aunque luego los locales también realizaron esta actividad, puesto que la iglesia dejó de ver mal a la usura, se invertían también en viajes, y se desarrolló la contabilidad en Venecia con ayuda de la adopción de los números arábicos. En Venecia también se crearon galeras mercantiles, en pocas palabras en Venecia el capitalismo creció a base de la libertad y la libre empresa.
Los otomanos seguirán expandiéndose aún más, poniendo aún más presión para Venecia, que sabían que no podían hacer nada contra este enemigo formidable, pese a que para 1490 Venecia había tenido algunas pérdidas territoriales, seguía siendo toda una potencia, para el siglo XVI, los portugueses ya habían empezado a hacer negocio en la exportación de especias desde la India, pese a esto, el negocio de las especies de Venecia siguió siendo rentable por mucho tiempo. Luego de esto el autor nos expone todo el arte veneciano, y los artistas que allí estuvieron, importantes para el Renacimiento. Siguiendo con los otomanos, estos seguirán expandiéndose, lo que inevitablemente marcó el inicio de la guerra entre venecianos y otomanos, donde los primeros perderían muchos territorios, como la caída de Chipre o la entrega de Creta, con los años venideros estas dos potencias serían eclipsadas por las nuevas que estaban surgiendo en Europa, Venecia frente a esto adquiere una posición neutral.
Con el inicio de la decadencia en Venecia se convertiría en una atracción turística para la nueva burguesía europea, unos de los más interesados fueron los ingleses, ya que vivía en similitudes en Venecia con su ciudad, posterior a esto se nos describe la relación entre Estados Unidos y Venecia, para finales del siglo XVIII, Napoleón se haría De Venecia, poniendo fin a esta República, aunque posteriormente se le devolverán a los Habsburgo, Napoleón regresaría nuevamente, trayendo consigo varios cambios hacia esta ciudad, con la derrota de Napoleón, se le devolverán a Venecia muchos tesoros que le habían sido usurpado a manos de los franceses, Venecia no sería ajeno a la modernización del siglo XIX, así como tampoco fue ajena a las revoluciones nacionales, donde lograría unirse a la nueva República italiana.
Para el siglo XX empezarían nuevas construcciones modernas en Venecia, en la Primera Guerra mundial no fue tan afectada pese a los bombardeos y en la Segunda Guerra mundial tampoco tuvo mucho impacto en esta guerra, los estadounidenses empezaron a viajar mucho a Venecia, gracias a las películas que se proyectaba, los problemas para Venecia empezaron a surgir con una inundación, lo que llevó a la creación de diferentes organizaciones para salvar a Venecia, también esta ciudad se volvió un destino turístico mundial, al punto de que los turistas son tanto amados como odiados.
En conclusión, es un buen libro, pero mirando en retrospectiva no aborda mucho el tema económico de Venecia, es una historia general, pero sería interesante más abordar cómo fue la relación de los venecianos con los diferentes actores económicos, por ejemplo, no se mencionó la guerra que enfrentó Venecia contra Portugal.
En el primer capítulo el autor nos afirma que se usó Venecia como un lugar para sobrevivir, las primeras personas que vivieron en Venecia eran pescadores, la primera llegada de personas a este lugar se debió a la invasión goda, algunos regresaron a sus lugares y otros se quedaron allí, pero las conquistas por parte de Atila el huno, lleva a que muchas personas huyeron hacia esta Laguna, estableciéndose el primer gobierno veneciano. Formándose una identidad veneciana entre Constantinopla y Roma, sus primeros pobladores vivían sencillamente y comiendo pescado, siendo su mayor fuente de riqueza la venta de sal. Los lombardos llevarían a la segunda fundación de Venecia ya que las incursiones de estos llevarían a más personas a vivir en Venecia.
En el segundo capítulo tenemos el nacimiento de Venecia como tal, se seleccionó al nuevo dogo, el cual era elegido por medio del pueblo a causa de la escasez de tierra en Venecia surgió la necesidad de comerciar, de allí que surgiera un espíritu capitalista e individualista entre los venecianos. El hijo de Carlomagno, Pipino, llevó a cabo una invasión a Venecia por el apoyo de estos hacia barcos bizantinos que atacaron su reino, No obstante, su empresa llevó a unificar a los venecianos en una causa común, detener la invasión, esta última, fracasó, Venecia ahora era jurisdicción del imperio bizantino, por lo que estos ayudaron a crear una nueva capital en Venecia, construyendo de paso un nuevo monasterio.
En el tercer capítulo tenemos el inicio de la vida comercial en Venecia, ante el fracaso de Bizancio de patrullar las aguas a causa de sus problemas internos, surgió entre los venecianos el interés de patrullar el mar adriático, surgió un nuevo peligro para Venecia, los magiares, los cuales llegaron a conquistar varias tierras al norte de Italia, aunque nuevamente los venecianos pudieron detener la posible invasión, posterior a esto surgió una época tranquila, en donde se dieron los primeros inicios de lo que sería el gran Consejo de Venecia, los normandos se posicionaron como los nuevos enemigos de Constantinopla, frente a esto Venecia apoyó a los bizantinos, creándose los primeros buques y galeras venecianos, en estas guerras al fin y al triunfo Venecia que logró acceder a los ricos puertos comerciales bizantinos, además de tener soberanía en Dalmacia y Croacia. Su nueva prosperidad se vio en la nueva iglesia de San Marcos.
En la primera cruzada Venecia invirtió mucho, construyendo muchos barcos para los cruzados, los venecianos fueron favorecidos gracias a los nuevos puertos comerciales y al negocio de llevar peregrinos a tierra Santo, los venecianos también llevaron a cabo una cruzada en la que lograron una victoria contra los musulmanes, con los años el estado veneciano no interferiría en los asuntos de la Iglesia, algo muy innovador para la época medieval. Un acontecimiento marcaría la ruptura entre las cordiales relaciones entre Venecia y el imperio bizantino, el encarcelamiento de los comerciantes venecianos, los cuales fueron 20.000, los venecianos se enfurecieron, querían una venganza contra los bizantinos, pero estos intentos fracasaron por tratar de solucionarlo por medios diplomáticos, la represión contra los venecianos fue por no apoyar a los bizantinos en invadir el sur de Italia y también por sus acercamientos a Génova.
Venecia sería partícipe de la Liga lombarda con el objetivo de detener a Barbarroja, el emperador del sacro imperio romano germánico. Muchos refugiados del norte de Italia llegaron a Venecia, sería en este mismo lugar que el papá firmaría la paz con Federico, acontecimiento que sería muy importante para la historia de Venecia. Mientras tanto en Venecia un nuevo emperador bizantino alentó la masacre contra los católicos occidentales, acto del que se salvaron los venecianos puesto que estaban en la cárcel, este acto hizo que Génova le declarara la guerra al imperio bizantino, frente a esto el emperador buscaría ayuda de Venecia liberando a los rehenes y devolviendo a los comerciantes venecianos a sus puestos comerciales. En Zara, un dominio veneciano, se está revelando contra Venecia, por lo que era necesario actuar.
En el capítulo 6 encontramos uno de los acontecimientos más importantes de la historia de Venecia la cuarta cruzada, la cual fue alentada por las victorias de Saladino en Tierra Santa, los francos buscarían ayuda de Venecia gracias a sus enormes recursos marítimos, por lo que la próxima cruzada sería por vía marítima y no terrestre, esta nueva cruzada sería muy grande y se dirigiría contra Egipto, Venecia apoyó esta cruzada a cambio de mucho dinero, empezando así una de las más grandes empresas que había hecho inicia la construcción de numerosas embarcaciones, como las poderosas galeras de guerra, muchos cruzados llegaron a la ciudad, pero eran muy desorganizados puesto que no eran militares como los conocemos en día, frente al gran coste que suponía esta cruzada antes de llegar a su objetivo era necesario reconquistar Zara, pero había un problema, este lugar está bajo la protección papal, lo que causó muchos conflictos a futuro, la ciudad caería y se llevaría a cabo una gran masacre.
Un sucesor del trono del imperio bizantino llegaría ante los cruzados con el objetivo de buscar ayuda para que le sea regresado su corona, a cambio este pagaría una cuantiosa suma a los cruzados y sería obediente al papá, aunque se tiene la creencia que fue Venecia la que impulsó la conquista de Constantinopla, lo cierto es que otros líderes cruzados ya habían negociado con deponer al emperador bizantino, con esto en mente los cruzados llegaron a Constantinopla empezando los primeros ataques en contra de esta capital, el emperador huiría de Constantinopla y el nuevo emperador no podría pagar el dinero que había acordado, por lo que se saqueó la capital del imperio, la muerte este emperador iniciaría una guerra entre los bizantinos y los cruzados, luego de esto se eligió un nuevo emperador, con el apoyo de los franceses y los venecianos, estos últimos adquirieron Creta y una parte del imperio bizantino, surge así el imperio de Venecia.
La cuarta cruzada destruyó mucho de la actividad comercial en Venecia, pero estos sacarían provecho del rico comercio de Constantinopla, eso no querían hacerse del poder del imperio bizantino pues será muy difícil y riesgoso, los venecianos también aprovecharon la ruta de la seda controlada por los mongoles, pero en esta época la rivalidad entre Venecia y Génova empezaría a generarse, con la reconquista de los griegos del trono bizantino, los genoveses se harían muy ricos gracias al comercio en el mar negro, aunque posteriormente los venecianos volverían a Constantinopla, posterior a esto se nos describen todas las aventuras de Marco polo, así como la orden de los franciscanos y los dominicanos, lo que muestra el gran apoyo de la clase alta a la iglesia de Venecia.
En 1289 se mostró la necesidad de reformar el Consejo de Venecia, puesto que nuevas personas querían entrar, una reforma haría mucha más fácil la entrada del Consejo, aunque posteriormente se cerraría la puerta para nuevos miembros, aunque ello no implicó una mayor oligarquía, para acceder a la nobleza veneciana era fácil, por lo que se evitó futuros conflictos, es decir, que las personas ricas tenían una forma fácil de movilidad social. La caída de Acre afectó mucho la economía de Venecia ya que no pudo acceder a los mercados orientales, por lo que debía buscar nuevos mercados, uno de estos estaba en el mar negro donde los genoveses eran muy hostiles hacia los venecianos, posteriormente se nos describe un intento de golpe de Estado el cual fracasa estrepitosamente, los intentos de los hermanos Della Scala, de conquistar el norte de Italia, fracasaron, ayudando a Venecia a tener por primera vez territorios terrestres.
Venecia como otras ciudades europeas, fue afectada por la peste negra, en la que murió la mitad de su población, se construyeron los primeros hospitales allí y surgió la cuarentena, pese a las múltiples guerras de Génova esto es vería su fin hacia 1355 por ahora, ya que los nuevos gobernantes de Génova no estaban interesados en una guerra, En esta época Venecia sería expulsada de Dalmacia por parte del Rey de un Hungría, aunque establecería nexos comerciales con Siria y Egipto para atraer especias. Nuevamente surgirán tensiones entre genoveses y venecianos, pero un nuevo enemigo supondría un gran peligro para los venecianos, los turcos otomanos. La Guerra de Chioggia, sería la última y la más grande guerra entre las dos potencias marítimas, Génova se aliaría con Hungría y Venecia con Milán, en un primer momento los genoveses se pudieron hacer con el dominio del adriático, al punto de casi conquistar Venecia en su totalidad, aunque un contra ataque veneciano daría marcha atrás a este logro, serían 1381 que se firmaría finalmente la paz, posteriormente también Venecia adquirirán nuevos territorios, lo que haría que para el 1410 el comercio veneciano fuera muy grande.
Aunque para el 1400 el imperio bizantino ya era un imperio moribundo, Venecia seguía manteniendo negocios con estos, bueno eso se le fue entregada la segunda capital del imperio bizantino tesalónica, aunque resistieron ante las grandes embestidas de los otomanos, hostia ciudad caería a manos de los turcos, estos últimos se empezarían a interrumpir el comercio veneciano, que sería aún más afectado con la caída de Constantinopla, Venecia fue 1 de los pocos estados occidentales que apoyó hasta el final la resistencia bizantina.
Luego de esto el autor no se hace mención sobre el ámbito económico de Venecia, sería este país y nadie los que empezaría a acuñar monedas, puesto que usaban las monedas bizantinas pero éstas se empezaron a devaluar, los venecianos también de innovaron en el Banco de depósito, también estaban allí los primeros banqueros, que llevaron a cabo los primeros préstamos, esta tarea era llevado a cabo en un principio por judíos, aunque luego los locales también realizaron esta actividad, puesto que la iglesia dejó de ver mal a la usura, se invertían también en viajes, y se desarrolló la contabilidad en Venecia con ayuda de la adopción de los números arábicos. En Venecia también se crearon galeras mercantiles, en pocas palabras en Venecia el capitalismo creció a base de la libertad y la libre empresa.
Los otomanos seguirán expandiéndose aún más, poniendo aún más presión para Venecia, que sabían que no podían hacer nada contra este enemigo formidable, pese a que para 1490 Venecia había tenido algunas pérdidas territoriales, seguía siendo toda una potencia, para el siglo XVI, los portugueses ya habían empezado a hacer negocio en la exportación de especias desde la India, pese a esto, el negocio de las especies de Venecia siguió siendo rentable por mucho tiempo. Luego de esto el autor nos expone todo el arte veneciano, y los artistas que allí estuvieron, importantes para el Renacimiento. Siguiendo con los otomanos, estos seguirán expandiéndose, lo que inevitablemente marcó el inicio de la guerra entre venecianos y otomanos, donde los primeros perderían muchos territorios, como la caída de Chipre o la entrega de Creta, con los años venideros estas dos potencias serían eclipsadas por las nuevas que estaban surgiendo en Europa, Venecia frente a esto adquiere una posición neutral.
Con el inicio de la decadencia en Venecia se convertiría en una atracción turística para la nueva burguesía europea, unos de los más interesados fueron los ingleses, ya que vivía en similitudes en Venecia con su ciudad, posterior a esto se nos describe la relación entre Estados Unidos y Venecia, para finales del siglo XVIII, Napoleón se haría De Venecia, poniendo fin a esta República, aunque posteriormente se le devolverán a los Habsburgo, Napoleón regresaría nuevamente, trayendo consigo varios cambios hacia esta ciudad, con la derrota de Napoleón, se le devolverán a Venecia muchos tesoros que le habían sido usurpado a manos de los franceses, Venecia no sería ajeno a la modernización del siglo XIX, así como tampoco fue ajena a las revoluciones nacionales, donde lograría unirse a la nueva República italiana.
Para el siglo XX empezarían nuevas construcciones modernas en Venecia, en la Primera Guerra mundial no fue tan afectada pese a los bombardeos y en la Segunda Guerra mundial tampoco tuvo mucho impacto en esta guerra, los estadounidenses empezaron a viajar mucho a Venecia, gracias a las películas que se proyectaba, los problemas para Venecia empezaron a surgir con una inundación, lo que llevó a la creación de diferentes organizaciones para salvar a Venecia, también esta ciudad se volvió un destino turístico mundial, al punto de que los turistas son tanto amados como odiados.
En conclusión, es un buen libro, pero mirando en retrospectiva no aborda mucho el tema económico de Venecia, es una historia general, pero sería interesante más abordar cómo fue la relación de los venecianos con los diferentes actores económicos, por ejemplo, no se mencionó la guerra que enfrentó Venecia contra Portugal.
June 28, 2014
Picked this up on a whim and was initially bored: too many dates, not enough people. But I really got into it. The author argues that Venice was not the oligarchy most have assumed because there were no hereditary rulers but an elected Doge whose sons could not inherit his position. Elections were carried out by an elaborate series of committees working one after another, organized in such a way that no one person could either dominate or or form a clique to so. Furthermore there were multiple ways in which common people could work themselves into the governing bodies so Venice was not just a rich man's empire. And there was no nobility.
Venice, which during much of its existence was an empire including much territory in what is now northern Italy, land across the Adriatic, islands like Crete, even Constantinople at one point, was primarily a business and made decisions deliberately and with both eyes to the future. Venice's business was ship building and trading, mostly around the Med. But you remember Marco Polo? He was the younger son of a wealthy Venetian merchant to traveled to China and later when he languished in jail during one of the wars with Genoa, he wrote about it.
Venetians were sailors and businessmen who governed themselves without a King or Sultan and whose government lasted longer than Rome. It was Napoleon who shut it down in the name of the ideals of the French Revolution and demanded it release all its political prisoners (there were now).
This is a very upbeat history (biog.) of an empire and a city and it ends with a plea for preservation (and hopes for fewer tourists and cruise ships). I'm no specialist in the history of this region, but I enjoyed the book enormously.
The book is pretty new, published in 2012.
Venice, which during much of its existence was an empire including much territory in what is now northern Italy, land across the Adriatic, islands like Crete, even Constantinople at one point, was primarily a business and made decisions deliberately and with both eyes to the future. Venice's business was ship building and trading, mostly around the Med. But you remember Marco Polo? He was the younger son of a wealthy Venetian merchant to traveled to China and later when he languished in jail during one of the wars with Genoa, he wrote about it.
Venetians were sailors and businessmen who governed themselves without a King or Sultan and whose government lasted longer than Rome. It was Napoleon who shut it down in the name of the ideals of the French Revolution and demanded it release all its political prisoners (there were now).
This is a very upbeat history (biog.) of an empire and a city and it ends with a plea for preservation (and hopes for fewer tourists and cruise ships). I'm no specialist in the history of this region, but I enjoyed the book enormously.
The book is pretty new, published in 2012.
September 4, 2016
This book traces the history across the centuries of the city called the jewel of the lagoon. The magnificent city and its fiercely independent people are the protagonists, this famous conservative republic based on international commerce and trade, that valued stability and, of course, money (aka sghei).
The reader travels across time from humble beginning as a community of refugees to the peaks of its medieval power, from its renaissance splendour to its inevitable commercial decline, from Napoleon’s crushing conquest to the city of today, overrun by tourists.
The books provides the historical background to many of the city sights (Zanipolo, I Frari, Arsenale, Lazaretto, Bridge of sighs, Rialto etc.), and recounts the interesting life of some of her famous sons (Enrico Dandolo, Marco Polo, Carlo Zeno and Vettor Pisani, Casanova) and influential artists (Tiziano, Tintoretto, Palladio, Tiepolo, Vivaldi and Byron).
Recommended as an introduction to anyone planning a visit to this beautifully unique city or interested in its history. It covers in more detail the same content included in the earlier released audio-course The Modern Scholar: A History of Venice: Queen of the Seas by the same author, which I’d also recommended if you prefer to learn with your ears.
3.5 stars
The reader travels across time from humble beginning as a community of refugees to the peaks of its medieval power, from its renaissance splendour to its inevitable commercial decline, from Napoleon’s crushing conquest to the city of today, overrun by tourists.
The books provides the historical background to many of the city sights (Zanipolo, I Frari, Arsenale, Lazaretto, Bridge of sighs, Rialto etc.), and recounts the interesting life of some of her famous sons (Enrico Dandolo, Marco Polo, Carlo Zeno and Vettor Pisani, Casanova) and influential artists (Tiziano, Tintoretto, Palladio, Tiepolo, Vivaldi and Byron).
Recommended as an introduction to anyone planning a visit to this beautifully unique city or interested in its history. It covers in more detail the same content included in the earlier released audio-course The Modern Scholar: A History of Venice: Queen of the Seas by the same author, which I’d also recommended if you prefer to learn with your ears.
3.5 stars
April 14, 2020
I never knew Venice had such a fascinating and complex history! The author does a great job integrating lots of interesting factoids in a readable and well presented chronology. I would definitely recommend this book. The last chapters, dealing with recent history, seem a bit rushed and sporadic - in part I suppose because the more recent events haven't been worn, and smoothed, by the sands of time.
April 10, 2019
Fascinating history of one of the world's most powerful commercial empires. What it really lacked -- and needed desperately, in my opinion -- was maps showing the cities and various borders the author describes, particularly since the borders tended to shift throughout history. Still, an enjoyable read for any student of history.
March 15, 2017
I've been meaning to read this history of Venice for a while, and thoroughly enjoyed it when I did. As always, Thomas F Madden is an engaging writer, and the book is very readable, walking a good line between explaining what makes Venice such a fascinating, romantic place; and paying proper heed to the more mundane aspects of its history, such as banking and finance.
Madden is very concerned to right what he sees as misconceptions about the Republic of Venice, arguing that it was not an oligarchy (literally, rule of the few - he points out that a much greater percentage of Venetian citizens had a role in the governing body than do, for example, American citizens) and that for most of its history its people were among the most free in the world. He's fairly persuasive in arguing that the Venetians did not plan the sack of Constantinople for their own gain (the Venetian economy relied almost solely on a stable, peaceful Mediterranean under the Byzantine empire), but I felt that he probably emphasised the not-so-well-known positives of life in Venice, at the expense of more commonly accepted negatives (which it would have been nice to know more about).
The history mainly focuses on the medieval period, and becomes sketchier after the 1500s. But I very much enjoyed it.
Madden is very concerned to right what he sees as misconceptions about the Republic of Venice, arguing that it was not an oligarchy (literally, rule of the few - he points out that a much greater percentage of Venetian citizens had a role in the governing body than do, for example, American citizens) and that for most of its history its people were among the most free in the world. He's fairly persuasive in arguing that the Venetians did not plan the sack of Constantinople for their own gain (the Venetian economy relied almost solely on a stable, peaceful Mediterranean under the Byzantine empire), but I felt that he probably emphasised the not-so-well-known positives of life in Venice, at the expense of more commonly accepted negatives (which it would have been nice to know more about).
The history mainly focuses on the medieval period, and becomes sketchier after the 1500s. But I very much enjoyed it.
March 7, 2019
If you are looking for a perfect book about the history of Venice before travelling to this city or just out of overall curiosity for its history, don't look any further. This book is engaging, well written and informative. The history of Venice is presented since its establishment to the present time in a well-researched, balanced and vivid way. I really liked it!
March 21, 2023
The book seems quite comprehensive. If there is a more comprehensive volume please let me know.
Straight forward and covering a variety of topics. It’s a bit dry reading about the wonderful art because there are no illustrations to help with the visuals so the reader has to leave the history to look for examples. An Amazon city with a really rich history. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to do a bit of history and armchair travel. There are a few atmospheric discussions left out like a discussion of Turners paintings and a few other major works not discussed but then there is a lot of good early and medieval topics written about at length.
Straight forward and covering a variety of topics. It’s a bit dry reading about the wonderful art because there are no illustrations to help with the visuals so the reader has to leave the history to look for examples. An Amazon city with a really rich history. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to do a bit of history and armchair travel. There are a few atmospheric discussions left out like a discussion of Turners paintings and a few other major works not discussed but then there is a lot of good early and medieval topics written about at length.
September 21, 2025
I had high hopes for this book, but the writing style, often involving double usage of the same adjective in one or bordering sentences, made its flow choppy at best. Furthermore, the tidbit commentary inside parentheses should have been remanded to footnotes for purposes of clarity.
December 29, 2022
Very informative and interesting to read, but gets too US-centric in the last chapter.
July 18, 2024
I simply can't get into this book. I read a lot of history books like this one (just read Foundation by Peter Ackroyd and inhaled it) but this book never grabbed my attention. I was interested in the early years of Venice more than anything, how such a strange location ended up basically ruling the world, but even those sections couldn't hold my interest. Not sure if the history of Venice just isn't that exciting or if it's because of the way it's written about in this book.
July 18, 2021
3.5 stars
Initially this was a 5 star read for me. It’s super entertaining and informative. But then I did some independent research into Venice and realized it was a major slave trading port, especially in the early medieval period but through the Renaissance. This put into doubt the rest of the material in the book. I did enjoy reading about the relationship between Venice and the US. It was a nice change from reading solely about Europeans in Venice. Still, I would recommend you read another book about Venice in addition to this one if you really want to learn about its history.
Initially this was a 5 star read for me. It’s super entertaining and informative. But then I did some independent research into Venice and realized it was a major slave trading port, especially in the early medieval period but through the Renaissance. This put into doubt the rest of the material in the book. I did enjoy reading about the relationship between Venice and the US. It was a nice change from reading solely about Europeans in Venice. Still, I would recommend you read another book about Venice in addition to this one if you really want to learn about its history.
March 8, 2017
I note that this is the only history of Venice that I have read, so I cannot compare it to rival works. It's an accessible, informative overview of Venetian history from the fifth century right through to the twenty-first century. For the most part, I found it readable and entertaining, though at times it was wearing to keep track of the names of the different doges, etc.
The author did an excellent job of emphasizing enduring features, such as the fact that Venice was--for over a millenium--the lone republic in the world, and that it looked toward Byzantium rather than Western Europe for most of that time. There are an abundance of fascinating, sometimes gruesome, details. Recommended for those with an interest in Venice.
The author did an excellent job of emphasizing enduring features, such as the fact that Venice was--for over a millenium--the lone republic in the world, and that it looked toward Byzantium rather than Western Europe for most of that time. There are an abundance of fascinating, sometimes gruesome, details. Recommended for those with an interest in Venice.
May 25, 2022
A very readable yet scholarly overview of Venetian history. Madden doesn’t get bogged down in the details of individual wars (the machinations of Italian coalitions can get pretty wild) but thoughtfully considers institutions, economics, and societal developments. Yet, we’re still treated to some delightfully weird medieval events, such as when the Byzantine Emperor had to pawn the Crown of Thorns(!)
Founded by Romans fleeing to the lagoons to avoid Huns & Goths, for over 1,300 years after the fall of the Roman Empire, Venice stood as an independent successor state & ultimately the last branch of the empire (after the final defeat of the Byzantines). For much of that period, Venice was the only republic in the world. Not at all coincidently, it was also perhaps the most prosperous city on Earth for much of this period. While generally an oligopolistic republic, political power was fairly broad-based and Venetian institutions were designed to prevent corruption / capture by special interests. By Medieval standards, Venice clearly had the best government and institutions that effectively encouraged development & prosperity. The cause & effect between good governance and a prosperous merchant class are complicated, but likely Venice benefited from a virtuous cycle that allowed it to dominate Eastern trade. It is noted that unlike other Italian cities, the palaces in Venice did not have built-up defense - those were unnecessary as civil violence was rare and the government was believed to be legitimate & generally good.
Madden makes the point that Venice frequently suffered bad press (and continues to) …Generally priests, writers, and historians are skeptical of businessmen. Also, with its connections to the East, Venice seemed vaguely exotic/foreign to Europeans. So for example: Despite being the most frequent/reliable Crusader state, Venice was frequently alleged to be undermining Crusades. Furthermore, despite the tremendous success of its republican government, Venice was never really embraced by early modern liberals (including the USA, in the two decades the states overlapped). This culminated in the independent republic being ended by Napoleon who, somewhat ridiculously, accused the Venice of being tyrannical (Napoleon kept demanding Venice release its political prisoners, even though Venice had none). Yet, even if not for Napoleon, Venice’s days were numbered due to the Colombian decline in Eastern trade and the rise of large strong European states. Venice had already entered its tourism era, which continues to present day.
The bottom line of this book is we don’t think enough about Venice as a tremendous success story. As the American republic starts to feel a tad creaky after ~250 years, the example of a republic that lasted (which almost no coup attempts) for 1,300 years should loom larger in our consciousness.
Founded by Romans fleeing to the lagoons to avoid Huns & Goths, for over 1,300 years after the fall of the Roman Empire, Venice stood as an independent successor state & ultimately the last branch of the empire (after the final defeat of the Byzantines). For much of that period, Venice was the only republic in the world. Not at all coincidently, it was also perhaps the most prosperous city on Earth for much of this period. While generally an oligopolistic republic, political power was fairly broad-based and Venetian institutions were designed to prevent corruption / capture by special interests. By Medieval standards, Venice clearly had the best government and institutions that effectively encouraged development & prosperity. The cause & effect between good governance and a prosperous merchant class are complicated, but likely Venice benefited from a virtuous cycle that allowed it to dominate Eastern trade. It is noted that unlike other Italian cities, the palaces in Venice did not have built-up defense - those were unnecessary as civil violence was rare and the government was believed to be legitimate & generally good.
Madden makes the point that Venice frequently suffered bad press (and continues to) …Generally priests, writers, and historians are skeptical of businessmen. Also, with its connections to the East, Venice seemed vaguely exotic/foreign to Europeans. So for example: Despite being the most frequent/reliable Crusader state, Venice was frequently alleged to be undermining Crusades. Furthermore, despite the tremendous success of its republican government, Venice was never really embraced by early modern liberals (including the USA, in the two decades the states overlapped). This culminated in the independent republic being ended by Napoleon who, somewhat ridiculously, accused the Venice of being tyrannical (Napoleon kept demanding Venice release its political prisoners, even though Venice had none). Yet, even if not for Napoleon, Venice’s days were numbered due to the Colombian decline in Eastern trade and the rise of large strong European states. Venice had already entered its tourism era, which continues to present day.
The bottom line of this book is we don’t think enough about Venice as a tremendous success story. As the American republic starts to feel a tad creaky after ~250 years, the example of a republic that lasted (which almost no coup attempts) for 1,300 years should loom larger in our consciousness.
September 2, 2024
A book that really covers the subject from the earliest days of Venice until today. One cannot criticize the detail, but at times it felt too much as a sequence of people (doges and other) who ruled the city, and perhaps less attractive to read.
There are a few sections I liked more (perhaps my personal bias of what is interesting to me); e.g. the section about the birth of the banking system or the many wars with the Ottomans. And there are more sections where the author makes insightful connections between what happened in Venice and the rest of the world.
Overall very complete, perhaps too complet, but still a worthwhile read.
There are a few sections I liked more (perhaps my personal bias of what is interesting to me); e.g. the section about the birth of the banking system or the many wars with the Ottomans. And there are more sections where the author makes insightful connections between what happened in Venice and the rest of the world.
Overall very complete, perhaps too complet, but still a worthwhile read.
August 20, 2013
An excellent single volume history of Venice (not that I have any others to compare it to), it goes from the foundation of Venice by a bunch of refugees from Attila the Hun and the Fall of the Roman Empire to the hordes of cruise ships and tourists that descend on Venice today. In the course of the narrative it tells an amazing story I had never known about how the Venetian Republic lasted for roughly a millennium, essentially a continuation of the Roman Empire, up until it was dissolved by Napoleon Bonaparte. And he tells an interesting history that it exploits being at the intersection first of the Eastern and Western Roman empires, then of Byzantium and the Holy Roman Empire and then of the Ottomans and Great Western European powers. Venice would alternate between various alliances, neutralities, and trading relationships. to prosper and expand without ever being absorbed into one of the sides. But then it ended up caught between Napoleon and the Hapsburgs--which it could not survive.
Madden also tells an interesting story about how as essentially a landless city-state Venice could never develop the same type of feudalism that dominated in much of Europe, so instead based its economy and society on merchants--which were inherently somewhat less stable and more changeable/meritocratic overtime (although one presumably would not want to overstate the point). But that the discovery of the New World, the improved navigation around the Cape of Africa, shifted the locus of trade to the Atlantic powers like Spain, England and France--and away from Venice's strategic trading position at the intersection of East and West.
The book also does a good job of covering everything from the crusades to the renaissance in Venice to Venice's role in the Grand Tour to literature about Venice. And it does it all in an enjoyable, readable way.
But the downside of the enjoyable, readable manner is a painful awareness of how it sometimes transforms the story into something overly crude, generalizing about the Venetian people and character (without drawing distinctions within Venice) and being overly defensive of Venice (it is invariably the barbarians/French/Turks/Napoleon or whoever else that is being tyrannical, inhumane and imperialistic while the Venetians are more justified and civilized in everything they do). But that is a minor flaw and it is hard to imagine a better comprehensive history of Venice.
Madden also tells an interesting story about how as essentially a landless city-state Venice could never develop the same type of feudalism that dominated in much of Europe, so instead based its economy and society on merchants--which were inherently somewhat less stable and more changeable/meritocratic overtime (although one presumably would not want to overstate the point). But that the discovery of the New World, the improved navigation around the Cape of Africa, shifted the locus of trade to the Atlantic powers like Spain, England and France--and away from Venice's strategic trading position at the intersection of East and West.
The book also does a good job of covering everything from the crusades to the renaissance in Venice to Venice's role in the Grand Tour to literature about Venice. And it does it all in an enjoyable, readable way.
But the downside of the enjoyable, readable manner is a painful awareness of how it sometimes transforms the story into something overly crude, generalizing about the Venetian people and character (without drawing distinctions within Venice) and being overly defensive of Venice (it is invariably the barbarians/French/Turks/Napoleon or whoever else that is being tyrannical, inhumane and imperialistic while the Venetians are more justified and civilized in everything they do). But that is a minor flaw and it is hard to imagine a better comprehensive history of Venice.
December 6, 2015
I really liked a line near the end where Madden compares modern Venice (as in post enlightenment) to an abandoned mansion, all the crumbling elegance is left behind but the inhabitants have long gone. This was the impression I had when I visited Venice back in about 2002. I loved Venice, it was winter, snow dusted parked gondolas. We would get lost every day, wondering down narrow cobbled streets, even washing lines hanging between windows, ornate doorways that lead into hidden churches where a Titan was causally hanging up on the wall. This was the Venice I fell in love with, yes St Marks was breath taking, and being mobbed by happy pigeons was an experience but hunting through different churches eating gelatos on a sunny crisp days was bliss. I loved that this was a preserved museum, not even the sound of a car. But it was odd to be in a place where tourists out numbered actual Venicians.
This new history Venice is tantalising, giving you glimpses of the history, the crumbling of a Roman Empire, the gilded rise of Byzantine and it's dramatic fall to the Ottoman's, Venice's once great navel empire, and the multitude of crusades with Venicians running around Monty Python Holy Grail style. I liked the way the book was structure, even though the narrative followed a linear form Madden was able to structure due to topics as well; the political chapter early one with the development of Venice's republic; the naval history chapter with the growth of their trading empire, the Crusade chapters, the Byzantine and Ottoman chapters, the foreign relations; the economic chapter discussing the merchants of Venice, the art and architecture from the Renascence; and the tourism chapter which looks into more a social history. Giving a strong over all view of this little weird lagoon.
Though at times the narrative could be a little dry, often repeating topic sentences, as in Venice was born with the destruction of the Roman Empire, now it ....which ever topic Madden was discussing. I get the point.
This is a book that took me back to wondering around those winding streets, it is a place where history confronts you. Now all I have to do is convince the Chef that a trip to Italy would be a good idea.
This new history Venice is tantalising, giving you glimpses of the history, the crumbling of a Roman Empire, the gilded rise of Byzantine and it's dramatic fall to the Ottoman's, Venice's once great navel empire, and the multitude of crusades with Venicians running around Monty Python Holy Grail style. I liked the way the book was structure, even though the narrative followed a linear form Madden was able to structure due to topics as well; the political chapter early one with the development of Venice's republic; the naval history chapter with the growth of their trading empire, the Crusade chapters, the Byzantine and Ottoman chapters, the foreign relations; the economic chapter discussing the merchants of Venice, the art and architecture from the Renascence; and the tourism chapter which looks into more a social history. Giving a strong over all view of this little weird lagoon.
Though at times the narrative could be a little dry, often repeating topic sentences, as in Venice was born with the destruction of the Roman Empire, now it ....which ever topic Madden was discussing. I get the point.
This is a book that took me back to wondering around those winding streets, it is a place where history confronts you. Now all I have to do is convince the Chef that a trip to Italy would be a good idea.
July 27, 2021
About what you'd expect - if you want a history of Venice for the dilettante, this pretty well covers it. The only oddness are a few tangents, especially toward the end. Way too much time was spent on Katharine Hepburn's movie Summertime, for instance.
July 8, 2014
This was just a wonderful book, and extremely well written. This is definitely not your father's "history book". It doesn't quite read like a novel (nor should it, some would say), but it's darn close. It's written in such a smooth, flowing and compelling manner that it does draw the reader in and move along in such a way that it does "feel" almost like reading a very exciting work of fiction. I literally could not put this book down. Not only does this book provide a detailed history of the rise (and fall) of Venice, itself, but it explains Venice's ties to the history and development of nearly the entire rest of the world. If I had one criticism, it would be that the text can get a bit flowery and overwrought at times, and the author may seem a bit too "sentimental" or too much the apologist for Venice and the Venitian people. However, having visited Venice myself, I personally can understand this, as I find myself thinking of Venice in perhaps a too sentimental manner. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Venice.
June 25, 2014
I enjoyed learning about the founding and evolution of Venice, a place that to me has always been simply a romantic tourist destination. The author combined chapters that were chronological narratives with a few that were more thematic (the arts, commerce, etc.), and he wove all of the pieces together coherently and in an interesting manner. I have a newfound love of Venice, the Republic, and what it represented, and I share the author's sadness at its demise. There are lessons here for modern-day America and the West, in general. I was especially interested in the dynamic between capitalism at home and the desire for stability abroad. And I'll never forget Famagusta and Marcantonio Bragadin.
July 13, 2017
Let's call it 4.5 stars. Well-written, engaging history of a truly fascinating (and actually unique) place, begun as a refuge from barbarians, evolved into a political success story and capitalist empire. Lots of places, dates, and Italian names (what a surprise!) but still easy to follow.
Update Oct. 2016 --Just completed a 17-day visit to Venice and re-read several chapters of this on the plane ride back. Really fun to refresh recollections and put people and places in context. A very valuable source!
Update Oct. 2016 --Just completed a 17-day visit to Venice and re-read several chapters of this on the plane ride back. Really fun to refresh recollections and put people and places in context. A very valuable source!
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