Industrial Progress: A Story Of Venetian Suffrage (Haitus)

[Lucius Verus]

111. Venetian Inundation

1440s-1490s
Nile Valley

For military, political, and economic purposes the capitals of a state/region tended to be centrally located or near military frontiers. The logistical demand of any substantial bureaucracy meant that the roaming feudal courts were rapidly becoming outdated as the ministries of the Republic could attest to. Function determines location and location influenced function and the Nile was no exception, surrounded on three sides by desert the Mediterranean was the natural conduit to the world for the river. Under the Romans, Byzantines, and Caliphates the provincial capital was on the Mediterranean coast in Alexandria reflecting its role as the breadbasket of the empires. As the Islamic world eventually fractured the capital shifted upriver towards القاهرة‎ (Cairo) as the natural epicenter between the fertile Nile delta, the sub-Saharan caravan routes, the fertile Nile valley, and caravans to the east. Finally, as the Venetians consolidated power the regional center shifted north towards the port city of Rossetta-reflecting the empire's Mediterranean orientation and the economy of the Nile.

The story of the Venetian Nile begins in earnest in the 1440s after the disastrous Coptic rule was sidelined for direct rule of the Patricians. Rich in fine soil deposited by the Nile the region was perfect for agriculture with a climate ideal for plantations and considered highly desirable. Despite peace treaties and the best efforts of Venetian diplomats the Bedouin of the Sahara were unlike any people the Venetians have ever faced before. Being decentralized the Bedouin raids resumed almost immediately - there was no central authority to negotiate or enforce terms on, being nomadic the Bedouin could not forced into battles having superior knowledge of riding and the desert, and unlike the neighbouring Greeks of the Balkans the Venice did not share a history with the Bedouin and relations were often violent. Unable to bring the Bedouin to battle nor prevent their raids the Patricians were left to the choice of either a sustained campaign of attrition or supplying and arming a friendly tribe. Drawn by the cheaper price the Patricians were given fines and harsh rebukes by the Inquisition for the short-sighted attempt to arm Bedouins so close to Venetian territory. [1]

Forced instead to take advantage of the adventurer-merchant ideal the Patricians promised Sconvòlgers land, grants, and guarantees of rights in the Nile in-exchange for militia service and 15 years of residence. The result was an odd mix as clusters of freeholder sprang up between giant industrial plantations on the behest of plantation owners. These settlers were a diverse mix of people from the majority of children after the eldest/appointed heir hoping to strike out on their own, those who valued the freedom of the Republic's frontier such as homosexuals (a capital offense), social outcasts, people of means that simply couldn't fit into Venetian society, mainlanders and Ealim returnees that attached a social prestige to land ownership in the homeland, and the religious deviants. The might of industry was stronger than a life in the saddle and farmers armed with gunpowder were able to trade casualties with the much less numerous nomads, yet they were defensive in nature and the Bedouin still controlled the desert's caravan routes in an uncomfortable mix of raids and trades. [2]

While far from satisfactory the settlers were accepted as a necessary deterrent, the length of the Nile north of the Faiyum Oasis had to be fortified even if the Bedouin didn't attack-as insurance premiums demanded it. In contrast to the Sconvòlgers of the past, which conquered/strong-armed populated gains which the Republic administered and paid out an annuity of the settlers of the Nile worked their own land as a private venture. These men and the rare woman were more independent of Venice than their predecessors but retained the communal traditions of Venice due to the nature of life in the Nile. The first contrast was the overwhelmingly rural nature of the Nile, as the winds blew south while the river flowed north the Nile made for a natural trade route and it was easier to trade than manufacture goods locally. The only major city was Rosetta, a scholarly Islamic center and trade center whereas the rest of the "cities" tended to be fortified walls that sat empty for most of the year until the flood season when the idle Sconvòlgers gathered to refresh their training, fraternize, engage in competitions, sell their produce, and buy goods.

The initial wave was predominately Venetian speaking, literate, and comfortable working with the bureaucracy and it would be only the 1490s when the Nile was perceived to be safe and bountiful enough for non-militarized settlers. By default a member of a local military unit the sense of communal identity was reinforced due to the nature of agricultural life as extensive waterworks were required to store flood waters, irrigate the fields, and maintain the dikes and ports all of which required communal funds and efforts, brothers and sisters together. Well fed and given all the advantages of the Republic without the disease and filth of the cities or the relative deprivation of the tiny traditional farms the population boomed. With the exception of the first wave brought over by the Patriciate to guard the plantations the foreign born population rarely exceeded 10%, families of 7-8 surviving children were massive by Venetian standards, the mean age exceedingly young with 26 for men and 22 for women. As men managed to establish themselves wives were found among the local Ealim/Coptic population or a few months away by ship, it was not uncommon for boys to return from the Nile as tanned and financially secure men looking for wives from their home culture. [3]

From an initial 4-5 million under the Mamluks the population had collapsed to 600,000 by the end of the 1430s after more than a century of catastrophes starting with the Black Death and ending with an Coptic attempt at genocide. For the most part ignored as long as they paid their taxes and kept the peace the Copts lived around the rump city of Cairo while the Ealim resided in Rosetta and the delta. By the 1490s the Nile was nearly a third Venetian, developed, and safe enough to absorb the migration of mainlanders from the mainland, more still when the Valois invaded. Here the various cultures of the Republic mixed and stirred under the desert sun contributing more and more loan-words and contradictory grammatical exceptions to the hot mess that is the modern Venetian language. And unlike the Servi citizens scattered throughout the empire, the Nile was a dense mass of servi, original citizens, internal and external citizens raised far from the center of the Empire with their own increasingly distinct identity.



[1] IOTL, the Romans decided to arm the Arab tribes with weapons and supplies with disastrous consequences in a moment of weakness. While Venice had dabble in such with the Taborites Hussites and the Tartars it was when the recipient wasn't neighbouring Venice.
[2] Just as IOTL gunpowder allowed regular farmers the ability to match less numerous nomads, this was seen ITTL with the Tartars a century ago.
[3] Statistics are taken from colonial settlements in America, no government in the old world really understood the sheer fertility of settlers without the deprivations and dangers of the Old World. ITTL Venice is given a very early example of colonial fertility which it will realize the value of later as growing revenue, trade, and manpower of the Nile becomes evident.

 

[Lucius Verus]

112. Promisione Maleficorum

Venetian Republic
1470s-1500s

The various tangle of legislation and legal precedence was first codified in the "Promisione Maleficorum" during the late 13th century. Laws were enforced primarily through the "Avogadori", with judges drawn exclusively from the Patriciate. Known as a civil law system, the Venetian judge takes the lead in court by bringing charges, establishing facts, and applying the law. The Venetian system was in strict with punishments for monetary losses but gave considerable discretion to judges for matter such as violence and grievances. Anyone could bring charges against anyone and anonymous tips can be deposited in the mouth of the statues of St.Mark's lions that dotted the republic. There was also a court of appeals in Venice open to all, though access in practice was limited by the ability of people to travel to Venice and present their claims (ie; not slaves). Intended to maintain the Patrician monopoly on power an feeling of "Pessimistic Vigilance" pervaded the texts of the Promisione Maleficorum. To the Patriciate law enforcement was seen as an endless and unwinningable struggle against rebellion, the best case was when crime was kept to tolerable levels. Enforcement was difficult and expensive, with many crimes unsolved and patchy outside of the city. Logically the best choice in the Patriciate's view was to maximize severity in order to deter crime and reduce enforcement costs. The Patriciate attitudes was best personalities by the statue of lady justice in the ducal palace, her eyes unblindfolded and reflecting the Patrician's right to dispense justice. In practice, as Venetian rule was light outside the city and local cooperation was needed as resources were limited. [1][2]

So much has changed since then, the Patriciate are no longer a closed class nor are the institutions of a city-state the same for an empire. A expanded bureaucracy with paid and trained men and women was established for political purposes during the 1380s-1410s only to have its intended inheritor reject it relegating the system to the secondary task of administration. [3]

The most visible change was the method of punishment from the traditional fines towards jail time. Simple and lucrative fines were the standard punishment for crimes of light to moderate severity, with debtor's jail for those unable to pay. In practice fines were an non-issue with the Patriciate and rich while the paupers were unable to work in jail while their health faltered in continuous confinement. During the 1390s, the doge Niccolò Foscari decided to deal with the glut of paupers crowding the jails and costing the state money by replacing fines with jail time. Intended primarily to help keep the Patriciate in line and to reduce costs the change had positive effects for the poor, who were no longer expected to pay fines while locked up and kept away from work. In practice the poor spent less time in jail overall and a there was a greater perception of fairness.

The second most visible change was the extension of enforcement; not only had the Republic expanded its reach it but also intensified its enforcement. If a community was too small, distant, or didn't have special arrangements with Venice for a court then the locals would be left to their own devices for everyday matters while itinerant judges (mostly women around the Adratic, men around the Nile and frontiers) would come by seasonally and resolve the worst offenses in the name of the Republic. While the laws were by no means uniform as some lands entered the Republic by negotiation, conquest, or a mix of both there is a steady pull towards uniformity as the bureaucratic training is centralized and merchants lobby for uniform laws to expediate commerce. [4]

The penalties for theft was no longer punitive and monetarily proportional to property loss, punishments were still based on time/mutilation with the max penalty being the gouging of an eye (even repeat offenders). Death and mutilation was no longer the penalty for repeat offenders or theft of more than 20 soldi (240USD) as those condemned to death in the past often resorted to exile or brigandry and this was seen as an undesirable outcome for an empire with few places to run to and vast lands to police. Whether they realized it or not, the law was shifting away from vengeance towards rational repression. [5]

The penalty for assaults used to be a fine of 12 soldi (130USD), for assaults which drew blood used to be left to the discretion of the judge. In practice enforcement reflected contemporary morality of Patricians instead of a legal tradition. Homicide was to be judged at the discretion of the judge and was in theory operating under the mantra of "innocent until proven guilty". In practice the discretion of the men enforcing the institutions was more important in determine guilt while punishments were susceptible to judge bias and corruption. The most severe crimes were arbitrated through majority voting by the Council of Forty, staffed by forty amateur Patricians with little training or experience with procedures being both over-complex and personal. In practice this meant the enforcement of the forty Patrician's personal preferences as the second highest authority below the court of appeals. By the 1490s the costly fines have been replaced with jail time within a prescribed range while the discretion of the judge had been curtailed somewhat. The rationale behind the change was two-fold, the first was the prevalence of casual violence and the cost of fines, while the average Venetian laborer earned 20 ducats a year the poorest were often unwilling or unable to pay the fines and resorted to drastic measures to avoid punishment/pay fines, to say nothing of the lower standard of wealth outside the city. The second rationale was the overarching centralization of the empire, there simply wasn't enough Patricians to staff the Empire's Avogadori and schools were setup to train bureaucrats in Venetian law leading unintentionally towards standardization of law enforcement. The council of forty, had for the most part been abolished in the power-struggle between the doge and the Patriciate; it was simply too disruptive a cost to assuage the egos of Patricians and also reflected changes in Patrician culture away from vanity. [6]

The penalty for rape was clearly defined by the status of the victim with the fines leveed accordingly; whether she was a virgin, unmarried, married, and the honour of the victim (nobles>...>prostitutes). Fines were meant to cover the dowry to provide for the victim or if she was provided for the dishonour to the family patriarch and given the nature of male-orientated society cases were often dropped for lack of proof or judge leniency. The worst case would've been the rape of a Patrician for which a vengeful Patrician court would condemn to death or exile. On average non-patrician rape was at worst a fine of 4 ducats (500USD) if it was proven to be premeditated, the victim a virgin and especially sympathetic (a child, abducted, impregnated). The rape of men was judged differently as homosexuality was a capital offense, though like rape evidence was difficult to prove and judged infrequently. Unlike other aspects of law which saw standardization there was never enough interest in the manly senate to consolidate laws involving rape and enforcement was judge-dependent for better or worse. Yet there was change as growing numbers of women staffed the bureaucracy and their opinions manifested in cases. [7]

Initially used to free up manpower after the Battle of Venice inertia, lower-market wages for women, and the sheer cost of halting and replacing the bureaucrats of a running system kept women within the bureaucracy and the considerable leeway given to judges had led to a more feminine but still Patrician enforcement; the onus of proof no longer overwhelming stacked against women, the punishments more considerable with jail time, the common-woman given fairer consideration at the same time the Patrician or educated women of the bureaucracy scorned prostitutes and the paupers harshly ruling against them and the idea of destitution and disgrace that haunted the well-to-do. The cultural aspect was the shift in Patrician attitudes towards daughters as the old emphasis on the secluded virginity of daughters faded towards active family members and potential heiresses; the dowry was no longer in vogue and with it the penalty of fines meant to compensate for the dowry and in this regard encouraged rape as the difficulty of proof (even with a shift in onus) and lack of fines meant less consequences on average. [8]

Perhaps the most important change was the cultural aspects outside the legal system, the halting and uneven progress away from favoring the rich, the more rationalized punishments, and the increasing difficulty of evasion as the Republic grew has helped instill/enforce the commoners' trust in/obedience of the law. This cultural change manifests itself in subtle ways such as more helpful bystanders for investigators or more willingness to engage in court instead of extrajudicial vengeance. [9]


[1] IOTL the Promisione Maleficorum was a aggregation and attempted rationalization of Venetian law. IOTL the lion heads pervaded the republic in both public and private capacities from town squares to the small confines of a small workshop, Venetians brought their police-state habits with them.
[2] Check out Venice's lady justice, the lack of a blindfold tells volumes about the city-state before this TL.
https://st4.depositphotos.com/10059...k-photo-lady-justice-statue-palace-venice.jpg
[3] IOTL, the main difference between modern and premodern bureaucracies was training and paid positions; both of these helped ensure that office holders are qualified (as opposed to some relation or whoever paid the most) and that corruption was reduced (as opposed to offices with no income which meant only the corrupt/rich could take office).
[4] IOTL the trend in Venetian law was towards general leniency with the occasional measure bout of extreme penalties. This was IOTL partially due to the limitations of enforcement and the relatively porousness of borders, ITTL the same results occurred but more for administrative reasons in contrast to limitations.
[5] IOTL the practice of exile or harsh penalties often led to brigandry since the law usually didn't have the full confidence of the community in Italy and that the condemned had to sustain themselves, usually by staying near their network where they resided. ITTL the creation of empire helped "internalize" the problem leading to changes in law from a local to imperial scale.
[6] IOTL Venetian law was trending towards more leniency and less fines by the 1800s, ITTL the sheer demographic damage in 1378, opening of the ranks in the Patriciate, and empire drastically expedited change while sidelining/killing stubborn conservatives.
[7] Just as IOTL.
[8] IOTL and ITTL slut shaming is eternal and usual interweaved with classism, educated women tend to be better off and treat the poor little different than we do with street people downtown today. So yes more trained women in law gives justice more empathy for women, but only women viewed as part of their group.
[9] The ultimate purpose of law is to change societal behaviour, although lawmakers and enforcers often fail to grasp the point. More to come in the civil law post.

 

[Lucius Verus]

113. Industrial Progress: Part 1
Venetian Republic
1380s-1500s


There is a tendency for historians to associate pre-industrial economic growth with specific inventions and urbanization. The steam engine and bustling cities in particular lingers in the popular imagination, perhaps as the vast majority of future Venetians will come to live in cities or the omnipresence of mechanical power in the future, yet in the grand scheme of things they were but steps near the top of the ladder. The main drivers of pre-industrial economic growth were transportation networks, arcane mechanics of financing, rule of law, peaceful successions, and morally questionable aggression none of which were particularly dazzling in the eyes of Venetian historians. What was happening in Venice was not special by any means as productive enterprises flickered in and out of existence throughout Christendom and Venetians emigrated while foreigners immigrated. Yet unlike the rest of Christendom the gains in Venice were steadily taking on a more permanent nature. [1]

The cornerstone of the Venetian empire was naval transport in all its forms. Traditionally reliant on galleys the Republic had steadily phased out galleys as the primary mode of transportation. While independent of wind-power and capable of bursts of speed the galley was cramped, labour intensive, prone to instability as water could flow into windows for oars, and poorly suited for the Venetian Republic. In the aftermath of the battle of Venice the bruised Venetian ego was open to innovation while the Arsenale was opened to public bidding. The result was the creation of dedicated naval roles with ship designs ranging from the Xebec hybrids and the ubiquitous blackships. The Xebecs were built for Sconvòlgers, being an oar-sail hybrid that was fast, maneuverable, and roomy enough to accommodate the new bombards.

The newer Xebecs and sailing cargo ships required less crew, allowed more room for cargo/cannons, and was available in the thousands. In a mutually reinforcing cycle Venetian naval commercial or military success often invited the respective partner ultimately cumulating in a peaceful Mediterranean sea with the fall of the Mamluks and the Aragonite alliance.

Going hand in hand with shipbuilding were hydro-engineers and canal-building, increasing in both scale and sophistication. Traditional dams based around earthen-dikes had a tendency to lose water that could be used for watermills or irrigation and were ad-hoc in their construction leading to a lot of uncertainty in their strength and excessive material use. The sluice gates which accompanied the earthen dikes were dangerous to operate, when the gate was opened water from the reservoir would rush out while peasants attempted to pull the ship against the flow and gravity; ships were limited to the smallest size with a risk of damage from transit.

Given the generous funding of a Patrician church and the urgent seriousness assigned by Venetians living on water the Ministry of the Waterways hosted some of the foremost aquatic engineers in Christendom. Pound locks, utilizing ample Kosovo iron gradually replaced sluice gates allowing for greater differences in elevation, safe transit for much larger ships, and standardized size. Canals became standardized for ease of transit and lined to reduce water loss. Knowledge was shared among the saloons of Venice and construction became more efficient on materials as simple rules of thumb were refined to engineering concepts. Yet these efforts were limited in Terrafirma, the water works of Lombardy constructed over the last two centuries were functional enough to make improvements uneconomical and as a result some mainlanders found it easier to work with Milan than Venice.[2]

Pottery was an industry which saw sparse technical improvements but rather organizational progress as work was broken up into repetitive steps each of which had dedicated craftspeople employed. Better skilled and faster than a generalist potter production excelled in quality and quantity as a result. For many of the potters the employment change was generally better, while work was more monotonous it was often deemed worth the financial security a salary offered. The artisan potter in contrast, was forced to bear the complete gains and losses of a dynamic market while being the one least capable of affording it (compared to merchants or managers) much to their discontent. [3]

Compared to artisan work employment within the manufactorates were often more monotonous, anti-social, and restrictive. Managers rarely had positions for the whole family and many peasants chose traditional employment that offered more family time, this cultural quirk was one of the key reasons for the spread of the Venetian language; Sconvòlgers were guaranteed to know some Venetian, at least functionally literate, often young, mobile, did not have families that needed employment, were generally more likely to settle down, and thus heavily favored by Patricians and Venetian industries. [4]

Ironworking was a key industry which saw dramatic changes within the last century. While one of the most abundant ores in the world, iron ore needs to be smelted down and forged in a process requiring large volumes of charcoal. Unknown to the blacksmiths of the era using charcoal as fuel released carbon which was absorbed into the iron in a primitive form of alloying and this was what made steel strong and ductile. The process was guesswork and inefficient due to the lack of theoretical knowledge or means of measurement. Too much carbon alloying made pig iron; a strong but brittle material for the poor warriors. Too little carbon alloying made wrought iron; a ductile but weak material used for everyday tools. Only steel, at 0.3%-2.1% carbon content with minimal impurities had the ideal combination of strength and flexibility needed to sustain repetitive strain. [5][6]

Traditionally centered around the regions of Treviso for its proximity to the alpine mines the Venetian Republic was also dotted by the generalist town/village blacksmiths which handled nearly all the needs of their local region. By the 1390s the bronzesmiths of Cyprus joined Treviso as a major metalworking center as the Republic adopted bombards and guns which required bronze as ironworking techniques were deemed inadequate. Yet this was not to last as general deforestation in Italy deprived the blacksmiths of fuel and drove up costs contributing to the private conquest of Dubrovnik; cementing Venetian hegemony over the Adriatic coast's lumber preserves and the mines of Kosovo.

Soon after the conquest of Kosovo coke came into use as a fuel now that the Republic had direct access to coalfields. It was discovered that coke was an excellent substitute for increasingly rare charcoal. For the first time in a long time blacksmiths did not have to follow the forests as Kosovo mined coal and iron in abundance, output soared and the residents of the Republic found their lives slightly easier as iron tools and implements became more common. [7][8]

Organization-wise the production of iron has also evolved since the traditional blacksmith, as the Republic's infrastructure improved and the seas were cleared of pirates the stage was set for organizational innovation. As the Patrician majority and a minority of blacksmith cooperatives discovered the emerging mass market allowed for efficiencies of scale never seen before. Greedy and lazy Patricians and blacksmiths invested in expensive and massive blast furnaces to replace traditional hearths to save on fuel costs, these were more expensive still by newer architectural configurations that recycled the heated air to save further fuel. Water-powered iron rollers replaced the arduous and fuel wasting process of hammering reducing the need for skilled labourers. All of this was only possible as the modern blacksmiths were producing thousands of identical iron objects for millions in contrast to the traditional blacksmith's menagerie of products covering everything a village needed.[9]

A major breakthrough came at the turn of the century the with "coffin steel" where soft wrought iron is encased within a coffin over the course of weeks with coke. While poorly understood the process allowed for controlled carbonization, with the unfortunate side-effect of carbon concentrating at the surface which made it brittle while the core stayed too ductile. While weaker than proper steel forged by masters coffin steel was good enough for everyday purposes at a fraction of the cost and labour. It was only a matter of time until the process was refined and the Adriatic canals are into Kosovo are finished with blood and sweat.[10]

Yet none of these industries could claim to be as important as the textile industry, employing over half of all industrial workers within the Republic, international in scope, and incredibly labor intensive there was great potential for both industrial progress and upheaval.



[1] IOTL proto-industry was endemic in India, China, Japan, and Europe; the problem was that its value was marginal and progressing to full-time specialization required markets and institutions.
[2] IOTL the rulers of Milan took considerable pains and expenses to irrigate and connect Lombardy, turning the Po Valley's marshes to productive farmland and the region to a regional powerhouse.
[2] IOTL and ITTL pottery was an industry where the major technological breakthrough was organizational technology, this was of course dependent on cheap access to a wealthy mass market like ITTL Venice or IOTL Roman Empire.
[3] IOTL without an understanding of the chemistry behind ironworking superstitions abounded blacksmiths from harmless practices like bringing down the deacon to banish the "sow" to more harmful practices like feeding the furnace "crisp, cold air" as if it were a human with preferences which increased heating costs.
[4] IOTL so many factors impeded the creation of a free labour market. For women it was administratively from guilds, tariffs, monopolies, the legal status of women (ie; women were often not held legally responsible for debt, which was often attributed to the men, the result was a self-reinforcing reluctance to deal/loan with women) and such to cultural factors such as family dynamics, the perceived dependence and fragility of women, the indignation most non-Venetian men felt when serving under a female manager, to simple poverty among the peasantry.
[5] The only difference between fine 15th century steel and modern steel is the way its produced, the end-product is just as tough if only produced in lesser quantity.
[6] IOTL coking was in use in China by the 4th century and Britain by the 17th century. ITTL luck, exposure to the east, and cold Serbians heating their homes with poorly ventilated hearths led to widespread use of coke and coking around Kosovo.
[7] Much like making charcoal the process of coking burns out the impurities in coal which fouls iron it works with. Kosovo is unique in the high phosphorus content of its coal in contrast to the usual sulfur coal which makes iron brittle, to make things better Kosovo's coal contains limestone content which helps absorb sulfur, and Kosovo hosts large surface and near surface deposits. IOTL these were many of the reasons that Kosovo was a major mining center since antiquity.
[8] IOTL many of the iron making "inventions" within 17-19th century Britain was already in use at one time or another in human history by another culture. The unique thing about IOTL Britain and ITTL Venice was that they got/their getting most of their economic conditions right at the same time within a short enough period to escape the Malthusian trap of hitting the limit of the land and starvation.
[9] IOTL, innovations such as water-powered hammering were already in place by the renaissance of the 12th century, ITTL Venice is intensifying existing technology while incrementally improving them.
[10] My love! My Honey! If I was ever ISOTED to a society with pre-18th century technology this is how I'm making my keep. Steel making is simple once one understands the chemistry behind it, yet without the theoretical and applied knowledge we possess nor any easy method of measurement our ancestors relied on accumulated experience which could only go so far.

 

[Lucius Verus]

114. The Servi War Part 4

1490
Venice

"The founding of Torcello (before it was abandoned for Venice.) was the coming together of hundreds of tiny island communities. Compromise is in our blood." Pentata di Kulen


It was thought that the coming of rain would disperse the crowd, but the moisture just imposed an aggravating humidity upon the angry spirits. Crowds in the Plaza wasn't anything new, yet the sheer size of this one and the ominous chanting was disturbing. Feeling the pressure,

an over-stressed Patrician named Gaetano felt tingles in his todger and sent for his favorite mistress. Perhaps it was a misuse of ministerial privileges to employ the secret emergency entrance for carnal gratification, but it felt like an emergency to the senator. Hurrying to the Pozzi (Wells) that imprisoned convicts in dark, damp, and humid conditions underneath the ducal palace Gaetano was confronted with the confusingly arousing sight of his mistress Fiora and a throng of rough men beyond the gate of the secret entrance. Unkownst to the senator a fella in the crowd had recognized Fiora as a relation to Gaetano, called it to the attention of a crowd, and followed her closely with the implication of violence should she refuse. [1]

At a quick glance the senator understood the situation and the danger she was in. It would be safer, easier, and more logical to just walk away. Yet his loins ached and his resolve wavered at the sight of her pleading eyes. With a sigh the senator muttered about the "stupid sexy peasant", offered to lead them to the senate if they swore an oath of non-violence leading to the incredulous sight of the prominent senator announcing their arrival while his mistress clung onto him for dear life.

Like boiling cauldron kept calm by a thin layer of oil the senator was feeling the heat while awkwardly shifting to hide his stress hard-on. Riled up and lacking direction the crowd bumbled about looking for provocations. It could've gone in so many ways, scuttles could've broken out and should anyone ad died the crowd would've been inconsolable, the crowd could've been rallied by a firebrand, or the violence-prone, ignorant, and conspiratorial peasants of the crowd could've taken the lead. With patience running thin as he made his announcement, the senator turned away from the senate, scanned the crowd and motioned towards the best dressed and hopefully calmest person. [2]

Selected by chance, a woman by the name of Sofia d'Basile who was an esteemed member of a religious fraternity stepped up and addressed the senate. As an orginarii, Sofia was well informed of affairs of state and on the streets employing both in her speech. Demanding economic relief, the withdrawal of proposed tax measures, and active participation within the senate.

In one of the rare incidents of politics the now ancient Dogeressa Enrica slipped out the back, returned dressed in a simple robe without the ducal regalia, descended from the ducal throne's platform, and asked what she could do to make things right. The sight of the widowed Dogeressa, in plain clothes earnestly trying to help was enough to disperse the anger of the crowd. In a throw-back to the earliest doges, the next several hours was spent with the Dogeressa hearing out the personal complaints of the crowd. Exhausted the old woman eventually retired while the senate held several improvised votes. The final form, drafted at the end of the day was the inclusion of elected representatives from the cittadini (citizens) into the Maggior Consiglio, the body which elects Patricians for office. It was a compromise to vent the frustrations of the crowd, assuage the egos of the Patriciate which refused to sit beside peasants, and mostly importantly did not immediate affect anyone's interests as the effects would only affect the senate later when new senate members are elected. [3]

The following weeks would reveal plenty of support for widening of the political class with reservations. The colonial, exalted (men of military conquest), and bishopric Patricians were mostly in support once they realized that the mob was mostly anti-indirect taxation (anti-entrepôt). The originarii were split between the wealthy majority in support and the super-wealthy which brought several Patricianships in opposition to diluting their influence. The response among the poorer Patricians, many de-facto excluded from daily politics was a mix of relief from a consolation prize and identity crisis as they felt their title slowly crumbling. For better or worse, the Republic was taking the first tentative steps into the unknown.



[1] IOTL, the Pozzi were among the worst jails within the Republic, sometimes called Piombi for their lead roofs that invited the chills of winter and heat of summer. ITTL the jails were exclusively employed by the Council of Ten which gradually faded as an institution, no longer exclusively reserved for political prisoners the jails are now mostly to imprison politically sensitive clergy.
[2] IOTL, most mob of the time were undisciplined and lacked a directing ideology. The traditional result would've been either crushing military defeat or some concessions while the knights rallied and crushed the peasants. ITTL the residents of Venice lack both a class and political ideology yet it did have intellectuals
[3] IOTL, revolutionary France showed that if given the right to elect anyone at the time the most likely representatives would be lawyers and doctors with good incomes, law-abiding attitudes, and spare time for politics. ITTL Venice is trying something different to preserve the tier citizenship system while still allowing for some responsiveness.

 

[Lucius Verus]

115. Industrial Progress: Part 2

Venetian Republic
1380s-1500s

The textile industry of the Republic employs over half of all industrial workers while its reach extends to every corner of the Republic and beyond. Divided roughly into four steps of raw material production, spinning, weaving, and tailoring each step of which is intimately interwoven into a wider international network.

At the very top of the profit margins, concentrated in Venice and the cities were the prestigious luxury tailors and textile houses. Venerable and steadfast the segment has changed little since the 1380s, the guilds still existed to maintain high quality through rigid regulation, the choice of opulent materials and styles moved at a glacial pace with costumers in the Republic's changing Patricians, new feudal patricians, and feudal international nobles with the majority of sales conducted by personal connections to the rich. [1]

Moving down the value chain were the weavers and tailors responsible for the processing of yarn into fabric and fabric into clothing respectively. Tailoring for the most part was unchanged, they worked in their homes measuring, repairing, and altering clothes from fabrics; due to the need for tailoring most textile trade were unfinished fabric/yarn or commissioned luxury items. There was a brief disruption in the 1450s with the proliferation of knitted clothing (socks, stockings, gloves…etc) which could stretch to fit most people and took away some demand from tailors. [2]

Weaving on the other hand saw dramatic changes. Traditionally weavers would create fabric from yarn (cotton, wool, flax, hemp & silk) with foot operated looms, yet the width of the clothe was limited by the reach of the weaver while the speed was limited by the weaver's hands. The first development was intensive as capital and labour were brought together in a more connected Republic. Called the wide loom two weavers would operate an expanded loom from two ends allowing for much wider clothe, which saved on labour (as it was often a child with an adult) while commanding better prices for wider clothe. The second change came from the series spinning wheel, which increased yarn production several-fold within a few years making yarn cheap and weavers in demand. Unable to multiply the number of skilled weavers as quickly aspiring and overworked weaving sheds created the pendulum loom which replaced the precision and time required to operate shaft bars in traditional looms with a design that allows the shaft bar to be simply thrown by a single person and halving labour requirements. Still this was not enough to cope with the glut of yarn being produced and more was needed. The unintended side effect of the pendulum loom was to reduce weaving into simple and discrete steps which could be automated and powered by water-mills, with many prospective ventures already underway by the end of the century. If successful the water-powered pendulum loom has the potential to make the current affair of dispersed families of weavers obsolete within a generation in favor of centralized water-looms and shift the limiting resource from labour towards wealth. [3]

Running hand-in-hand with weaving was the dye industry, while not necessarily the next step down the value chain was nonetheless an essential part of the textile industry. Despite the dramatic increase in demand caused by increases in spinning and weaving productivity change within the industry has been intensive rather than qualitative. Lacking an understanding of the natural world the dye industry is left stumbling in the dark, occasionally stumbling upon a lucky break but unable to achieve any real breakthrough. Building on economies of scale traditional dye baths have been steadily aggregated or replaced by dye-works hosting hundreds or thousands of dye-vats dying bleached fabrics/yarn into vibrant and expensive cloth/yarn. The dyes themselves are grown or harvested from various roots, plants, lichen, and insects with techniques acquired slowly and secretively through the generations. As the republic's population grows costs for dye plantations have risen due to the demand for arable land at the same time that a wealthier republic is demand more dyed textiles. Due to the nauseous odor the profession is considered a pauper's lot and second-choice of occupation for most. During the process mordants are employed to bind the dyes to the fabric, adjust the hue, and are considered the main limiting resources. Alum, the best mordant as it brightens colors is mined only in the Papal States and the Venetian island of Lesbos is limited and dyeworks are forced to resort to sub-optimal mordants such as copper. [4]
The next step down the value chain was spinning, the act of twisting and stretching sorted fibers into yarn with the assistance of spindles or spinning wheels. Tedious, of marginal profit, and considered women's work about 4 spinsters were needed for every weaver traditionally. The first change was organizational, as transportation improved within the Republic spinsters no longer brought fiber from the few local households that made fiber on the side (after which work had to stop for a lack of materials) but rather regional markets on credit; eventually amalgamating/hired into Patrician run/sponsored manufacturates that offered the stability of a salary in contrast to the volatility of personal yarn sales. Whether compelled by competition or luck the series spinning wheel was invented and brought into use, featuring multiple spindles placed in parallels aided by mechanisms for guiding and twisting fibers it was now possible for a single person to create multiple threads of yarn at once. Almost immediately protests and acts of vandalism occurred as a majority of spinsters were forced to choose between unemployment or competition at deprivation wages. Within the mainland and parts of the Republic with more patriarchal cultures most spinsters were women spinning on a part time basis and the loss was absorbed by the family, in contrast the other parts of the Republic saw much more vocal and violent disruption, especially in Venice where marriage came later and children are expected to strike out on their own. To the Patricians and well-off this was an inevitability with some wanting to assist the spinsters in moving on and others complaining that they'd paid their part with tithes, tolls, and taxes for the grain subsidy and admonishing the ungrateful and lazy. In the end the manufacturates won out by having transformed the entire yarn market, most yarn were being brought and sold by long-distance wholesalers to individual weavers, it was difficult for individuals to acquire the distribution necessary to work full-time and many had to bare the pains of occupation change. Property rights were rigorously protected with arrests and a few eyes symbolically plunked out though by the 1490s a good deal of representatives elected to the Maggior Consiglio had work camps and unemployment subsidy on their agendas.[5]


The next and final steps down the process are the production of the various types of fibers; wool, linen, cotton, and silk. Wool was warm, resistant to dirt and water though it was itchy, shrinks with water, and too warm for a Mediterranean summer. Linen in contrast was cool, breathable, and more lustrous though it suffered from poor elasticity and a tendency to wrinkle. Cotton for the most part was a better fabric as it combined the best of both wool and linen, although it still wrinkled and suffered from high labor costs in its production. Finally, considered the best fabric was silk at the top; strong, shiny, and comfortable its lustrous appearance alone was enough to overcome its price, middling tear resistance, weakness to sunlight and lack of absorbency. The republic for the most part preferred Irish linen for its thrift, breathability, and the fact that the flax which linen is made from grows poorly in warm climates. Manufacturing on the other hand was primarily wool, for the relatively cheap labor cost and silk for the price margins. The cost of pasture can be and is sometimes outsourced towards the Turks and the Balkans while the higher profit stages of bleaching, dying, and weaving is hopefully done within the Republic. Labour intensive and requiring some chemical input water-power has come a long way in reducing the most burdensome parts of linen and wool production while silk relied upon the traditional pair of nimble hands. [5]



[1] Even today, a good deal of luxury goods are limited production runs due to small market/artificial scarcity. IOTL the restrictive regulations and industrial culture led to the downfall of the industry in the late 17th century as newer techniques and styles from Lyon took over. IOTL the industry fell not for a lack of effort, as records show the government and guilds making determined attempts to steal/attract French talent and technique. The problem was conceptual, even when they did steal some technique or style Lyon would've produced a new style within a few months; what they were missing was a competitive and innovative market with institutions to support that.
[2] Just as IOTL knitted clothing was one of the few finished textile goods that could be exported, in essence shifting jobs from export markets to domestic knitters.
[3] Unlike IOTL where the flying shuttle simplified weaving and created bottlenecks in yarn production the reverse is true in ITTL, where increased yarn production is dragging along loom improvements. Also ITTL Venetian water power is more abundant and developed than coal power leading to the logical looms powered by water.
[4] Just as IOTL showed the field of chemistry was heavily knee-capped by a lack of theoretical basis and improvements are always incremental, accidental, and a far-cry from the breakthroughs that the textile industry needs.
[5] Similar to IOTL, linen was mostly a north European thing due to climate and kept artificially low by English desires to price-dump and suppress competitors.

 

[Lucius Verus]

116. The Sullen Years

Venetian Republic
1380s-1500s


Called the Sullen years, the 1490s was a depressing time for Terrafirma. In order of severity hunger, infighting, chaos, battle, and finally vetting and execution by the State Inquisition had chopped down the ranks of the urban population. Just like how Rashid had bloomed into the regional center of the Nile after the Mamluks fell in the vacuum of Cairo the same process occurred in reverse in Terrafirma. No longer the political, economic, nor military centers of their city-states they had persisted by inertia in insular pockets putting off change. The process was far from universal as Milan, Genoa, Mantua, Bologna, and Ferrara were natural economic and/or military centers by geography and/or labour pools and would in the coming decades see their populations rise once they recovered from the shock. [1]

Politically traditional measures such as limited autonomy were no longer seen as viable for the mainland; it was simply too strategically important and unlike the Mediterranean territories impossible to dominate with naval power alone. Autonomy and privileges were reined in, with the exception of loyalists who were granted non-inheritable lifelong privileges for their current families. Important loyalists, nobles, and patricians from the mainland were given Patricianship to make it easier for the Inquisition to keep an eye on them. It had stopped just short of taking noble and patrician children hostage just like the Dalmatians historically if only for the logistical problems. Podestàs, magistrates, and numerous other positions were consolidated under the authority of the Rector (the Venetian rank for governor) who is chosen in Venice; whether they wanted it or not gaining civil power was about working with Venice and now divorced from direct economic gains. Those who raised arms against Venice but did not commit severe transgressions were barred from politics, military, and civil service. Proud, stubborn, and petty the changes led to another round of vicious rebellions in a doomed attempt against the still mobilized Sons of Erasmus. Of particular interest is the great ease with which Genoese patricians adapted and prospered to the new situation in Venice. Hailing from the former Genoese republic, a government sharing many similarities to a public corporation where one participates by buying a stake within the Senate provided an imperial reach unmatched by the Genoese Republic at its height.[2]

Economically the region was finally becoming integrated into the Republic; no longer were there tolls between historic city-states or city-gates, no longer were guilds given local monopolies, no longer were there several dozen sets of commune law codes, no longer were there dozens of types of coins with specific values, no longer was tax collection an ad-hoc matter, and no longer were institutions funded by local taxation, graft, and private wealth but transfers from Venice. [3]

The reactions were mixed, for some the changes was welcome, a massive effort and expenditure went into exchanging old coins for Venetian script and coin with the cost of restoring the metallic purity. Yet for others the same measure was an insult to the commune's pride, a violation of their traditional autonomy, and a loss of a revenue source for the political class. For many of the higher middling population, which were politically involved and had acquired at great cost offices with the expectation of returns from graft this was a massive crisis with those counting themselves as fortunate to find new positions with the Venetian bureaucracy to the many now impoverished literati exclaiming their grievances and revulsion of the state of affairs. While a minority and elitist the literati were the most publicized in Terrafirma.

Despite the effective changes in law the people of the communes mostly continued on as they've had before organized around families, guilds, and patrons going about in very personal and petty ways. Belief in the moral economy was still strong with concepts of supply and demand dismissed as esoteric manure; good honest labour should be rewarded with good living and it was wasn't then scapegoating was demanded. General fears about Venice dominating and exploiting the mainland grew, only muted by the fatalism and dejection from being defeated again. [4]

As later anthropologists would note "material culture affects and is affected by social culture" mainland urban society adapted to the new economic conditions. Exposed to Venetian industry that had gone through their own evolution decades ago the various guilds, workshops, and artisans were subject to brutal competition with a general decline in income despite some prospering with access to cheap credit and a massive market while others saw their income decline or their careers rendered unnecessary. Two factors delayed the change and prolonged the pain. The first being the lack of a free-labour market; despite the legal framework employers and workers were still in the city-state mind-set and nepotism, neighbourhood xenophobia, and personal preference dominated hiring and firing practices forcing many bright workers to seek manufactorates in the countryside or within the old regions of the Republic. The second being hubris and reluctance to change; for the half of urban workers which were involved in guilds it was a matter of identity in which many took pride in, the guild was where they meet most of their friends and family with intermarrying between families in a guild was common, and the guild was where they received social and economic support. There were riots which were suppressed while banditry was minimal as the pain was mostly urban.

Slowly and with great pains, the Po Valley was joining the Republic.




[1] IOTL, many historic towns in the Po Valley were founded long-ago or due to feudal-castles/bishoprics. ITTL, as evident during the unification of Italy massive population changes occurred with (relative) freedom of movement and a changing economy. ITTL, this is happening with an unified Po Valley under a government keenly interested in commercial matters.
[2] IOTL the Genoese Republic was a corporate-libertarian's dream and nightmare, where government is brought by the rich and powerful for the rich and powerful. The system was adaptable, dynamic, and wealthy yet it was fractured and brittle with constant coups and vicious political struggles while being harsh for the bulk of the populace who are subject to abuses such as grain monopolies.
[3] The traditional Italian city-states controlled rural territories known as a "contrada", while not necessarily economically negative as with the case of pre-confederation German states (weak governments, effective free trade and movement as small states compete for business) it was generally negative in the Po Valley where stronger governments were able to impose barriers.
[4] ITTL and IOTL economic concepts are quite new with the majority of the populace adhere to a moral economy outlook and while the minority of Venetians are rather mercantile in outlook the is a considerable spectrum of views with the idea of invegràr (laissez faire) just one among many.

 

[Lucius Verus]

117. Military Reforms
Venetian Republic
1490-1494

From antediluvian times war was costly and grows ever so everyday. When the first rocks were sharpened for war cost overruns occurred with rarer, harder, and sharper rocks demanded. Old Adage.

There was just too many armies, in 1378 there were three armies; the "Forza ordinary" drafted from Venetian citizens in times of war, often to serve as oarsmen, the Forza sussidiaria drawn from colonial regions such as the tribes of Albania, and the Forca straordinari hired by mercenaries which made up the majority of the military. Adding to this in 1379 was the addition of the Sconvòlgers, initially trained under an unified command the force fractured post-war as adventurous bands elected their own leaders and trained their own replacements. Eventually, as the Sconvòlgers raided and conquered important or dangerous lands they had to be brought under control in-exchange for religious and economic concessions under the Ministry of Peace during the 1410s. Finally, the Sons of Erasmus were created a decade later as a part of the political tug-of-war with between the patriciate and the ducal throne only to have its Patrician founders diverge overtime fragmenting command and supply with them. [1]

The result was that while trained in similar manners, the subsequent years of service warped their organization and habits so that bureaucratic chaos ensured when they were brought together during the Servi Rebellion. No company was of the same size, readiness, and each answered to different command arrangements with their personal style. Most were more suited to guard duty, raiding, sailing, boarding actions and often civilian side-jobs turned into full-time occupations than land warfare with the consolation being that their opponents were often feudal levees and mercenaries less organized, less trained on average, and less supplied than they were. The lack of uniformity showed instantly as cooperation between companies was fraught with difficulties as each company fought their own way as self-contained units without arrangements for communications. While the semi-private Patrician companies were cheap they didn't fight as well as the 2,000 old trainers in Dalmatia thrown in a panic onto the mainland. Experienced, esteemed, and having personally trained most of the forces in Terrafirma these old men turned into natural leaders, regardless of rank and suffered grievous causalities leading and protecting the boys they trained.

Redundancy was rampant as each company was designed to operate independently of its patron/sponsors and the need for an unified command was evident from the first botched battles. Every company had its own quartermasters, its own procurement agents, its own cobblers, its own knight-librarian and more. As the Servi war dragged on more stress factures appeared. It was realized that many Patricians had either neglected the maintenance of their companies trusting the typical months it took for armies to move to arm their men or neglected their training. In their defense for many Patricians it was a rational choice, war always came with months of warning and that was more than enough time. Some of the wealthy patrons haphazardly took command themselves or brought commissions only for the esteem of command. Not by intent but rather by inertia and the short-sighted desire to have a command beholden to the Patricians was a return to the days of the old Republic, where the blood requirement of command being swapped with wealth. Were the Venetian elite not so united politically and socially the decentralization of military power would've been the foundation for the civil wars that chronically plagued monarchies.

The ironworks, freighters, granaries and the plethora of industries required to maintain an army was disrupted by the sudden revolt and proved inadequate for the task. The 6-12 months for it took for gunpowder imports to arrive from India had nearly halted Venetian offenses as military stockpiles ran dangerously low-shaking Venetian confidence and security for the few in the know. [2]

Reform was needed, yet given second-thought to the urgency of suppressing and preventing revolts while restoring state finances. No longer were commissions sold to the Sons of Erasmus, to the vocal and few protests at the loss of value from military commission owners; most were humbled and shaken by the Servi rebellion. Command was to be unified into three categorizes of regulars, irregulars, and mercenaries all of which suffered from limited budgets. The regulars had to be tested and retrained-even veterans of the Servi war needed retraining so that companies could be brought together, operate in a similar manner, and cooperate. Budget restrictions meant that only a small core were maintained with the hope of scaling up during war. Irregulars were no longer defined on residency and is instead based on citizenship tier to reflect imperial realities and fears of rebellion. To cope with the lack of numbers for the regulars; men would be paid and honoured, with thrifty emphasis on the later (relaxed sumptuary laws, titles, and such) to attend seasonal training and being liable to be called up during war. For mercenaries the creation of institutions was meant to integrate the sell-swords into more predictable and reliable long-term contracts.

Administratively, India (Bengal specifically) was suddenly more important as the sole source of gunpowder-so much so that a budget was created for stockpiles despite the depressed military budget. To deal with the greater complexities of war the Admiralty planned to subsidize cargo ships and industries vital to war making potential and despite the correct criticism of graft and favoritism the initiative was relatively effective. The insecurity caused by the Servi War was also unintentionally helpful in taxing the rich, who are more willing to pay for collective defense. The final change was the separation and creation of The War Ministry from the Admiralty under the simple logic that great admirals did not necessarily make great generals. [2]

For all their reformist aspirations, come the summer of 1494 and it would prove to be too little too late.


[1] Just as IOTL, the three arms of the Venetian military has become more institutionalized (with the general trend in the Republic) and more fragmented due to ITTL's politics. Simple matters such as a commission holder's son having a loss of family fortune, daughters without interest in martial command, among all the randomness of life entropied the leadership of the Sons of Erasmus.
[2] IOTL, until the introduction of South America nitrates in the 19th century Bengal and Mālwa was responsible for the majority of gunpowder (saltpeter) production in the world. IOTL the alternative was urine processing, which tends to cut into fertilizer and food production and couldn't be concentrated to the same extent or power as mined saltpeter.

 

[Lucius Verus]

118. Exile And Return

1488-1495
Venetian Republic

During the Servi war many fled the chaos, danger, and starvation with more after as the State Inquisition and vengeful Sconvòlgers took control. As the rich nobles, patricians, and patricians fled their entourage of painters, sculptors, and writers followed their employers and social niches. Patronage of the arts and ancients was a matter of politically power and propaganda within the confines of a city-state with plenty of exiled elites willing to pay for the luxury if only out of habit while in exile in the French monarchy and Burgundian court. Here these men found a rich market of nobles and bishop nobles wishing to snub their peers and inflate their egos and took on lucrative positions catering to the whims of patrons. [1]

In their fields they achieved great advancements in artistry, yet little else outside of it. There was an obsession with the ancients and contempt for ideas that weren't related to neo-Platonism. The most immediate effect was the simply lobbying of lords for expeditions against the Republic to little effect if only because of the hassle of fighting what was a considered a middle-weight fighter over the Alpine mountains. In the decades that followed church Latin began to stagnate and ossify as a language when French and Burgundian priests began to insist on rigid fidelity to the ancients. Even slower was the spread of individualism preached by the humanist exiles, something eagerly adopted by aristocrats and the rich in their self-aggrandizement. Yet perhaps the most important effect was the slow diversion of the educated population from Scholasticism, the precursor to scientific methods towards the eloquence and classical knowledge more useful in feudal courts. [2]

Scholasticism is a system of learning that places a strong emphasis on experimentation and dialectical reasoning. Originally introduced during the Carolingian era to reconcile the old classics and Catholicism the method has been employed by learned men of faith since. It was emphasized that the best way to acquire knowledge was by replicating the discovery process, something to be of great use to future natural scientists. For disputes/contradictions dialectical reasoning emphasized rational debate, devoid of rhetorical appeals to emotion or people and encouraged students to question teachers. [3]

Methodology aside, continuing the proud tradition the exiles have put forth their efforts in promoting the classics from Greco-Roman sources. Whether it’s a sign of the times, prejudice, a simple lack of access or the difficulty of language barriers the exiles rarely studied the Jewish nor Byzantine sources. This was in contrast to the Republic where Jewish and Ealim (Venetian-Muslim) minorities have kept scholarship alive and were generally more critical of the classics. [4]

Unbeknownst to most artists and intellectuals, Pope Innocent VIII had feuded with Naples for unpaid dues and offered the throne to Charles VIII of France on a flimsy and obscure claim. The pope had died and nothing came of the claim until the unexpected death of the Neapolitan king in 1494 leaving the throne without a clear heir. Young, audacious, and brash Charles sought to prove himself having spent most of his youth rebelling against his father and later exile with the rebellion's failure. Despite harboring little interest or skill in administration Charles was the beneficiary of his father's centralization efforts (the ones he had rebelled against) and was assisted by his intelligent and eloquent elder sister Anne. After ending the Hundred Years War, signing treaties with the Hapsburgs, bringing Brittany into the kingdom, and giving some land to the greedy Ferdinand Of Aragon Charles was free to invade Naples to assert his claim. Despite efforts to arrange a ferry Charles was unwilling to pay the Venetians while the Venetians were unwilling to offend their important ally Aragon. Numbering at 25,000 men, 8,000 and a few thousand exiles the French army marched through the countryside causing all the grief every feudal army did harassing and occasionally fighting with the locals. Yet the Republic was far from feudal, the soldo (newspaper) reported on and exaggerated every grievance at the hands of the army in transit, while the exiles in was perceived as both a grave insult and threat who took every chance to provoke the Venetians. [5]

Surprisingly, nothing came from all the tension; the Republic was embroiled in the unemployment and social turmoil of industrial progress and the French were only present for a few weeks before moving on to Florence then Milan. Rather it was the Republic's ally, the greedy Ferdinand Of Aragon who changed his mind, exercised his own dynastic claim on Naples, declared war on France and called on his ally Venice along with the Italian cities. Eager to avoid encirclement and presuming the Venetian Republic an ally of Aragon and thus hostile Charles marched his 40,000 men north, hoping to break through to France while the exiles rejoiced before returning to their schemes wondering "if it would be so fortunate if the French felt trapped and fought the Venetians to the death?" [6]




[1] IOTL, French was a common second language in the rough western of the Po Valley due to the various ties and later French occupation. ITTL, France made a decent place to escape the "tyrants of Venice". IOTL the dukes of Burgundy were rich and spent huge amounts on cultural pursuits, perfect grounds for exiled artists.
[2] IOTL, while the Renaissance (which only began to be call that in the 18th century by Italian nationalists) was a period of great improvements in artistic techniques but little in other fields with a mind-numbing idealization of the classics. The period is also hard to disentangle by the countless problems from religious war, Little Ice Age, famine, division, Signorial governments in the cities, and decreasing tolerance for thought deviation.
[3] IOTL scholasticism was the root of modern scientific methods, it was also IOTL backtracked by a century of religious war, repression, famine, and worship of the classics
[4] IOTL, the Irish monasteries were the only place where the classics survived in Western Europe during the 7-10th centuries and was by default a great center of learning/knowledge. The main difference with the exiles is that they are much more selective of their sources; glazing over the faults and errors in their unstinting praise of the ancients and their patrons who are supposed descendants. Arabic sources in particular, due to their degree of separation from the Latin-based languages was difficult to directly translate.
[5] Similar to IOTL with the exception of the Republic and exiles, medieval politics was very personal and convoluted. Let the Italian wars begin.
[6] IOTL, despite being paid with lands near the French border Ferdinand had a problematic agreement with Charles to partition Naples while also having a claim being the first cousin of the last King of Naples.

 

[Lucius Verus]

Long-story short; I've had life style changes that doesn't allow for the time required to research and write a TL.

As much as I want to finish an update on immigration to Venice within the Republic, the alternative is just that much better. Its been a pleasure to share this and read your responses.

 

[Lucius Verus]

Summary: The story of Venetian suffrage as the Patricians of Venice blunders unintentionally toward equality and industry. This TL is written so that no background knowledge is required to enjoy the TL. Q&A in the post below. The focus is on social change in the aristocratic police state that is the Republic and its people.

Background: Coming from the height of the demographic and economic boom that was the 12th & 13th century the early signs of liberalism sprung up within the Italian Peninsula. Cities were founded, the people prospered, the arts flourished, and republican forms of government crept into the city-states of Italy. But there was still a long way to go towards equality for most of the city-states had limited franchises, were plagued by infighting, and upheld a strong sense of nativism that led to more powerful cities oppressing weaker cities.

As the 14th century came in what historians called the beginnings of the Renaissance; "a flourishing of aristocratic art, literacy, and political thought" equality was gradually being eroded as economic growth slowed down and those in power accumulated wealth at the expense of the people. All along the peninsula lords called signore took power, often at the invitation of infighting factions, the displaced nobles slowly crept back into power, and the bourgeois revolutionaries that displaced the tyrants of generations past quickly became the new aristocracy as they consolidated power and wealth at the expense of the "others" within their city-state.

There was however one exception, a most unlikely champion of liberalism called Venice.

A People's History of Venice. 1864, Negro Press. Verona.

Of all the city-states of Italy, Venice was unique as in its political stability. For unlike the tumultuous city states of the mainland the oligarchs of Venice shared a sense of equality, rule of law, and a willingness to compromise within the ranks of the oligarchs. Unlike their divided mainland cousins the Patricians of Venice (merchant-nobles) were unified as a class and they were able to build an effective meritocratic police state that maintained their power and stifled internal opposition. Yet by the mid 14th century the once adventurous merchant-warriors of centuries past had become complacent and rent-seeking. The spirit of meritocracy was stained as the Patrician ranks was closed to new blood, their merchant drive lost to the easy allure of easy government handouts, and their vigor lost as the Patricians began to shun commerce & war for politics. The Venetians were well on their way to a decadent Byzantine decline if it wasn't for the actions of one man. Like ripples radiating from a rock thrown into a stagnant pond Vettor Pisani showed that a single individual can accomplish great things.

Untangling Legends From Facts: A Biography of Vettor Pisani. 1920, Faber Press. Venice.

POD: Pietro Doria, the commander of the Genoese fleet in the most recent Venetian-Geonese War decides to storm the city of Venice in 1378 instead of blockading the city. The Patricians of Venice, complacent after centuries of success are reeling from the shock. IOTL the blockade led to Venetian victory as it gave time for the Venetians to fortify and counter-attack.

The story begins.

"May god forgive for the sins we are about to commit."

Last recorded words of Andrea Contarini, 59th Doge of Venice. 1379