Book description
The Republic of Venice was the first great economic and naval power
of the modern Western world. After winning the struggle for ascendency
against its bitter Genoese rivals in the late 13th century, the
Republic enjoyed centuries of unprecedented glory and a trading empire
which at its apogee reached as far afield as China, Syria and West
Africa. This golden period was only to draw to the end with the slow
decline of Venetian power in the 18th century and the Republic's
eventual surrender to Napoleon.
The Spirit of Venice aims to define the character of
the Republic during these illustrious years. Whilst investigating the
vital events of the period, Paul Strathern pays particular attention
to the lives of individuals who embodied the spirit of the
Republic, or on occasions helped to even redefine it, be they
Venetians, visitors or those who were helplessly bound up in the
history of the Republic. This cast includes some of the most
celebrated figures of European history - Petrarch, Marco Polo,
Galileo, Titian, Vivaldi, Casanova - alongside less famous but equally
extraordinary characters, such as Caterina, 'the Tragic Queen of
Cyprus', and John Law, the Scots gambler who in the 18th century
invented paper money and bankrupted France in the process.
Frequently, though, these emblems of the city found themselves at
odds with the Venetian authorities. The oligarchy of wealthy merchant
families who dominated the Republic prized stability above all else,
and were notoriously suspicious of any 'cult of personality'. Was this
very tension perhaps the engine for the Republic's unprecedented rise?
Rich with biographies of some of the most exalted characters to have
ever lived, The Spirit of Venice constitutes a refreshing and
authoritative new way into the history of the most evocative of city states.
Paul Strathern studied philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin. He has
lectured in philosophy and mathematics. He is a Somerset Maugham
Prize-winning novelist; author of two series of books -
Philosophers
in 90 Minutes
and
The Big Idea: Scientists who Changed the World
;
Mendeleyev's Dream
(shortlisted for the Aventis Science Book Prize);
Dr. Strangelove's
Game: A History of Economic Genius
,
The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance;
The Artist, the Philosopher and the Warrior
and
Death in Florence: The Medici, Savonarola and the Battle for the
Soul of the Renaissance City.
