Industrial Progress: A Story Of Venetian Suffrage (Haitus)

[Lucius Verus]

17. The Truth Hurts

Zadar
March 24th, 1380:


While there was no shortage of palaces from disposed Croatian nobles Vittor had preferred to live among his men and thus choose a simple apartment as his office. From this cosy room Vittor would direct the naval staff in preparation for the "restoration of order" in Trogir.

Uncorking a new bottle of ink he noticed that the smell rarely bothered him anymore invoking a feeling of disdain at the notion of sitting in the office while his men was in the field. Still, this he told himself was just price of command and that, if he wanted to make lasting change then he would have to go through the bureaucracy.

Vittor was deep in thought when the boy entered the room. Like the archetype of the spoiled Patrician in the boy wore finely-tailored clothes and drunk as a monk. Irked that his assistants would let the boy disturbed his peace Vittor called the guards but to no avail. Guessing that his staff must be elsewhere Vittor decided that there was no harm in humoring the boy till the guards returned and whooped his ass. [1]

"What can I do for you good… Captain?" Asked Vittor as he spotted the officer's gear. Interesting how do I not know him?

Clearly distraught the boy got straight to the point "Do you know what Lady Helena's doing?"

Honestly? I don't were Vittor's thoughts to himself, but as the man in charge and he had to maintain the image of control so he chose to tell a white lie. "She's here on behalf of the State Inquisition and all her actions are sanctioned. Don't ask questions above your station son, know that it is better this way."

Ignoring Vittor's warning the boy went on "Sanctioned by whom?"

"Why Inquisitor Niccolò Foscari of course." Getting tired of the questions Vittor demanded that the boy explain himself only to have the words catch in his throat as the colour drained from the boy's face. Caught in an odd situation both men just sat in the uncomfortable silence. Eventually the boy apologized for the interruption and shambled out the door like a walking corpse.

Once the boy had left, Vittor remembered that he was going to scold his assistant for their negligence. Summoning the assistant Vittor was surprised and angered as the assistant stepped in revealing that he was outside the entire time.

"Explain how you were out there the whole time and you didn't stop the boy?"

"L-lord admiral, I couldn't stop him."

"Why not?"

Leaning in the assistant whispered "Because that was Francesco Foscari, son of Inquisitor Niccolò Foscari."[2]





[1] IOTL the monastic orders of the 13th-14th century were some of the best organized manorial owners in Europe which had the knowledge, resources, the "spiritual" drive to make fine wines and with it the accompanying reputation.
[2] IOTL Francesco Foscari was the longest reigning Doge from (1423-1457). IOTL an exceptionally influential Doge in contrast to the figureheads of the era he oversaw the aggressive expansion of the Republic on the Italian mainland.

 

[Lucius Verus]

18. Win The War And Lose The Peace

Trogir
April 24th, 1380:

There was something innately inspiring about a hundred men working in union on the new Venetian keep within the town of Trogir. Observing the process from above Vittor felt a pang of sadness as he remarked that this will only last a few more months.

Disagreeing with the man's words Federicus "Nonsense, have you seen the books? This expedition has been successful beyond measure, we've found enough silver to pay for the expedition and then some. If not us then someone else will try this again."

There was some truth in Federicus' words, yes they've made remarkable progress against the Hungarians and the Carraresi (lords of Padua) taking back vast tracts of coastland while raiding what they cannot hold. But Vittor had to explain that it wasn't a military matter as it was a matter of management.

"It won't matter, we might keep some officers and then some but the majority of the crews will go back to their families and jobs once this is over. It's quite frustrating to spend so much training these men only to see them go after a few months, but if I recruit some Dalmatians now they might be enough to keep the discipline within the navy. At least for a few more years until they go too, only the poor could stand the sailor's life." [1]

Oblivious to the customs of naval matters Federicus asked "I see… But why don't we just keep them? The Dalmatians I mean."

"No one wants to pay for them, the Arsenale produces galleys at the state's expense and the Patricians buy the captaincies at a discount with the crews are considered an after-thought. The Patricians don't care about the quality of the crew, all they care about is the money and the title. Civilian-wise the normal contracts requires 2/3 investment from the investor and 1/3 from the captain, ends immediately after the journey is complete, and only concerns those with silver. The crews for the most part will go their separate ways once they reach port, drink and whore away their savings once they reach port, and find another ship to sign onto. It's always about money."[2]
"Why don't you change it then? Try for office or something, you are after all of proper blood and rather popular among the men."

Chuckling to himself Vittor jested "Surely you know what happened to the last man who suggested that?"

Confounded Federicus responded that he did not.

"The last man that told me that they'd make me the signore I punched in the face."

"Well of course you'd follow the laws and customs of the Republic. God knows we need someone who actually follows the law, Doge Morosini has been running the Republic as a tyrant and the Patricians purging themselves and settling scores. "[3]

"I'm not popular among the men that matter."

"Don't be so sure of that, the news from Venice is that Admiral Carlo Zeno had returned back to Venice with the Eastern Fleet, forced the Genoese at Chioggia to surrender, and only for its captains to find out that they were stripped of their Patrician ranks while defending the Republic overseas."[4]

"Absent men can't defend themselves, cowards."

"Exactly, the captains were planning a revolt and both Morosini and the Senate pre-emptively arrested all of them. Of course that means more able men behind bars, more mercenaries to guard them, and more taxes. This can't go on forever and there are a lot of Patricians and ex-Patricians that are unhappy right now."

Sounding unsure of himself Vittor tried to reassure the small man "The senate will sort itself out, eventually…" And sensing that the conversation's over Federicus said his farewells and returned to writing his works. Once he was sure that he was alone Federicus scribbled a quick note and hid it inside a false brick in the alley behind his residence.




[1]IOTL one of the man problems Venice had was that of cheap manpower, Venetians were generally better off and had little reason to risk their lives and that's why the poorer Dalmatians made up the majority of its naval recruits.
[2] Exactly as IOTL while there was a sizeable pool of experienced sailors they were disparate individuals unsuited for organized warfare and most of them not pernament citizens of the Republic.
[3] Just as IOTL in 1379 Vittor Pisani punched out someone that suggested that they'd make him the lord of Venice.
[4] IOTL Carlo Zeno returned from the East in Janurary 1380 after hearing of the Genoese in the lagoon, ITTL the Genoese attacked right away and news of the Genoese defeat convinced Carlo Zeno that he had more time to continue raiding in the east.

 

[Lucius Verus]

So a bit of a preview but the recent posts have been very military-political focused. When peace comes the posts will focus more on Venetian society, trade, economics, and its colonies.

 

[Lucius Verus]

19. Aristocratic Benevolence

Venice
May 30th, 1380
In hindsight it was obvious, but then it is always easier to see the truth in hindsight and harder in the past. Since the end of the Battle of Venice the State Inquisition had been gaining strength under the guidance of Niccolò Foscari. Bureaucratically the Inquisition has sidelined the traditional Council of Ten to become the sole internal security ministry under the direct command of the doge with a network of moles in indispensable positions throughout the government. Politically Niccolò Foscari was joined by discontent Patricians wishing to restore order, ex-Patricians expelled by tests of purity, and opponents of Doge Morosini's corruption. Militarily he had the backing of the Eastern fleet whose Patricans were stripped of their titles and the only the only thing left was the secure the acquiesce of the military and the people.

It wasn't difficult to convince Vittor, should the worst come to the worst he would blackmail him with his misconduct with Captain Panelo and the murder of the Doge's son. Reluctant at first Vittor became visibly interested after Niccolò announced that he was making "a Venice where everyone had a place". While it probably meant something more egalitarian to Vittor than Niccolò's utilitarianism it was a point of agreement for both and was enough to push Vittor into giving his approval.

On May 31st, 1380 a new era dawned for the Venetian Republic as Doge Morosini was arrested, the ex-Patricians restored, and Vittor Pisani was elected as the 61st Doge of Venice.

Suffrage By Aristocratic Means. 1880, Negro Press. Verona.

 

[Lucius Verus]

20. The Quiet Revolution

Venice
1380


The first months were a flurry of changes as the Republic sought to recover from the immense damage of war and civil strife. Half of the changes were made to fulfill the promises Niccolò made to his supporters in-exchange for their support while the other half were the decisions of the senate or simply commitments of the previous government. The fact that half the decisions were brokered by spymaster Niccolò, a minister legally under the authority of the Council of Ten, the Doge, and the Colligio was not lost on the new senate and in many ways the new Venice was more dictatorial than ever.

Fearing revolt the first act was the creation of a special department within the State Church dedicated to the storage, subsidy, import of the food supply, and the administration of the proposed Fort Erasmo. Named after Saint Eramus the former patron saint of Venice the island of Sant'Erasmo is the future site of Fort Erasmo meant to serve both as a bastion against future invasion of the lagoon as well as a massive granary for the city. [1]

Exhausted and witnessing the Venetian return from defeat to making gains in the Adriatic peace-talks began in earnest mediated by the neutral count of Savoy as the delegates of Venice, Genoa, Hungary, Padua, Milan, Aquileia, and Austria traveled to Turin. Excluded from the delegates was that of the Byzantine Empire; the nominal owner of the island fortress of Tenedos over which the war began over. [2]

At the request of 18 heirless Patrician families facing extinction female Patricians were recognized as equal members of the Senate and were allowed to inherit the family's name and wealth. Of the total 37 heirless families, 9 were truly heirless, and 10 simply decided on extinction by refusing to introduce their daughters to the senate and wedding them off for immense dowries. Intended as a temporary fix while the families awaited male heirs the many of the new Patrician women began to exercise their newfound authority as members of the senate as well as the de-facto head of their families. This will lead to many unintended consequences down the line. [3]

At the request of the financiers, bankers, and traders the provision for the purchase of Patrician status was formalized at the price of 200,000 ducats instead of the old ad-hoc methods (a skilled craftsmen would make 50 ducats a year). While the pockets of the Republic was that of a bountiful river the private wealth of Venetians was that of an entire ocean and over 20 families would join the Patriciate over the next year bringing the Republic to a financial surplus and restoring the Patricate count to 106 families against the pre-war figure of 120 families. Of particular note was that of the 20 families that purchased their rank was that 4 families were from the Venetian colonies and 2 families were led by wealthy widowers. This will once again lead to many unintended consequences down the line.[4]

At the request of Federicus the Revitalists were exempt from laws forbidding non-Catholic preaching, restrictions on land-ownership for worship, and penalties against conversion. While not funded by the Republic like the state church of Venice the Revitalists were free from harassment much to the shock and disgust of the faithful Catholics of the Republic. The debate about faith within the Republic has begun. [5]

In a compromise between Patricians unwilling to dilute their privileges further and those fearing an uprising the old system of drafting advisors from outside the Patricate for inclusion was expanded from just the powerful of Venetian society to all Venetian citizens. While the ultimate decision was still made by Patricians the common man of Venice was given a direct method to contribute to the discussion of policies affecting them. This was the first of many steps toward enfranchisement. [6]

At the request of the Jewish elders of Venice, the Ghetto neighbourhood was to be walled off, exclusively Jewish, and administered by the elders in relative autonomy as protection against future pogroms. In-exchange the district was expected to contribute a larger tax income in addition to several other feudalistic dues. A small minority of the Jewish community, seeing the Ghetto as a regressive act towards blind seclusion decides instead to opt for greater integration into the Venetian Republic. [7]

Fearing an uprising the new senate decided to fulfill the promises made to the paramilitary Arsenalè workers with triple pay bringing their wages from half the Italian average to half above the Italian average. Hoping to minimize costs in the future the senate voted to freeze the budget of the Arsenalè for the immediate future. The question no one asked was; how could the Arsenalè supply the Republic if it was to grow or fight another war without more workers? [8]

A proposal introduced by the new doge to allow non-patricians to participate in state galley auctions was soundly defeated by a majority in the senate. Regardless of the law many of the poorer expedition members had elected to continue as marines having had a taste of plunder and the prestige of homecoming heroes. As the number and intensity of raids by "Venetian civilians" increased throughout the Adriatic and spilled out into the Mediterranean their success drew in wealthy investors and in turn more recruits much to the dread of their victims. It was only a matter of time before their some foreign lord retaliated or that the pirates took a Venetian vessel and the problem brought to the full attention of the senate. [9]

The new Venice was in many ways stronger and more adaptable than ever but it also has to face the full force of change formerly held at bay for two centuries by the stagnant Patriciate. Will it rise to the challenge?




[1] IOTL The island of Sant'Erasmo was Venice's cottage country as well as its only farmland within the lagoon. IOTL Fortresses were built on the island starting in the 16th century, ITTL the invasion has shocked the state into action a full century before that.
[2] IOTL the Treaty of Turin was signed in 1381 mediated by the neutral count of Savoy. ITTL the Venetian reversal on the Adriatic coast in addition to OTL's victory at Chioggia expedited the desire for peace but at the same time produced more debate as Venice made greater demands.
[3] IOTL matrimonial succession was in the rare instances considered for the wealthier families that lacked a male heir and generally granted without much hassle. ITTL the sheer number of "rare instances" made it easier to just change the rules rather than dealing with each on an individual basis.
[4] IOTL in times of great distress the Republic would ennoble donors for vast sums of money. ITTL the process is less ad hoc and more systematic now.
[5] IOTL Venice was a strange mix of tolerance and intense piety, while non-catholic creeds were tolerated conversion was seen as a betrayal by the converted and sedition by the preacher. ITTL the new laws were passed at the personal dealings of the spymaster whereas any similar notion in the senate would've been rejected immediately.
[6] IOTL Venice's system of drawing expert advisers unified the rich and powerful within Venetian society and the inclusion was the bedrock of its stability. In contrast non of the other city-states ever built a wide enough franchise and was plagued with endemic instability.
[7] Similar to OTL, just scared into action earlier.
[8] IOTL the poor wages led to the emigration of Venetian shipwrights from the 1400s-1420s and a decline in naval building capacity as well as the diffusion of ship building techniques towards Venice's rivals.
[9] Same as 6.

 

[Lucius Verus]

21. Weeds

Venice
1381

Nicknamed weeds for their ability to seemingly grow anywhere and in great numbers the influence of pirates was slowly sweeping into Venetian society. Both as a title of pride and dismissal by Venetian of all walks of life the pirates of Venice had always operated in the grey areas of the law.

Traditionally the pirates of Venice came from foreign outlaws to the opportunist merchant turned pirate or in times of war the Venetian navy. Of the marines that survived the Venetian expedition against Trogir and Zadar a few dozen of them were already pirates before they were recruited and they took their skills with them once the expedition was disbanded. A dangerous and unpredictable life the discipline and tactics the expedition members brought with them has made the Venetian pirate's life safer and much more lucrative in a matter of months.

But unlike the Venetian navy the pirates were bound together not by hierarchy like the Venetian navy but mutual agreement and opposition to authority. Each individual pirate was bound by a series of agreements voted upon before each journey that kept order among the crew and limited potential abuses by the captain. Furthermore taking the Venetian idea of duplicate offices the quartermaster was equal in authority to the captain both of whom serves as checks and balances upon each other and can be recalled by a vote. Violation of the agreement meant the forfeiture of one's reputation which meant the ostracization of the offender, it seems there is honour even among bandits, rapists, and murders.

As experts in ambush and navigation the Venetian pirates have been able to muscle out and assimilate rival pirates in the Adriatic extending their reach to the Eastern Mediterranean. Against the flippant peasant levees that constituted most of the Greek and Balkan lands the pirates were immensely successful and often left before the professional retinues of the local lords showed up. Among the pirates it was an unspoken rule that Venetian & Italian ships were to be spared least they bring down the attention of the Republic upon themselves, deprive themselves of the markets of Venice where they sold their loot, and the legal protection offered by the Republic's willful blind eye.

Every time they returned to port they sold their wares which the authorities turned a blind eye towards, spent their money on food, wine, and women (sometimes boys), and went back to sea broke. The influence of these men are fleeting at best and yet a select few however did save their silver and eventually established themselves as respected wealthy men with influence and with them the ideals of pirate democracy had begun to take root. Slowly but gradually they were gaining strength and rumors abounded about the ex-pirate Jacopo Ruggerio attempting to buy a Patriciate title.

Regardless it was only a matter of time until some crew set their eyes upon the bounties that laid afar in the cities of Byzantium, Tunis, and the Mamluk Sultanate; all major trade partners of the Republic. A crisis was brewing as the Mamluks sent letters of protest but the city of Venice was distracted by another greater crisis.

 

[Lucius Verus]

Padua

The worst loss of the war was da Carrara of Padua which now controls the Venetian mainland with the exception of the immediate surroundings of the lagoon remaining in Venetian hands. Controlling most the agricultural hinterlands and trade routes into central Europe, the Republic will now have to bargain with her invader to maintain her trade routes. [1]

Hungary

In contrast to the Venetian mainland, much of the Dalmatian coast was "ceded" to Louis of Hungary and an annual tribute extracted as a "war indemnity". Face-saving optics aside, much of the Dalmatia and the Hungarian coast were lost to the Venetian Republic during the war and remains in the Republic's control. While the Dalmatian coast is of meager importance to Hungary, for Venice it was the basis for its naval supremacy in the Adriatic Sea and the only reliable way to suppress the pirates that infested the hundreds of islands along its coast. Unknown to the other participants of the peace, the exchange of land to Venice was done in return for Venetian naval assistance against Joanna of Naples, the target of Louis' vengeance for the murder of his brother.[2]

Genoa

Genoa was to be granted the island of Tenedos as per the original agreement between Byzantine Emperor Andronicus and the Genoese backers that installed him on the throne. The peace is bittersweet as there are no longer enough Genoese sailors, ships, nor wealth to capitalize on the acquisition of Tenedos. The Genoese Republic is funded by the private wealth of its leading families which took the blunt of the war's losses. Rife with factionalism, a coup had already begun in its endless power-struggles even before the peace treaty was signed. Dark omens lie ahead for the "Republic that recognizes no superior" (Genoese Republic Motto). [3]

Milan

As Venice's ineffective ally, Bernabò Visconti gained little from the war asides from debt and discontent. Already his nephew Gian Maria Galeazzo, who also has a claim on the city of Milan, is making inroads among the discontent nobles and guilds of Milan. [4]


The first act of da Carrara upon establishing himself in the former Venetian mainland was to impose a 75% export tariff on grain-shipments to Venice. This was followed shortly by the construction of fortifications and salt-works near Grado. Meant as a challenge to the regional economic dominance of the Venetian Republic, the new edicts were accomplishing their goal as the senate was in a state of panic. The salt monopoly was responsible for 10% of the state revenues while the grain tariff caused food prices to sky-rocket and renewed fears of a hungry rebellion. [1]

In an emergency session of the newly formed food security department, Niccolò tasked the Venetian Navy and the Arsenalè with securing a new food source while the diplomats and Niccolò's own Inquisition were to find a diplomatic solution. While the Venetians were flushed with coin, there was relatively few places with consistent grain surplus to purchase from. The short-list for a new grain supply involved The Queendom of Naples, The Mamluk Sultanate, the Danube river-plains and the Crimean Khanate. Due to Venice's deal with Hungary, Naples was not considered and the Mamluk Sultanate was disqualified due to its heavy tariffs and frequent regime changes.[2]

Diplomatically efforts were made in Padua for lighter terms from da Carrara while secretly courting da Carrara's rivals in Padua, the Gonzagas of Mantua, the Este of Ferrara, and the Scaligers of Verona. Meanwhile, the Venetian Navy set about establishing convoys for the grain supply while the Arsenalè unveiled a new ship design.

Known as Black Ships for their tar coated hulls, the Arsenalè's new type of cargo vessel would come to dominate the Mediterranean trade in the decades to come. Spacious, sail-powered, and only needing a minimal crew, the new Black Ships were lucrative but unarmed. Had it not been for the recently acquired Venetian hegemony in the Adriatic or the expansion of the Venetian Navy and Arsenalès in Crete and Negroponte, the Black Ships would have fallen prey to pirates long before they left the Adriatic. Initially intended solely to secure Venice's food supply it was not long before merchants commissioned their own black ships to take advantage of the security and lower shipping costs to trade with the Aegean and Black Sea Ports. [3]

Over the next ten years, a positive cycle of lowered-shipping costs leading to increased volume of trade leading back to more investment and even lower shipping costs would see trade between Venice and the Aegean and Black Sea Ports increase four-fold. Travelling down the Adriatic, Venetian merchants would bring Venetian textiles, sugar, pottery, jewellery, and arms from Venice, Milan, and Treviso to Black Sea Ports in-exchange for grain, slaves, timber, cotton, copper, and iron. [4]






[1] IOTL Venice was able to minimize the damage by giving the land to Padua's nominal overlord the duke of Austria. ITTL the diplomatic staff was less effective.
[2] IOTL Venice lost Dalmatia, depriving the Republic its traditional recruiting grounds and a valuable source of timber for its navy. IOTL much of Louis of Hungary's foreign policy was directed at humiliating and punishing Joanna I of Naples for the murder of his brother in 1345, whether his brother was murdered at her behest or not didn't matter just that Louis believed she did.
[3] IOTL the island of Tenedos was razed and its people transported, ITTL the Genoese managed to take the island but are unable to make use of it. IOTL the Genoese would suffer 10 coups in the next 5 years and eventual Milano/French domination.
[4] Just as IOTL.

 

[Unknown]

You're missing footnote 2 in the main update in the last part.

Good story, though; interested to see where it goes...

 

[Lucius Verus]

23. The Carraresi

Venice
1381


Upon establishing himself in the former Venetian mainland, da Carrara’s first act was to impose a 75% export tariff on grain-shipments to Venice. He followed this with the construction of fortifications and salt-works near Grado. Meant as a challenge to the regional economic dominance of the Venetian Republic, the new edicts were accomplishing their goal as the senate was in a state of panic. The salt monopoly was responsible for 10% of the state revenues while the grain tariff caused food prices to sky-rocket with renewed fears of a hungry rebellion. [1]

In an emergency session of the newly formed Food Security Department, Niccolò delegated new assignments. He tasked the Venetian Navy and the Arsenalè with securing a new food source, while the diplomats and Niccolò's own Inquisition were to find a diplomatic solution. While the Venetians were flushed with coin, there was relatively few places from which to purchase consistent grain surplus. The short-list for a new grain supply involved The Queendom of Naples, The Mamluk Sultanate, the Danube river-plains, and the Crimean Khanate. Due to Venice's deal with Hungary, Naples was not considered and the Mamluk Sultanate were disqualified due to their heavy tariffs and frequent regime changes.[2]

Diplomatically, efforts were made in Padua for lighter terms from da Carrara. Yet, secretly da Carrara’s rivals in Padua were courted—the Gonzagas of Mantua, the Este of Ferrara, and the Scaligers of Verona. Meanwhile, the Venetian Navy set about establishing convoys for the grain supply while the Arsenalè unveiled a new ship design.

Known as Black Ships for their tar coated hulls, the Arsenalè's new type of cargo vessel would come to dominate the Mediterranean trade in the decades to come. Spacious, sail-powered, and requiring a minimal crew, the new Black Ships were lucrative but unarmed. Had it not been for the recently acquired Venetian hegemony in the Adriatic or the expansion of the Venetian Navy and Arsenalès in Crete and Negroponte. the Black Ships would have fallen prey to pirates long before they left the Adriatic. Initially intended solely to secure Venice' food supply, it was not long before merchants commissioned their own Black Ships and took advantage of the security and lower shipping costs to trade with the Aegean and Black Sea Ports. [3]

Over the next ten years, a positive cycle of lowered-shipping costs led to increased volume of trade resulting in greater investment. Ultimately, trade between Venice and the Aegean and Black Sea Ports increase four-fold. Travelling down the Adriatic, Venetian merchants would bring their textiles, sugar, pottery, jewellery, and arms from Venice, Milan, and Treviso to Black Sea Ports in-exchange for grain, slaves, timber, cotton, copper, and iron. [4]

For many young men of Venice, trade with the East became a perfect opportunity to gain prestige for their "pilgrimages" while enriching themselves. During this time, many of these young men were converted to "Revitalism" by older sailors and even more paid lip service to "Revitalism" in exchange for the glory. Where the Revitalists went, they established shrines all along the route to the Black Sea attracting an unexpected amount of Greeks looking for an alternative to their oppressive overlords.

Elsewhere by the waters of the Black Sea, keeping mostly to the coastal regions, the Venetians thought very little of the cannons and firearms they sold to the Khanate. Afterall, did the Khanate even use castles?







[1] IOTL the Republic was able to maintain a salt monopoly through a combination of intimidation and violence. ITTL Venice has neither the power nor willingness to take on Padua so soon after the last war. Also just as IOTL the Venetian mainland was responsible for a good deal of grain imports in Venice.
[2] IOTL the Mamluk Sultanate was suffering from political instability while civil-wars while census data show that 90% of villages and 50% of towns had been abandoned since the 1300s implying but not guaranteeing massive depopulation/
[3] IOTL the Republic only had one major Arsenalè in Venice due to the Arsenalè guild lobbying for a monopoly, ITTL the threat of starvation was enough to overcome the guild's influence. ITTL in the long run the new Arsenalès would mean competition and less profits for the Venetian Arsenalè but in the short-run it would mean that senior Arsenalè members would gain promotions and wealth as they are sent overseas to become managers of the new Arsenalès.
[4] Similar to Venice OTL's trade with Asia minor and the Black Sea. ITTL however merchants were able to use unarmed sailing ships that were impractical IOTL due to piracy thanks to Venetian control of the Adriatic Sea and state sponsored grain convoys. In many ways this was what the Dutch did IOTL for commercial dominance of the seas and yet the lack of armaments on their merchants bled the Dutch Republic heavily in the Anglo-Dutch wars.

 

[Lucius Verus]

You're missing footnote 2 in the main update in the last part.

Good story, though; interested to see where it goes...

Thank you for pointing that out. I like to write when I'm tired and about to sleep as I'm most uninhibited at these times, if also careless and mistake-prone.

 

[telynk]

I'm really enjoying the TL by the way. I really like the attention given to women, the poor, jews, etc. in a time period when many writers only focus on kings and their advisors.

 

[Lucius Verus]

I'm really enjoying the TL by the way. I really like the attention given to women, the poor, jews, etc. in a time period when many writers only focus on kings and their advisors.

Thank you, I've had a similar opinion and wanted to do something different; especially when there are already so many fine military-political TLs. It took a lot of research, experimenting with my writing style, and a fake University ID to get access to the obscure works.

 

[Lucius Verus]

24. The Parallel Economy

Venice
1382


With the return of peace and normalcy, the demand for labour was stronger than ever. Combining vast access to international markets with the Venetian reputation for quality, the workshops of Venice were as busy as ever trying to fulfill peacetime demand of the upper classes of Europe. [1]

Despite the promises of the guild masters, a substantial amount of the temporary female workforce stayed on in their roles acquired during the war. Inertia, it seems, is a powerful force. Once the women of Venice proved their worth, the workshop owners of Venice became reluctant to fire existing female employees for untrained and untested new employees—especially as female labour was legally cheaper. The gender difference in wage was especially noticeable in the Venetian Arsenalè that had stopped hiring new male workers in exchange for female workers at 1/3 the wage. Finally, combined with the fact that a third of Venice's population of 120,000 was killed in the war (mostly male), the high level of female labour became the unspoken norm for the foreseeable future. [2]

Of the female employees that had to give up their positions for the returning men, many readily found work elsewhere or started their own workshops. Traditionally the guild masters of Venice exerted immense influence by controlling the access to training and the limited number of professional positions, and by being the go-to persons for references. Distrustful of the traditional guild system that sought to exclude their gender, the new workshops decided to create their own alternative certification. The operated on a pay by fee/work schooling, and had a rotating reference committee elected by their respective workshops. The alternative was a small force but much less restrictive than the traditional guilds attracting the poor, women, and minorities of Venice. Slowly but surely, a parallel system of training and organization was growing within Venice, providing an alternative for those the guild system neglected. Considered beneath their notice, the guild-masters would later regret their inaction. [3]

The pay-in-kind system, originally conceived by workshop owners as a way to compensate their female employees in spite of the wage limits, was slowly maturing into a system of credit. Unwilling to deal with the cumbersome system of barter, the workshop managers created their own credit-union named the Syndicàto di Sant'Mattheo (Saint Matthew's Union). Mainly concerned with ease of payrolls for its manager members, the Syndicàto di Sant'Mattheo was got around the wage limits by borrowing the practice of using cheques from the merchant community and issued its own paper notes—legally worthless but gradually gaining acceptance within the city. Overtime, the Syndicàto di Sant'Mattheo would branch out towards providing credit for its members' employees as the salary of a person was considered solid collateral in contrast to the farmer that only had the silver he/she had on hand. They did not know it at the time, but this expansion of credit would reshape Venice in the decades to come. [4]

Bureaucratically, in a scene reminiscent of the post-Black Death Venice, the senate recognized the need for labour and offered generous incentives towards skilled immigrants. Despite all the efforts of the senate, there remained a shortage of labour and wages were rising for the average worker. Given time, the influx of new labour with the maturing of the next generation would have saturated the labour market and depressed the average living standards to pre-war levels. But once again, the senate remained unaware that the next few decades would be anything but normal for the Serene Republic and the rising wages would have far-reaching effects within the Republic.




[1] IOTL and ITTL international trade of the era was fueled by rich aristocrats, clergy, and burghers. Venice had reached the critical mass where enough merchants are going to Venice to buy and sell that the market has taken a life of its own outside of selling what Venice produces.
[2] Given that ITTL the senate never expected to go through its promise of a wage increase nor was it willing to pay more the only solution was to keep substituting in female labourers. IOTL a similar thing happened during the 17th century in the Venetian textile industry as they lowered costs by employing rural female labourers, ITTL the situation is different but the concept is the same.
[3] Just as IOTL's Venetian guild system. The increased access and mobility for labour will be examined later.
[4] IOTL Venetian merchants were already familiar with using cheques for ease of business, even if most transactions were still conducted in silver. Economically the change of traditional workers to salaried workers was massive for even if productivity was the same the worker's entire earnings would be monetized whereas the traditional worker only monetized the surplus he/she sold. Having an person's entire earnings monetized allowed that person immense financial flexibility having a steady income stream to leverage and repo in contrast to the difficulty of leveraging/selling personal possessions of a traditional worker, it also allowed them to be taxed much easier and concisely by the state, and contributed to overall liquidity within the economy.

 

[Alessandro]

Syndicàto => sindacato

Good job as always man

 

[Lucius Verus]

Syndicàto => sindacato

Good job as always man

Ah is that in Venetian or Italian?

Also I get the intent, but it feels kinda weird to be called a man

 

[Alessandro]

italian

Ah is that in Venetian or Italian?

Also I get the intent, but it feels kinda weird to be called a man

Sorry, my bad!

 

[Lucius Verus]

italian

Ah well you'll soon find out much to the frustration of other Italian speakers that I prefer Venetian. That being said I do appreciate the help since I'm not fluent in it or Venetian.

 

[telynk]

Question: Did the Syndicàto di Sant'Mattheo have other contemporary precedents? I've always thought of credit unions as a 19th/20th century phenomenon rather than something with older origins, so I'm just curious if this is an entirely new development or just a new way of making use of an older idea.

Also, what do you mean by "traditional workers" vs "salaried workers"? The passage seems to imply that traditional workers were paid largely in kind rather than in money but earlier in the update you refer to in kind payment as a new innovation to deal with wage limits. So I'm a little confused as to what the "traditional" methoda of compensation were.

 

[Lucius Verus]

Question: Did the Syndicàto di Sant'Mattheo have other contemporary precedents? I've always thought of credit unions as a 19th/20th century phenomenon rather than something with older origins, so I'm just curious if this is an entirely new development or just a new way of making use of an older idea.

Not entirely new, while the idea of a cooperative is a mutation upon the existing joint-stock brokerages operating in Venice since the early 14th century. The original form was meant for large scale finance within a family brokers trading securities using a common reserve without much collateral other than the social bonds the men shared between them. The credit union here is drawing on the same concept of "an extended family by common bonds" in lieu of collateral but operating at the lower end of the wealth spectrum (shopkeepers, workshop masters, employees as opposed to financiers and brokers).
A default by an employee would mean social disgrace, loss of work opportunities since a good deal of employers are also in the union, and above all pressures at church. One of the main problems I think they will run into is that as opposed to financiers and brokers, you have a lot of lower class people that don't understand finance and that since the loans are smaller it would take more working hours and administrative costs to process x many times more applications to get the same amount as one big loan among the rich.

Also, what do you mean by "traditional workers" vs "salaried workers"? The passage seems to imply that traditional workers were paid largely in kind rather than in money but earlier in the update you refer to in kind payment as a new innovation to deal with wage limits. So I'm a little confused as to what the "traditional" methoda of compensation were.

My bad, I should revise that. Traditional methods within the city was in coin as people in Venice often didn't own land for substitution and the market access made direct purchases easier than substitution, but the traditional I meant was for the workers outside of Venice in most of Italy and the countryside where payment was in kind. So its new to Venice, a place used to coin payments to use in-kind.

IOTL a lot of the reason credit union sprung up is the lack of cash to fund things in poor villages, here its the opposite; too many women need to be paid in kind combined with the difficulty of so much bartering that it was desirable to invent some sort of credit union to expand the supply of "in kind" payments by leveraging the existing "in kind" currency.

The traditional worker tended to substitute for goods that a salaried worker would've brought and a good deal of his/her time and energy would be spent on say; knitting, raising their own bees, tending a garden than a salaried worker that would've just worked longer for money to buy clothes, honey, and vegetables.

 

[Lucius Verus]

25. It's Lonely At The Top

Venice
1382


The hardships Francesco knew his from his childhood would be alien to most. Growing up with his servants, the boy worried for neither food nor money, he commanded the respect of the Foscari name, and yet he was remained truly unhappy. As one of the few people during this era that had the luxury of a childhood—the concept of idle learning and play that was wholly alien to most—Francesco never felt that he belonged and sought purpose. Those around him often treated him with a mixture of fear, awe, and respect because of his spymaster father, making him feel invisible. Foscari's son, Foscari this, Foscari that. When was the last time someone called him Francesco? [1]

One day it occurred to him that the problem might not be that he was so odd, but that everyone else was different. So, with the nativity of a child, Francesco attempted to create another person like him by bringing a street urchin into the Foscari household and sharing his amenities. To say that his father, Niccolò Foscari, was displeased would be an understatement. Upon discovering that his son had "adopted" a street urchin, the servants of the Foscari household were witness to the rare sight of a panicked Niccolò. Fearing the damage, Francesco was unknowingly doing to his future reputation as a Patrician, Niccolò quietly sent the street urchin away to the mainland, swore his servants to silence.

Niccolò chastised his ignorant son, "That boy was a street urchin and they are of a level far lower than either you or me. They have their uses but they were chosen by god to work and toil while our family were chosen to rule."

"But how do you know that, father?" asked a genuinely surprised Francesco.

Motioning for his son to sit on his lap, Niccolò told him his favorite story, the story of their family.

"Long ago, during the 11th century, our family lived in Mestre, a town across the lagoon of poor farmers. Because they were poor they had to work long hard days from dusk to dawn. They ate whatever they scrounged up. And they often went to sleep hungry and cold. The family eked out this meagre existence for 300 years, until our ancestor, Filocalo Foscari, said that he had enough of this. He sold the family farm for a set of arms, and joined the fourth crusade. Filocalo was just like our Doge at the time, Enrico Dandolo, and they were both crafty hard workers. Enrico managed to convince the entire crusade to sack our enemies in Zadar and Constantinople and Filocalo was awarded with nobility and the island of Lemnos." [2]

"Are there many people like him?"

"No,” began Niccolò, “there are only a handful of men that have craft, skill, and drive that god rewards. Our family became lords. They no longer worried about food, cold, or danger and lived in easy luxury. Overtime they grew soft and complacent. Filocalo's children and grandchildren were happy to laze around on Filocalo's inheritance while the Empire of Nicaea rose up around them, conquered Lemnos. They were forced to flee back to Venice as broke Patricians. After the brief period of ruling in Lemnos, our family returned to poverty and obscurity until your great-great-grandfather Tomà once again struck out for greatness and was rewarded by god in return. Tomà didn't have the money, influence, nor power of Patricians, but he was crafty and hardworking. He bartered, charmed, and clawed his way into the Golden Book, that is the book listing all Venetian Patricians after the Serrata." [3]

"And look at us now, our family is the most influential family in the Republic and we rule in all but name. But it's not enough, look around the Republic and you'll see countless kingdoms and cities stronger and richer than our Republic." Clenching his fist for emphasis Niccolò continued, " Our family has reached new heights but just like Filocalo we cannot afford to stop now."

All this time Francesco nodded coming to the sad realization that his father did not understand him and that he was truly alone.






[1] The modern concept of childhood started during the Renaissance IOTL as a luxury afforded by some of the richest families in contrast to the common children of the time that were expected to work and help out the family around ages 6-8.
[2] Just as IOTL
[3] Just as IOTL. IOTL the Serrata was a gradual process that took place from 1172-1313 which transformed Patricians from elected title holders to hereditary nobility while excluding minor nobility.