7. The Consequences.
The Italian wars would not be finally settled until the peace of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559, with Spain as absolute winner. But by 1516 the war initiated by the League of Cambrai had finished for Venice. In those 8 years, Venice had a chilling touch with her own mortality. She was lucky to escape losing so little: the Apulian ports and the cities in Romagna, basically the latest aditions. But no longer she will try to grab more territory. The lesson was learned. When the big boys come to play in Italy, the little boys should do well in staying at home. Naples was gone, Milan was gone, Florence and Genoa reduced to servitude, it was the end of Italy for many years to come. Venice had faced the sea for most of her history, then turning around in the 1430s Venice had faced the Terra Ferma against the advice of doge Tommaso Mocenigo. Now Venice was going to face towards the inside. She was no longer a respected regional power and she behaved accordingly to her new position.
The battle of Agnadello or more properly the war of the league of Cambrai, is seen by many as an inflexion point when Venice started her decadence. However, as exhausting to Venice as it was, she would have recovered as she had done in the past, if it weren't for the two other factors that happened at about the same time. The route to India opened by the Portuguese stopped the spice trade through Levant completely in a very short time, this meant the loss of the major source of income for Venice. Also at about the same time as the events we have narrated, Egypt fell into the hands of the sultan of the Ottoman empire. This together with the loses of the third Veneto-Turkish war, Modon, Coron, Durazzo and Lepanto, gave the Ottoman empire absolute control of the remaining trade through Levant.
Withouth the riches of the trade, Venice was no different to any other Italian city, but even worse, the entire socio-political system in Venice was based on a very abundant nobility supported by trade income. As money dried up, one by one the noble families inscribed in the Golden Book fell into poverty. The remaining ones, those with land properties, took over power. But they also suffered from the reduced income. Many adopted the custom of allowing only one marriage per family to avoid the partition of properties (more and more doges were seventy years old bachelors), this in turn led to a proliferation of convents, to which most noble girls were destined, of brothels (it is maliciously said that some convents served a dual role) and of orphanates for the many illegitimate children. It also caused the extinction of some families when the calculations failed, like the Badoer, that became extinct around 1536, when Agnesine Badoer-Giustinian, the last heir, died. But even worse in political terms were the impoverished young nobles, who were prevented by law from taking common jobs, called barnabotti. They were both resentful of the system and ready to sell their votes, as a result the Republic policies shifted towards particular interests and Venice government fell into the hands of a few families. As an indication of the situation, in the year 1492 a proposal was urged by two nobles, that the State should spend 70,000 ducats for the relief of those poorer nobles who held no public office; the matter was near coming before the Great Council, in which it might have had a majority, when the Council of Ten interfered in time and banished the two proposers for life to Nicosia in Cyprus. About this time a Contarini was put in chains for burglary and another of the same family came in 1499 before the Signorie, and complained that for many years he had been without an office, that he had only sixteen ducats a year and nine children, that his debts amounted to sixty ducats, that he knew no trade and had lately been turned into the streets. We can understand why some of the wealthier nobles built houses, sometimes whole rows of them, to provide free lodging for their needy comrades who, in turn, would be grateful enough to support their policies in the Consiglio. But also such works figure in wills among deeds of charity.
It is the combination of all these factors, more than the direct result of the war, what brough the downfall of the proud queen of the Adriatic. Her solid system of government prevented it from being a quick one, because unlike the Venetian nobles, the citizens of the Serenissima Repubblica Terra Ferma possessions had learnt what was like to live under the government of the emperor or the king of France, and never a city deserted voluntarily or tried to shake the serene rule of the winged lion. Even in times of decadence or crisis, the political stability of the Venetian system of government was the admiration of all of Europe and the subject of many discussions.
Still having a lot to lose and aware of the strength of her enemies, Venice was devoted to preserve it, or at the very least to ensure that if it was to be lost, that it would be lost a little at a time. Neutrality and defensiveness were the marks of Venice policies for the rest of her existance.
But for the time being, Venice was finally at peace. The war between the Habsburg and the Valois was to continue between Charles and Francis, but Venice managed not to get involved again, except for a brief period in the League of Cognac in 1528-29. But peace could not be enjoyed for long, as the beast that layed in the East was awakening again. A new belicous sultan came to power in the Sublime Porte, named Suleyman the Magnificent, or the Lawgiver to his own people. His first act in the Mediterranean was the conquest of Rhodes in 1522, a clear show of force. Venice was now in no condition to oppose strong resistance to the supreme naval power in the Mediterranean, at least not alone. The alliance between Suleyman and the King of France was to determine the only place where Venice could look for help.
The Italian wars would not be finally settled until the peace of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559, with Spain as absolute winner. But by 1516 the war initiated by the League of Cambrai had finished for Venice. In those 8 years, Venice had a chilling touch with her own mortality. She was lucky to escape losing so little: the Apulian ports and the cities in Romagna, basically the latest aditions. But no longer she will try to grab more territory. The lesson was learned. When the big boys come to play in Italy, the little boys should do well in staying at home. Naples was gone, Milan was gone, Florence and Genoa reduced to servitude, it was the end of Italy for many years to come. Venice had faced the sea for most of her history, then turning around in the 1430s Venice had faced the Terra Ferma against the advice of doge Tommaso Mocenigo. Now Venice was going to face towards the inside. She was no longer a respected regional power and she behaved accordingly to her new position.
The battle of Agnadello or more properly the war of the league of Cambrai, is seen by many as an inflexion point when Venice started her decadence. However, as exhausting to Venice as it was, she would have recovered as she had done in the past, if it weren't for the two other factors that happened at about the same time. The route to India opened by the Portuguese stopped the spice trade through Levant completely in a very short time, this meant the loss of the major source of income for Venice. Also at about the same time as the events we have narrated, Egypt fell into the hands of the sultan of the Ottoman empire. This together with the loses of the third Veneto-Turkish war, Modon, Coron, Durazzo and Lepanto, gave the Ottoman empire absolute control of the remaining trade through Levant.
Withouth the riches of the trade, Venice was no different to any other Italian city, but even worse, the entire socio-political system in Venice was based on a very abundant nobility supported by trade income. As money dried up, one by one the noble families inscribed in the Golden Book fell into poverty. The remaining ones, those with land properties, took over power. But they also suffered from the reduced income. Many adopted the custom of allowing only one marriage per family to avoid the partition of properties (more and more doges were seventy years old bachelors), this in turn led to a proliferation of convents, to which most noble girls were destined, of brothels (it is maliciously said that some convents served a dual role) and of orphanates for the many illegitimate children. It also caused the extinction of some families when the calculations failed, like the Badoer, that became extinct around 1536, when Agnesine Badoer-Giustinian, the last heir, died. But even worse in political terms were the impoverished young nobles, who were prevented by law from taking common jobs, called barnabotti. They were both resentful of the system and ready to sell their votes, as a result the Republic policies shifted towards particular interests and Venice government fell into the hands of a few families. As an indication of the situation, in the year 1492 a proposal was urged by two nobles, that the State should spend 70,000 ducats for the relief of those poorer nobles who held no public office; the matter was near coming before the Great Council, in which it might have had a majority, when the Council of Ten interfered in time and banished the two proposers for life to Nicosia in Cyprus. About this time a Contarini was put in chains for burglary and another of the same family came in 1499 before the Signorie, and complained that for many years he had been without an office, that he had only sixteen ducats a year and nine children, that his debts amounted to sixty ducats, that he knew no trade and had lately been turned into the streets. We can understand why some of the wealthier nobles built houses, sometimes whole rows of them, to provide free lodging for their needy comrades who, in turn, would be grateful enough to support their policies in the Consiglio. But also such works figure in wills among deeds of charity.
It is the combination of all these factors, more than the direct result of the war, what brough the downfall of the proud queen of the Adriatic. Her solid system of government prevented it from being a quick one, because unlike the Venetian nobles, the citizens of the Serenissima Repubblica Terra Ferma possessions had learnt what was like to live under the government of the emperor or the king of France, and never a city deserted voluntarily or tried to shake the serene rule of the winged lion. Even in times of decadence or crisis, the political stability of the Venetian system of government was the admiration of all of Europe and the subject of many discussions.
Still having a lot to lose and aware of the strength of her enemies, Venice was devoted to preserve it, or at the very least to ensure that if it was to be lost, that it would be lost a little at a time. Neutrality and defensiveness were the marks of Venice policies for the rest of her existance.
But for the time being, Venice was finally at peace. The war between the Habsburg and the Valois was to continue between Charles and Francis, but Venice managed not to get involved again, except for a brief period in the League of Cognac in 1528-29. But peace could not be enjoyed for long, as the beast that layed in the East was awakening again. A new belicous sultan came to power in the Sublime Porte, named Suleyman the Magnificent, or the Lawgiver to his own people. His first act in the Mediterranean was the conquest of Rhodes in 1522, a clear show of force. Venice was now in no condition to oppose strong resistance to the supreme naval power in the Mediterranean, at least not alone. The alliance between Suleyman and the King of France was to determine the only place where Venice could look for help.
