WI: Venetian Industrial Revolution

[LordKalvan]

Thanks for filling in the details. Nice post.

I was thinking of historic floods like the 1951 Polesine flood which destroyed so much infrastructure but, yes, the main line ran North of this event.

There were OTL large sugar cane plantings in Cyprus at least under Venetian rule. Also on Crete. Unfortunately slave labor was employed.
Some info and pics, here:
http://www.fergusmurraysculpture.co...-i-ix/sweet-salt-the-medieval-sugar-industry/

Thanks: I always say that the devil is in the details.

Polesine is low lands. and historically has been easily floodable. You may be interested in this link, which tells the story of the reclamation of Polesine http://www.itempidellaterra.org/4/8.php Did your family originated from there?

I was pretty sure I remembered the cane sugar plantations of Cyprus and Crete (which were marginalized later on by the sugar cane plantations of the Caribbeans). The use of slave labor is unfortunate for sure. I'm afraid however that each age dictates the economics of production: marginal plantations require slave labor or indentured labor (the same happened in Queensland under the illuminate government of Queen Victoria, with indentured labor brought in from Pacific islanders. After WW2 a significant number of Italian immigrants worked the same plantations, and ended up buying them from previous owners, but that is another story).
Thanks for the link.

 

[Herzen's love-child]

Did your family originated from there?

No. I'm a Russian Jew born in Britain living in N. America. But I have studied in Italy and I have friends from the general area. Including that increasingly rare creature, the native Venetian.


The Ottomans ironically ended Venetian involvement in large scale slave labor. Sometimes defeat is a good thing...

 

[Max Sinister]

I think too that the textile industry would be the appropriate way. Could they get cotton by trading with Egypt? Or would they have to colonize it? But Venice doesn't have the manpower for that - would they use mercenaries?

 

[Herzen's love-child]

Cotton was introduced on a mass scale later in Egypt later, much later (like after the American CW). I would imagine that Venice would build on historic ties they already had with the Mamelukes. They don't want to make enemies of the Mamelukes because their overland trade links depended on them and because they are a counterweight to the Ottomans.

You could have Venetian investors and agriculterists nurturing a budding cotton industry on a mass scale in Egypt ( and also conceivably in other Mediterranean locations). They know how to implement mass production and with the right POD, the surplus capital to make it happen.

A question. From where and when is the impetus to develop cotton on a large scale? Although cotton was known in Europe from medieval times (the classical civilizations were aware of it, too) the initial major source was India and it was a luxury good in Europe. New World cotton from meso America kickstarted a new interest as well as overseas transportation from both the Americas (from the late 16th C.) and from India. Earlier development of a Venetian cotton industry would probably predicate some kind of Indian connection more advantageous to Venetian interests than OTL.

Lest I forget, a roadmap that leads to industrialized spinning also is a prerequisite for cotton to become a really big deal.

 

[Herzen's love-child]

Also, Leonardo invents the Cotton Gin. (Sorry Eli-- you get ninja'd in this scenario.)

 

[LordKalvan]

Cotton was introduced on a mass scale later in Egypt later, much later (like after the American CW). I would imagine that Venice would build on historic ties they already had with the Mamelukes. They don't want to make enemies of the Mamelukes because their overland trade links depended on them and because they are a counterweight to the Ottomans.

You could have Venetian investors and agriculterists nurturing a budding cotton industry on a mass scale in Egypt ( and also conceivably in other Mediterranean locations). They know how to implement mass production and with the right POD, the surplus capital to make it happen.

A question. From where and when is the impetus to develop cotton on a large scale? Although cotton was known in Europe from medieval times (the classical civilizations were aware of it, too) the initial major source was India and it was a luxury good in Europe. New World cotton from meso America kickstarted a new interest as well as overseas transportation from both the Americas (from the late 16th C.) and from India. Earlier development of a Venetian cotton industry would probably predicate some kind of Indian connection more advantageous to Venetian interests than OTL.

Lest I forget, a roadmap that leads to industrialized spinning also is a prerequisite for cotton to become a really big deal.

IMHO you are going too fast. Textile industry is "mature" in Europe: which means that - barring a new and emerging market for its products - will be very hard to kickstart, and cannot be the motor of an industrial revolution. Now there are two "new" markets looming in a not-so-distant future: the first is a consumer market, predicated on more intensive urbanization and increasing prosperity; the second is the manufacture of sails, which requires a shift from galleys to sailing ships. However neither of these markets is readily available.
Wages in Italy (and in western Europe) peaked at the beginning of the 15th century, as an effect of the Black Death (another effect was a temporary weakening of the guilds). However during the 15th century wages for a day laborer started to slide down and by the end of the century there was already a marked difference between what a day laborer would earn in Florence, in Paris and in London. Discovery of the Americas, age of exploration and increased Atlantic commerce substantially increased the gap between these cities, and London was clearly the front runner.
To offset this trend (and create a consumer market) the economy of Northern Italy must be improved, via agriculture and commerce. There are two keys to this: one is making transportation of goods easier (canals, which are beneficial also for agricultural irrigation, are labor intensive and inject cash into the economy); the second is increasing commerce and finding alternative ways of supply if the traditional ones dry up for external reasons (the fall of Constantinople and the subsequent Ottoman upsurge in eastern Mediterranean at the middle of 15th century, the discovery of an alternative route to India and the Spice Islands at the end of the century). Neither key is however available if the political situation is unstable and the focus is just on defending old markets and territorial expansion.
Assuming a POD in 1450 (the alliance with the Ambrosian republic) Venice may avoid becoming embroilered in wars on the Italian mainland and can concentrate on opening new sources of supply for her merchants (as a matter of fact both Alexandria and the Syrian ports were traditional destinations for Venetian convoys, but their importance was much less than the traditional markets in Constantinople, Trabzon and Crimea). So we are back to Egypt and the Mamelukes, where Venetian merchants can purchase from Arab and Indian merchants (goods from India and the spice islands were arriving by ship to Berenice (on the Egyptian coast, then by caravan to the Nile and then by barge to Alexandria) or Yanbu on the Arabian coast (and then by caravan to Egypt). The sting is that Venetian trade with Egypt was mostly triangular (slaves purchased in Crimea, transported to Egypt and sold there to finance the purchase of spices and other luxury goods): the problem for Venice was the long war with the Ottomans - 1470 to 1503 - which dried up the commerce across the Straits. The Egyptian problem/opportunity must be tackled early and with complete focus (while I'm under the impression that Venice always considered Constantinople more important and the problems of the second half of 15th a temporary nuisance). In a way the relative ease with which the Mamelukes repelled the first Ottoman attempt to invade Syria and Egypt was not a good thing, since it reinforced the idea that Alexandria would be always available as a commerce route (30 years later the Ottomans came back for a second round. This time the Ottomans had revised and improved their armies taking advantage of the fast progresses in military art and use of firearms, while the Mamelukes had done nothing. It was a no-contest. Venice could not even do anything to support Egypt, since the wars of the League of Cambrai were well under way).
Anyway the point is that Venice must keep Egypt out of Ottoman hands, and concentrate on the Indian ocean. The latter they did IOTL too: Venetian merchants went to India and even to Malacca, and when the Portuguese first arrived news went back to Venice pretty fast. They could not do much to relieve the Mamelukes.
ITTL the commercial penetration into India might come earlier, and maybe by the turn of the century there might be Venetian sailing ships in the Indian ocean (portaging ships to the Red sea would be an unbelievable pain in the back, but if there is a will...after all we are talking of ships with a displacement of 90-100 tons. Maybe the best solution is bring timber to Egypt and set up a little arsenal on the Red sea coast). Provided that Venice has seen the light and switched to sailing ships, I mean: otherwise the future is not very bright.

 

[LordKalvan]

Also, Leonardo invents the Cotton Gin. (Sorry Eli-- you get ninja'd in this scenario.)

The spinning jenny was invented around the mid 18th century, IIRC. If is developed 100-150 years earlier ITTL it would be a serious achievement.

 

[Herzen's love-child]

The spinning jenny was invented around the mid 18th century, IIRC. If is developed 100-150 years earlier ITTL it would be a serious achievement.

Yes it would be and I'm afraid not really in the cards during his lifetime even if some of the very things you've just mentioned came to fruition or obstacles removed. But maybe a generation or so later...

 

[LordKalvan]

Yes it would be and I'm afraid not really in the cards during his lifetime even if some of the very things you've just mentioned came to fruition or obstacles removed. But maybe a generation or so later...

two or 3 generations later I'd say. However Leonardo might still have a field day designing canals and war machines

 

[Jared]

You know, I wonder if the result of this is not an industrial Venice, but rather an industrial Holy Roman Empire as ideas stimulate to the German Free cities and the Low Countries.

In the long run, that might well be the outcome. Or, rather, Venice is the industrial pioneer but the HRE will develop things further, particularly in use of coal and related metallurgy.

More generally, thanks for the further ideas. The key points I think that I've noted from these are:

- greater expansion of the canal network is both feasible and beneficial
- glassmaking, shipbuilding, jewellery and printing are all potential industries that could develop further in ATL Venice
- sugar plantations may well bring additional capital and calories (at the unfortunate consequence of probable slave labour)

For textiles, I take the point that having a broad range of fibres will help markets in general, growing the overall Venetian economy and allowing capital. So flax, wool, silk and maybe cotton will be texiles manufactured

However, I think that any actual textile industrial revolution requires one specific fibre to become the basis of industrialisation. The various fibres were different enough that early machines developed to work one fibre could not be easily adapted to another. So in OTL cotton machines became the main basis of industrialisation, and only after they had become reasonably profitable were those machines adapted to other fibres.

So ATL, I think there still needs to be one fibre which is really driving the industrialisation. Cotton is difficult, because ITTL it would be hard to build up enough supply in time. So I think it should start with a different fibre, and my inclination is still to go with silk.

Silk could have led an industrial revolution in textiles in OTL (the French silk industry came close), and in the right conditions I think it could drive an ATL industrial revolution. Silk was a valuable enough fibre to be in demand during the expanding urban markets of late medieval/early modern Europe, and so it could potentially drive the mechanisation of textile production.

 

[LordKalvan]

In the long run, that might well be the outcome. Or, rather, Venice is the industrial pioneer but the HRE will develop things further, particularly in use of coal and related metallurgy.

More generally, thanks for the further ideas. The key points I think that I've noted from these are:

- greater expansion of the canal network is both feasible and beneficial
- glassmaking, shipbuilding, jewellery and printing are all potential industries that could develop further in ATL Venice
- sugar plantations may well bring additional capital and calories (at the unfortunate consequence of probable slave labour)

For textiles, I take the point that having a broad range of fibres will help markets in general, growing the overall Venetian economy and allowing capital. So flax, wool, silk and maybe cotton will be texiles manufactured

However, I think that any actual textile industrial revolution requires one specific fibre to become the basis of industrialisation. The various fibres were different enough that early machines developed to work one fibre could not be easily adapted to another. So in OTL cotton machines became the main basis of industrialisation, and only after they had become reasonably profitable were those machines adapted to other fibres.

So ATL, I think there still needs to be one fibre which is really driving the industrialisation. Cotton is difficult, because ITTL it would be hard to build up enough supply in time. So I think it should start with a different fibre, and my inclination is still to go with silk.

Silk could have led an industrial revolution in textiles in OTL (the French silk industry came close), and in the right conditions I think it could drive an ATL industrial revolution. Silk was a valuable enough fibre to be in demand during the expanding urban markets of late medieval/early modern Europe, and so it could potentially drive the mechanisation of textile production.

Can silk sustain an industrial system? It looks like a very high-end product, with competitors in France and Italy. Brocade was certainly a major industry in medieval and renaissance times but I'm not sure I'd concentrate on it. My guess would be flax (in great demand for sailcloth, made from flax and hemp fibers) or wool which certainly gives access to the widest consumer market.
Samples of sailcloth from the relic of Vasa show that smaller sails had close weave, why the weave of large sails was much coarser. Close weave is much more efficient so if progress is made in inventing a water-powered mechanical loom the benefits would be huge. Linen is also used for a number of other aplications and so it would open more markets (not to mention that flax can be grown in northern Italy)
A nice bonus of textile industry is that it opens the way toward chemistry (dyes and mordants).

 

[diestormlie]

Here's a way to keep Venice Rich and happy, even making it richer than it would be before: Rebuild the Canal of the Pharaohs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canal_of_the_Pharaohs

Otherwise known as 'The Suez Canal, over a thousand year before.

Suddenly, Venice (in collaboration with Mamluks and or perhaps even Ottomans) as a route that is far, far quicker to India and beyond.

Eh he he.

Now, there is a Venice ATL on this forum that has Venice building the Suez Canal itself, but I see this as a more likely option.

 

[Jared]

Can silk sustain an industrial system? It looks like a very high-end product, with competitors in France and Italy. Brocade was certainly a major industry in medieval and renaissance times but I'm not sure I'd concentrate on it.

Silk can sustain an industrial system. It has, or can be developed to have, a major high-value market; not just brocades, but patterned silk velvets, and other textiles. The French silk industry (centred in Lyons) came pretty damn close to its own Industrial Revolution in OTL. The nascent industry took a big hit in the 1680s when many of the Huguenots left, which not only took many experienced silk workers, but set up rival industries elsewhere in Europe. If not for that, it's conceivable that silk textiles could have been the first textile industrial revolution.

Interestingly, the French silk industry had several features which could be paralleled earlier in ATL Venice:
- it was driven in large part by state-sponsored encouragement (e.g. a textile Venetian equivalent to the Arsenal)
- it was a highly centralised industry, in contrast to the development of cotton textiles in OTL, which would also be suitable for Venice
- it relied on the importation of much technical knowledge from China, which the Venetians ITTL could probably accomplish a lot earlier if they have more access to China (and thus speed up the process of industrialisation)
- it had a strong emphasis on technological innovation both to improve quality (and thus market value) and to drive productivity by reducing labour costs
- it was also supported by a state-driven policy of commercialisation, developing markets across Europe, and setting fashions for the rest of Europe to follow.

There's some more information here and a informative paper here which show more about the potential of a silken industrial revolution.

My guess would be flax (in great demand for sailcloth, made from flax and hemp fibers) or wool which certainly gives access to the widest consumer market.
Samples of sailcloth from the relic of Vasa show that smaller sails had close weave, why the weave of large sails was much coarser. Close weave is much more efficient so if progress is made in inventing a water-powered mechanical loom the benefits would be huge. Linen is also used for a number of other aplications and so it would open more markets (not to mention that flax can be grown in northern Italy)
A nice bonus of textile industry is that it opens the way toward chemistry (dyes and mordants).

These are certainly plausible alternatives, and I'm not committed to having silk as the essential fibre for a Venetian Industrial Revolution. It's just that ATL Venice looks to be in a good position to exploit that earlier than OTL.

There's no particular reason that would stop the flax or wool alternatives, just that I don't see that Venice has any particular advantages in industrialising with them when compared to, say, Flanders or the British Isles. If the right circumstances develop in an ATL, sure, Venice could develop industrial linen or woollen textiles.

(And also, as an aside, because woollen textile-driven industrial revolution is something I'll already be exploring in another timeline. Eventually.)

Here's a way to keep Venice Rich and happy, even making it richer than it would be before: Rebuild the Canal of the Pharaohs

If that's plausible to be rebuilt (I don't know), that would certainly be an interesting ATL megaproject for *Venice and its Egyptian collaborators to build.

On another note, can anyone recommend some good general English-language sources about the history of Venice, both political and economic? Online sources would be great if available, but I can probably track down dead-tree versions if needed.

 

[Nilesap]

The alteration a venetian industrialization would be very interesting. I can see anything from a much earlier unified Italy the rebirth of the western roman empire- and that probably would be within the first fifty years.

And is this for LoRaG?

 

[Herzen's love-child]

On another note, can anyone recommend some good general English-language sources about the history of Venice, both political and economic? Online sources would be great if available, but I can probably track down dead-tree versions if needed.

For Dead Tree versions:
Norwich does a highly readable History of Venice which is probably the most popular.http://www.amazon.com/History-Venice-John-Julius-Norwich/dp/0679721975

Also, the more recent Venice: History of the Floating City has a lot of buzz. I've only glanced through it. http://www.amazon.com/Venice-Floating-Joanne-M-Ferraro/dp/0521883598

Much scholarship is not in English, alas.

 

[Jared]

The alteration a venetian industrialization would be very interesting. I can see anything from a much earlier unified Italy the rebirth of the western roman empire- and that probably would be within the first fifty years.

There's all sorts of possibilities. Though it's worth emphasising that any Venetian Industrial Revolution would probably be more "incremental" than our one - even after industrialisation starts, there will still be slower progress, due to the lack of some relevant OTL technologies, not to mention lack of coal.

And is this for LoRaG?

No, this will be a separate, more focused project. Industrialisation for LoRaG will probably be via the wool textile method I mentioned in passing a couple of posts back.

For Dead Tree versions:
Norwich does a highly readable History of Venice which is probably the most popular.http://www.amazon.com/History-Venice-John-Julius-Norwich/dp/0679721975

Also, the more recent Venice: History of the Floating City has a lot of buzz. I've only glanced through it. http://www.amazon.com/Venice-Floating-Joanne-M-Ferraro/dp/0521883598

Much scholarship is not in English, alas.

Thanks for these. I'll see what Amazon can cough up.

It's understandable that much of the scholarship is not in English, naturally. It just makes it harder for someone who doesn't know many polite words in Italian (and not many more in French or German).

 

[LordKalvan]

Silk can sustain an industrial system. It has, or can be developed to have, a major high-value market; not just brocades, but patterned silk velvets, and other textiles. The French silk industry (centred in Lyons) came pretty damn close to its own Industrial Revolution in OTL. The nascent industry took a big hit in the 1680s when many of the Huguenots left, which not only took many experienced silk workers, but set up rival industries elsewhere in Europe. If not for that, it's conceivable that silk textiles could have been the first textile industrial revolution.

Interestingly, the French silk industry had several features which could be paralleled earlier in ATL Venice:
- it was driven in large part by state-sponsored encouragement (e.g. a textile Venetian equivalent to the Arsenal)
- it was a highly centralised industry, in contrast to the development of cotton textiles in OTL, which would also be suitable for Venice
- it relied on the importation of much technical knowledge from China, which the Venetians ITTL could probably accomplish a lot earlier if they have more access to China (and thus speed up the process of industrialisation)
- it had a strong emphasis on technological innovation both to improve quality (and thus market value) and to drive productivity by reducing labour costs
- it was also supported by a state-driven policy of commercialisation, developing markets across Europe, and setting fashions for the rest of Europe to follow.

There's some more information here and a informative paper here which show more about the potential of a silken industrial revolution.



These are certainly plausible alternatives, and I'm not committed to having silk as the essential fibre for a Venetian Industrial Revolution. It's just that ATL Venice looks to be in a good position to exploit that earlier than OTL.

There's no particular reason that would stop the flax or wool alternatives, just that I don't see that Venice has any particular advantages in industrialising with them when compared to, say, Flanders or the British Isles. If the right circumstances develop in an ATL, sure, Venice could develop industrial linen or woollen textiles.

(And also, as an aside, because woollen textile-driven industrial revolution is something I'll already be exploring in another timeline. Eventually.)

Jared, you make a number of good points. I still believe that the focus cannot be just on the silk industry (and within the silk industry, on high end products). Silk industry in Venice was heavily regulated (to enforce quality standards, mainly, but also to regulate the dyeing of the silk, through a number of sumptuary laws, and also to control the export of semi-finished goods). One problem I see is that there is a strong control of the guilds over the industry, another one is that the high-end products are not easily won over to industrialization. However IOTL there was a parallel market for medium- and low-quality products, which was not concentrated in the capital cities (Venice, Milan, Florence) but also spread to the hinterland: since we are talking of higher amounts of production, less influence of the guilds and less trained workers I believe it would make more sense to concentrate on this aspect of the industry (at least at the beginning): whatever technical advance is made on the low-end product, in time it will be transferred to the high-end too (and there will be more time to slowly curb the power of the guilds). I suggest you could be interested in The Silk Industry of Renaissance Venice: it costs a pretty penny, but you might be lucky and find it in some university library. You can find some free pages on Google Books
http://books.google.com.au/books?id...ge&q=traditional industries of venice&f=false

I was mistaken about the starting date of the cotton weaving in Europe, btw: it started much earlier than I thought (1200), a lot of raw cotton went through Venice and the two major centres of cotton production in Italy (and Europe) were located in Milan and Cremona (another Lombard city). The best cotton was coming from Syria and Armenia, lesser quality cotton was also cultivated in Anatolia (Kastamonu was the major centre) and southern Italy.
In a way cotton history paralleled the history of silk: originally a high-end expensive cloth, then a lower-quality produce became available and competed on markets. Interestingly enough the production of jeans cloth also started quite early and different qualities of cloth were available; it did not happen in Genoa, as the name seems to imply, but in Lower Piedmont (some 50 km from Genoa across the Appennines). However since the cotton came in through Genoa and the finished product was mostly transported on Genoese ships the name stuck. There is an interesting article on early cotton industry available on internet: http://www.lse.ac.uk/economicHistory/Research/GEHN/HELSINKIMazzaoui.pdf

Note in this article the impact of multiple tolls on export goods, and the fact that the duchy of Milan was by far the gratest producer of cotton cloth (the area of Lower Piedmont where jeans cloth was produced was also under Milan). If the alliance between Venice and Milano stands, there are obvious benefits for the cotton industry (and also better transportation through the network of canals and rivers in northern Italy). It also makes much more difficult for Lyon in particular (and France in general)to gain importance in the silk and cotton textile industry.

If that's plausible to be rebuilt (I don't know), that would certainly be an interesting ATL megaproject for *Venice and its Egyptian collaborators to build.

An early connection between Mediterranean and Red sea was always one of my pet projects. There are a few difficulties to be overcome to make it work:

• the delta of Nile is not the most stable of environments: the main channels change their route over the centuries, waterways get silted up and so on. We don't know the exact route of the Caliphate "canal" of the 9th-10th century (much less the route of the Ptolemaic connection), nor why they were abandoned. Therefore we don't know if either of them (assuming they were following different routes) could be restored. It is most likely that one has to survey the main branches of Nile delta and design a new connection (possibly requiring damming and/or portage)
• It is reasonable to assume that a connection might be established, but I would not care to guesstimate what the cost might be. Even more difficult would be to estimate the manpower requirements (and the associated cost) to keep the connection navigable (silting and vegetation growth appear to be the worst dangers)
• If Venice (or maybe Venice + Milan) can find a mutually attractive deal with the Mamlukes, there is the problem of allocating the capital (and maintenance) investments. Which portion of these costs can be reasonably covered by tolls? What kind of securities would the Venetian/Milanese investors require? I think a perpetual lease of the city of Damietta (and the right to fortify the Nile branch passing a few kilometers away) would be required. Note that the traditional European policy (loan to the sultan, the sultan defaults on repayments, European troops land) might become a bit tricky to enforce if there is still a strong Ottoman state on the Syrian border: not impossible, mind, just tricky.
• The alternative to this would be the traditional traffic route from/to India: monsoon-timed convoys landing goods in Berenice: from there caravans to the Nile and barges to the Mediterranean. I do strongly believe that Venice has to put some sailing ships (and some galleys too) in the Red sea and the Indian ocean, but they do not need a "canal" for that.
• For the avoidance of doubt, an early Suez canal (as we know it) would not be feasible before the availability of steam dredges.

On another note, can anyone recommend some good general English-language sources about the history of Venice, both political and economic? Online sources would be great if available, but I can probably track down dead-tree versions if needed.

Norwich has written a good history of the republic of Venice. Maybe not as complete and researched as it should have been (and certainly popularized), but it's a nice book.

Other books I might suggest are:

• Venetian Ships and Shipbuilders of the Renaissance by F. C. Lane
  http://books.google.com.au/books?id...Bw#v=onepage&q=venetian sailing ships&f=false
• Crisis and Change in the Venetian Economy in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries edited by Brian Pullan (Essays of Economic History)
  http://books.google.com.au/books?id...Aw#v=onepage&q=venetian gun foundries&f=false
• The Venetian Empire 1200-1670 (Osprey books)
• The Mamluks 1250-1517 (Osprey books)
• Italian Medieval Armies 1300-1500 (Osprey Books)
• Armies of the Ottoman Turks 1300-1774 (Osprey books)
• The Portuguese in the Age of Discovery (Osprey Books)
• Ottoman Fortifications 1300-1710 (Osprey Books)
• City of Fortune: How Venice Won and Lost a Commercial Empire by R. Crowley
• Renaissance at War by Thomas Arnold
• Popes, Cardinals and War: the Military Church in Renaissance and Early Modern Europe by David Chamber
• Europeans Weapons and Armour from Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution by R. E. Oakeshott

I'm afraid there is not a lot in terms of internet sources in English (more in Italian, though). My list is skewed toward naval and military history because the period from 15th century onward there is a continuous change and improvement in naval and military weapons and knowledge.
Don't underestimate the political, economical and social issues: one of the major strengths of the United Provinces (and after the Glorious Revolution of England too) was the capacity of borrowing money at low interest.

 

[Herzen's love-child]

I would also add the incredible masterwork by Fernand Braudel, the Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Phillip II
http://www.amazon.com/The-Mediterranean-World-Philip-Vol/dp/0520203089
indispensible social/political/economic/natural history synergy for the time and place.

 

[Jared]

Norwich has written a good history of the republic of Venice. Maybe not as complete and researched as it should have been (and certainly popularized), but it's a nice book.

Other books I might suggest are:

• Venetian Ships and Shipbuilders of the Renaissance by F. C. Lane
  http://books.google.com.au/books?id...Bw#v=onepage&q=venetian sailing ships&f=false
• Crisis and Change in the Venetian Economy in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries edited by Brian Pullan (Essays of Economic History)
  http://books.google.com.au/books?id...Aw#v=onepage&q=venetian gun foundries&f=false
• The Venetian Empire 1200-1670 (Osprey books)
• The Mamluks 1250-1517 (Osprey books)
• Italian Medieval Armies 1300-1500 (Osprey Books)
• Armies of the Ottoman Turks 1300-1774 (Osprey books)
• The Portuguese in the Age of Discovery (Osprey Books)
• Ottoman Fortifications 1300-1710 (Osprey Books)
• City of Fortune: How Venice Won and Lost a Commercial Empire by R. Crowley
• Renaissance at War by Thomas Arnold
• Popes, Cardinals and War: the Military Church in Renaissance and Early Modern Europe by David Chamber
• Europeans Weapons and Armour from Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution by R. E. Oakeshott

I'm afraid there is not a lot in terms of internet sources in English (more in Italian, though). My list is skewed toward naval and military history because the period from 15th century onward there is a continuous change and improvement in naval and military weapons and knowledge.
Don't underestimate the political, economical and social issues: one of the major strengths of the United Provinces (and after the Glorious Revolution of England too) was the capacity of borrowing money at low interest.

I would also add the incredible masterwork by Fernand Braudel, the Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Phillip II
http://www.amazon.com/The-Mediterranean-World-Philip-Vol/dp/0520203089
indispensible social/political/economic/natural history synergy for the time and place.

Thanks for these excellent suggestions. I'll do a bit more digging around on Amazon to see which ones can be obtained at a reasonable price, and then that should be enough to start some more in-depth research on the topic.

Don't expect a timeline to start in the next month or two, but I'll be doing a lot of reading and then see what I can come up with. Noting (once again) that this will become a much more focused work than my previous timelines; I lack the time to cover the whole world.

 

[Herzen's love-child]

Looking forward to it! Happy researching.