The Duke views a sea battle entertainment, Sanudo prefers the sweets: Sanudo Diaries: October 23, 1530; (54:79-81)

nedits: It took almost two weeks to ready the mock sea battle for the Duke of Milan, but they did and Sanudo went into detail describing it.

Sanudo Diaries: October 23, 1530: (54:79-81); "It was the day designated for the festa and the naval battle [which took place] after dinner. First, the platform in front of the facade of the Ducal Palace that looks toward San Zorzi Mazor [San Giorgio Maggiore] was very nicely decorated, and above the little columns an enclosure was built for the doge and the duke, and both were covered with crimson silk. A beautiful wooden castle was brought on rafts to the middle of the canal and anchored there so it would not move. Soon about a hundred women gathered on the platform, however, their costumes did not exceed the sumptuary law. Then the doge arrived, well accompanied by all the young procurators and other senators both in the Senate and formerly in the Senate -- except that I, Marin Sanudo, did not wish to attend...."

Editor's Footnote: "Perhaps because one month earlier Sanudo's pride had once again been injured by the appointment of Pietro Bembo as historian of Venice. Nevertheless, he was evidently persuaded to join the observers..." p. 79

nedits: Notice also how quick Sanudo is to point out that the ladies' costumes did not exceed cost limitations. The great San Giorgi Maggiore got a complete make-over by none other than Andrea Palladio some forty years after the events here. But the little columns Sanudo refers to are seen along the south side of the Doge's Palace facing, at that time the old San Giorgi Maggiore across the Rialto.

Sanudo Diaries: October 23, 1530: (54:79-81); "Then the compagnia members went to fetch the Duke of Milan, who came with his companions, and when he arrived at the top of the palace stairs, the doge was there, and they went together to the appointed place. And I do not wish to omit from the written record that the whole Piazza was packed with people as far as the Terra Nuova and the entire quay of San Zacaria". [now referred to as Riva degli Schiavoni]

nedits: the editor's say the Terra Nuova, literally 'new land', is where the Sansovino Library is now. p.79

Editors note: "In the naval battle, twenty-four armed brigantines attacked a castle that was defended by a captain and his armed infantry. After the canonical stages of a request to surrender and the defence of the defenders, the assault took place. Clay pots were launched, and there were mock executions until the castle was taken." pp 79-80.

Sanudo Diaries: October 23, 1530: (54:79-81) con't: "Item: two ships were brought into the canal, one belonging to ser Mafio Bernardo del Banco --- and the other of 400 botte [a measure of displacement] belonging to ser Marco Bragadin and ser Nicolo Michiel. This ship is going to Barbary, and I boarded it, and together with this ser Marco Bragadin, I went to watch. These ships and many other watercraft were full of women and men, and so were other large vessels, so that it seemed an armada was gathered in front of San Giorgi Maggiore. There were so many people between there and San Marco and all about that the crowd was estimated at 100,000, not to speak of an infinite number of little boats full of people. The Duke of Ferrara in disguise stayed up above, together with his retinue, on the balcony of the Great Council.

Everyone having gathered, two members of the compagnia had charge of this naval battle: ser Etor Contarini and ser Michiel Salamon, who, wearing their [compagnia] jackets, were on little barges. They proceeded to organize the festa. there were twelve armed brigantines, that is, longboats, on each side, which made twenty-four, each containing artillery, and ladders to breach the castle, and each armada had a captain -- for one, Zuan Papa, and for the other, Francesco de Pozo, both sailors. And in the castle was a captain of infantry called Gatin da Bologna with infantry armed with wooden swords and artillery and enough powder and clay pots to fire.

Now, both armadas  having arrived and surrounded the castle, and those within saluting them by firing their m,muskets and doing other things, two brigantines were sent to request the castle [to surrender], and they responded by showing their weapons. Then one of the armadas approached on one side, and the other on the other, and they began to make general war on the castle, while those inside defended themselves by launching clay posts. And when the ones with the ladders attempted to scale the castle, two were captured and "hanged". After that, the battlements were destroyed, and those inside pushed down the attackers, who fell into the water. In the end, a few valiant ones climbed up the ramparts, and those within retreated with their ensigns to the citadel, which was also then attacked and captured."

Editor's note: "Elaborate as this event appears, it did not satisfy Sanudo's expectations. He was more impressed with the feast that followed and the display of sweets molded into political symbols, the sugared meringues in animal shapes, and the large number of servers:" pp 80-81.

Sanudo Diaries (con't): "And this did not last very long -- there should have been at least one more battle. The castle was taken, but it was in bad shape. After this was finished -- and in my opinion it wasn't successful, this thing that in Greek is called a neumachia and had never happened before -- they began to serve the meal, which was carried out through the main door of the palace. Each member of the compagna had, as presents for each guest, an infinite number of molded sweets. The first was ser Leonardo of Ca' Pesaro, and his was the molded sweet for the duke decorated with a large St Mark's lion an the [Visconti] snake with a Guelf [a longstanding papal supporter] in its mouth. Then came the doge's sweet, a large St Mark's lion bearing the Gritti coat of arms and the ducal corno. Then there were seven St Mark's lions ---. Afterwards, there followed the other members of the compagnia, with various kinds of sugared meringues and certain nymphs with the arms of all the members of the compagnia and other animals made of sugar and various confections: cookies, pine-nut cakes, filled pastries, pistachios, confections, ring-shaped cakes, wafers, flat-bread, etc.; so that there were twenty-three members of the compagnia, with servants in various liveries and especially hats. Among them was a compagnia of German bakers, well dressed, and everything in silver: goblets, salvers, candy dishes, large cups, wine jugs, pots, vessels, and other [containers]. Altogether those who served the meal numbered 250, which made it a magnificent and sumptuous  event, although it was difficult to make space [for the servers]. But the members of the compagnia vigorously wielded clubs, and two people died from the crush. Nevertheless the entire meal took place on the platform, and then, after the little columns had been removed, [the participants], using a stair from the platform, went above to the Signoria, where he [the duke] was presented to everyone, the senators as well as the ladies."

Editor's note: "Sanudo also notes the absence of all ambassadors save that of Milan, for reasons of diplomatic precedence...." p. 81

Sanudo Diaries (con't): "And it should be noted that not one of the ambassadors was at this festa except the Milanese. The reason for this I wrote above: the royal ambassadors did not wish to be seated beneath the duke. Not even the papal legate wished to come. The ambassador of Ferrara did not come; neither the ambassador of Mantua nor the ambassador of Urbino would give way. Before and after the meal, there was dancing on the platform, the women dancing with the members of the compagnia. After the meal, a difference arose between the two captains of the armada over who should get the castle, and it was decided that they should fight each other. And one armada fought the other with wooden swords, which was nice to watch for a while.

At sunset the doge left with the duke. 

A few members of the compagnia accompanied the duke to his lodging, with their trombones and shawms [Editor's Appendix B: "a double reed, straight-bodied wind instrument." p. 551] going on ahead, while the duke greeted everyone.... More than a hundred wax torches were brought onto the platform, where some of the women continued to dance and some took their leave. ... I do not wish to omit that a mot elegant collation was served, but badly apportioned, because the Milanese gentlemen seated on the ladies' viewing platform had nothing, while many senators stuffed their sleeves with confections, to the great chagrin of those who observed them, and among the others was ser Vetor Moresini da San Polo, who stowed away plenty of confections."

All quotes as Sanudo Diaries or Editor's notes or Editor's Footnotes, as well as appendix entries from Venice, Cita Excellentissima, Selection from the Renaissance Diaries of Marin Sanudo translated by Linda L Carroll,  editors: Patricia H LaBalme and Laura Sanguineti White, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008

news from 25Oct12, some comics

Full of it.

David Dayen on real estate's  'Enduring Trauma'

Do the Hustle! This news and the author's analysis is more important than the Benghazi flap, for example, in the big scheme. Because, if americans had assets - like real estate of value - and credit, we the people, as a world-leading consumer market, could pull the world out of this global recession. But we can't if it takes the housing industry another 4-5 years to come out of this hole. Which is more and more likely as Banks get to make these big omnibus settlements - and don't learn from or are regulated out of making and running their fraud schemes or 'mistakes'. Links to pdf's of the lawsuit against BoA included!

Part of Why this is a bigger problem for the individual economies of most people in the US. "OY! The Neighbors!"

It would be nice to be able to depend on even a meager socsec income as an old person.

Seems the wealthiest have a way to deprive us of that for their profit and it may happen before the end of the year. Wouldn't that be nice for them?

But most people want to see a good zing instead?

Even if the end is near?

Really impressed with this guy

A great procession: Sanudo Diaries: October 20, 1511

In the Basilica San Marco, Venice, from ...*

Sanudo Diaries: Oct 20, 1511 (con't); (13:132); "...Women and others filled the pews of the church. Once the patricians had gathered at the Ducal Palace, His Serenity the doge proceeded into the church with a distinguished retinue that I will describe below. No sooner had he arrived than the most reverend Antonio Contarini, our patriarch of Venice, began to celebrate a solemn Mass in a grand ceremony accomplished by vocal and instrumental music."

Editor's footnote: "Only by invitation and on special occasions did the patriarch... come to the doge's chapel... to celebrate Mass." p 364.

Sanudo Diaries: Oct 20, 1511 (con't); (13:132-5): "When it was over, the procession was allowed to enter the church. As is customary, it was led into the church by the first scuola to arrive in the Piazza, which entered the choir and passed in front of the doge. Upon leaving the church, the procession wound around Piazza San Marco, starting at the door to the Ducal Palace. The procession did honor to the city and is worthy of being recorded, and it took place with the great pleasure and jubilation of the city. Therefore I will explain here exactly how it was organized. First of all came the Scuola di la Misericordia bearing gilded double candleholders with ------- wax torches in them and the standard of the scuola, then twenty-seven little boys dressed like angels, all carrying silver objects in their hands, while others bore the arms of the league, that is, of the pope, the king of Spain, the king of England, and St Mark, who represents our government. Next came fifty-eight flagellants arranged in pairs carrying in their hands various silver objects, such as pastry trays, vessels, and basins [Ed. Footnote: "demonstrating the wealth of the scuola."]. These were followed by an icon carried on a little platform, sheltered by an umbrella. This icon had belonged to Cardinal Nicenus [Bessarion], who gave it to that scuola when [1439] he was a papal legate here. Next came the hand of Saint Theodosia encased in silver, followed by the thorn from the crown of Christ, housed in a tabernacle and also carried on  a small platform and sheltered by an umbrella whose ribs were made of silver. Following that came more flagellants carrying beautiful silver objects, among which I spied an elaborately worked hand-held cross and a silver ship decorated with everything that a ship requires and weighing ------- marks. Last came a large number of flagellants with their green candles in their hands....

They were followed by the Scuola di San Rocho, carrying their gilded candleholders and crucifix. Since the scuola does not have a standard, they next carried an umbrella that sheltered a small platform bearing a tabernacle with the finger of San Rocho [famous for curing leprosy]. That scuola has his body, which they put on public display. There were also four Greek icons of silver and mosaic.... Next came the flagellants, carrying a large basket lined in crimson satin piled high with silver objects of great weight, that is, pastry trays, vessels, basins, and such silver pieces. These were followed by a silver tray surmounted by a horse and rider, also in silver, with an inscription that read "Zuan Paulo Baion." [Ed. Footnote: "Recently made governor general of the Venetian army." p. 365] Next came two baskets full of silver items, and finally twenty-eight little [children dressed as] angels, walking two by two and carrying silver objects. They were followed by two beautiful, elaborately decorated Parisian-style silver coffers, which were quite large, then two large silver goblets, containing two crocodiles. Following them on foot came a figure dressed to resemble Justice and carrying a sword and silver scales. Next appeared a life-size wooden statue of San Rocho dressed in a gold mantle and preceded by [a young boy dressed as] an angel. Then came flagellants carrying six large basins; they were followed by trumpets and a platform upon which was seated a figure of St Mark dressed as an apostle, in front of which stood a clothed woman representing Venice. [Above her was] a little dove representing the Holy Spirit; it carried a scroll in its beak that read, in Latin, "I have seen your tears." [Ed. footnote: "From 2 Kings 20:5...". p 366] The figure of Venice carried another scroll that read, "I give thanks to you because you have shown me everything." St Mark carried another scroll, whose comforting inscription was directed toward [the figure of] Venice: "Do not fear to confront them for I am with you." The float also bore two young handmaidens. One was Peace, who carried this scroll: "God has restored peace to us." The other was Mercy, whose scroll read: "The city is full of the mercy of God." Preceding the platform was a gold banner with an image of St Mark to show that it symbolized Venice. Then came a platform carrying the king of England on horseback, a remarkable sight, with a scroll reading: "Fear not: I will multiply your seed and your city." Next came another platform bearing a ship, and its legend read: "Fear not, for the wind has ceased." Then came the king of Spain on horseback; he too had a scroll, which read, "I have never found so much faith as was and abides in you." Next came the fourth platform, with the pope, who was seated, and two cardinals, one standing on each side of his chair. The king of France stood before him enveloped in gilded flames; his scroll read: "Help me, O Lord, for I am being tortured in this flame." The pope responded by saying, "Why has your faith grown cold?" One cardinal's scroll read, "It would have been good," while the other's read, "Had he not been born." The pope wore a miter and a cope of gold brocade. Borne along on one of these platforms was the world in the form of a globe and a woman dressed as Justice, a magnificent sight. The platforms were decorated around the edges with various silver items of great value; they were followed by the flagellants carrying ash-colored torches rather than candles in their hands."

nedits: there were three other scuola in procession described but our editors move on ...

Sanudo Diaries: Oct 20, 1511 (con't); (13:137): "Next came the Servite friars and the friars of San Jacomo on the Giudecca, one by one, numbering fifty. Thirty-four of them were dressed in copes and [vestments] to celebrate Mass. They carried many of their silver items and relics, crowns of Our Lady, and tabernacles. Indeed, they have very beautiful things, including a large silver bust of St John the pope and martyr  [Ed. footnote: "Pope John I (AD 523-6)." p. 367] and another bust of about the same size, which is of St Mary Cleophe [wife of Cleophas, stood with Mary and Mary Magdalene at the crucifixion of Christ] and which was carried in a large chalice. All in all, these friars were well appointed with various kinds of relics.... The friars of San Stephano and San Cristoforo di la Pace came next in single file, numbering sixty. First came the young friars, twenty-eight in number; they were dressed in surplics and carried various silver objects, that is, basins, pastry trays, and goblets.... and clothed statues of saints decked with jewels, among which I noted a small St Hironimo dressed as a cardinal with a cardinal's hat on his head. Next came the friars wearing vestments.... And then came six friars wearing Mass vestments; their chasubles were all embroidered with pearls of great value, and they carried silver objects in their hands. A platform bearing the seated pope appeared next, with the two kings of the league flanking him. A small manger scene was also included, and pastry trays were placed along the edges. Finally there came twenty elderly friars who are masters in theology; they carried candles in their hands and were dressed in their usual black habits; they are called elsewhere Heremitani."

Editor's note: "Included in addition were 110 Dominican preachers, followed by those having theological degrees, numerous reliquaries, including two arms, one of St Luke the Evangelist and one of St Matthew the Evangelist, both "with pens in their hands" (13:139); various groups of canons, the nine congregations of the clergy (13:140), the chapter of San Marco, followed by the doge and other dignitaries." p. 368.

 Sanudo Diaries: Oct 20, 1511 (con't); (13:141-2) "At this point the doge exited the church, and the bells of San Marco began their usual peal. The procession made its way to the Pietra dil Bando, where such accords are normally made public. Many trumpets and battle trumpets having sounded and then fallen silent, the league was proclaimed by Baptista, the steward of the Zudega di Proprio, as [the document] had been consigned to him by Gasparo di la Vedoa, the doge's secretary. A copy of it will be included below. The announcement concluded to great cheers of "Long Live St Mark" [Vita missier San Marco], the playing of a wind band, and the booming of artillery from the ships that were in port. While music continued to play in the Piazza San Marco, following the procession as it made its way around the square were..."

Editor's footnote: "Here Sanudo lists the participants in the procession: government officials, young women, musicians, men carrying relics, prelates, and scores of patricians. The list occupies seven columns." The 'Zudega' or Giudici del Proprio is given in Appendix B: Glossary and Terms as "One of the oldest courts in Venice, with jurisdiction over dowry restitution, intestate succession, divisions between brothers, and some property disputes." p.368

Editor's Note: "The entire celebration was both an affirmation and an assertion of Venetian glory to hearten the Venetians themselves and to send a message of strength to those who lived in the Venetian dominion, so recently challenged and now being recovered." p. 368

nedits: The plain that stretched from the mainland near Venice all the way to the Alps and the Lake regions to the East and including protected cities like Padua, Treviso, Vicenza, Verona, Ferrara, also had to handle the swarming hordes of Maximilian I's armies and then the French and Spanish contingents for the previous 36 months. Back and forth they traded masters. imperial governors were sent and became unpopular. Padua was laid siege to and broke it. Vicenza and Este were retaken by Venetian forces  late in 1509, but Louis XII retook Vicenza in May. An accord was struck in 1510 with Pope Julius II but they were humiliating for Venice. A clear defeat for Venice. She could no longer select her own clergy. And that wasn't the half of it. Because the reason this pope Julius II was in this fight was itself a long story. There is plenty of evidence to show that he wanted more Papal Lands to draw tithes and indulgences from for sure. But in particular he wanted Ferrara and to keep Bologna and Ravenna and Rimini. But the French kept heading south along the length of Italy. The Italian Gian Giacomo Trivulzio took Bologna in 1511 for Louis XII and held it after Alfonso d'Este had destroyed the Venetian forces at the mouth of the Po in the spring of that very year 1511. So the Venetians needed good news and threw a party.

* All quotes as Sanudo Diaries or Editor's notes or Editor's Footnotes, as well as bibliography entries, from Venice, Cita Excellentissima, Selection from the Renaissance Diaries of Marin Sanudo translated by Linda L Carroll,  editors: Patricia H LaBalme and Laura Sanguineti White, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008

news from 20-22Oct2012

Another study says more tax cuts for top 5% won't likely produce jobs

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Dems kick Reps that are against health care law as Obamacare puts Congress on 'exchanges' and many R's don't want it.

seems that social security's rate of return is also tough to beat. If it's not broken don't fix it.

What happens sometimes when states 'work with' insurance companies. Let's make sure what happens in FL doesn't happen here. Tell Gov Brownback to accept federal grants for Obamacare in Kansas.

Here's a great discussion from yesterday with a top economist on a new book by a finance insider, nice, 'Why Wall Street always wins'.

This would be nice: producing energy by sucking Carbon out of atmosphere developed by Brits

Charity suffers backlash in Youngstown, OH for letting Paul Ryan act like he's washing pots to feed homeless

Woops, who's Romney's biggest fundraiser? Could it be a ponzi scheme?

And Forbes reports those voting machines with a history of problems are owned in large part by a company whose investors include the Romney family company Solamere. Is this a clear Conflict of Interest?

Jordan arrests eleven accused of militant plot against westerners

Cause For A Great Festal Procession : Sanudo Diaries: October 20, 1511, (13:130)

Sanudo Diaries: October 20, 1511: (13:130); "This morning, Monday October 20, was the day chosen for the procession in Piazza San Marco and the proclamation of the league, because twice before, last Wednesday and yesterday, which was Sunday, the order to perform the ceremonies had been posted, but because of rain they were put off until today. And so they took place, as will be noted below. First, all the shops in town were closed and remained so all day today."

Editor's footnote: "Sanudo always specifies those holidays and festivals when the shops were closed, a sign of the importance attributed to the occasion." p. 362.

nedits: The War of the League of Cambrai had been devastating to Venice. After two years of war, in 1511, a new deal was struck.  Previously in 1508, Giuliano della Rovere as Pope Julius II had formed the League of Cambrai against Venice. After some successes in curbing Venice's power and her projection of it, as well as seizing some land nearby for his terrestrial kingdom The Papal States, the pope turned his sights on France. Happy to no longer have the pope, Spain, and England against them, Venice joined in.  It had been a rough couple years, involving excommunication, defeats on land, losses of territory and revenue, loss of life, reputation and in March 1511 a major earthquake had completely shaken Venice's sense of self and perhaps even her very confidence in God's most crucial blessing. Had God forsaken them? What else could it be? Everyone and everything had lost faith in them it seemed, even the very ground beneath their feet. So Venice became a joiner. To the rest of the known world it looked as though the Pope, Spain and Venice had switched sides.

Editor's note: "The elaborate celebration and procession that surrounded the proclamation of this league involved the entire population of the city and many of its subject territories [like Padua, Treviso, Vicenza]. Although the procession was prompted by a political triumph, it was a triumph sanctioned by spiritual affirmation ... the role of religion in Venice, [being] intimately interwoven as it was with the  political and social fabric of the city....[for example] the city's special relationship to Christ through St Mark, whose powerful protection was continually invoked, visually and ceremonially; the city's consequent sense of its own sanctity as a holy city, civitas sancta, and its claim to have served, from its very foundation, as sanctuary from the ultramontane "barbarian" invaders; the procession itself, in which patricians and populace celebrated their relationship to God, whose intercession would secure their victory over hostile forces, whether spiritual or political, and certify their purity, power and endurance against whatever was unorthodox, deformed, or destructive of the Venetian glory." p. 362.

Sanudo Diaries: October 20, 1511 (con't): "Before daybreak the bells in San Marco and in all parishes began to ring in celebration. At an early hour the streets were teeming with people headed for Piazza San Marco, which quickly filled up. So did the balconies of the houses around that Piazza, where the procession was to pass and where viewing stands were constructed. There was an enormous throng of people; in addition to the usual inhabitants of this city, there were many outsiders, both men and women. The most numerous were those from Vicenza and other places who had led here to escape the barbaric persecutions [of the war], as if [Venice] were their safest haven. Indeed, Vicenza is almost empty. Also present were inhabitants of Padua and Treviso, many of whom are staying in Venice."

Sanudo Diaries: October 20, 1511: (13:131-2); "The interior of the Basilica of San Marco was splendidly decorated. First, [the statues of] all the Apostles above the choir were dressed in silk chasubles. A length of gold brocade served as a wall hanging. The pulpits were adorned with crimson velvet embroidered in gold, as is the custom; the cloth was taken from the tent that was made for His Serenity, Doge Cristoforo Moro, when he departed aboard a galley for the crusade."

Editor's footnote: "Cristoforo Moro, doge from 1462 to 1471, undertook to participate personally in a crusade along with Pope Pius II [Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini], but the death of the latter upon his arrival in Ancona in 1464 dissolved the enterprise." p. 363

Sanudo Diaries: October 20, 1511: (13:131-2); "The choir around the high altar was decorated with the gold cloths that are presented by the doges to the church, while the Pala d'Oro, studded with jewels of enormous value, stood open upon the high altar. The two roses that Pope Sixtus IV and Pope Alexander VI sent [1476, 1495 respectively] to our Signoria were affixed above the wrought-iron gate to this chapel. And above the altar of St Mark, which is made of silver, were silver crosses and candleholders embedded with beautiful jewels and the crown that has recently been found [after the recent earthquake] in the Procuratia. Not displayed today were the other jewels of St Mark that are usually exhibited on the feast of Ascension, that is, the pectorals, crowns, carbuncles, and unicorn horns, etc. Such items usually are not displayed on a day like this because once they have been put out, the procurators of the church are obliged to sit next to them to guard them, but today they are going to accompany the Signoria in the procession."

nedits: The Editors point out the 'unicorn horns' were highly prized male narwhal tusks, "...symbols of purity and religion , for common belief held that only a virgin could approach and capture a unicorn. (The identification of Venice with the 'inviolate Virgin' is suggested here.) The dust of these horns was considered an antidote for every sort of poison. The carbuncles were red precious stones." Footnote 12. p. 364. These were articles of faith put out for people to see, objects to inspire faith and devotion. Extraordinary times called for extraordinary and apparently rather convoluted displays.

Sanudo Diaries: October 20, 1511: (13:132-5): "The chair upon which the doge was to sit was decorated with cloth of gold, as was the spot where he kneels in front of the altar of San Climente, the usual place that doges and ambassadors occupy during such processions."

All quotes as Sanudo Diaries or Editor's notes or Editor's Footnotes, as well as bibliography entries, from Venice, Cita Excellentissima, Selection from the Renaissance Diaries of Marin Sanudo translated by Linda L Carroll,  editors: Patricia H LaBalme and Laura Sanguineti White, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008

Venice On Itinerary of Last Duke of Milan: Sanudo Diaries: Oct 10-16, 1530; (54:35-55)

In these weeks of our presidential debates it seems somehow appropriate to share the reception and honoring of the last duke of Milan in Venice in 1530. Though completely different in specifics, the visit of a leader from such an important Italian city, does parallel the preparations and ostentation displayed in cities along the routes of presidential candidates during campaign. 

Editor's note: "One of the most elaborate secular ceremonies was the one honoring a visit by the Duke of Milan in 1530 .... Among the chief concerns of Venetian ceremony was the proper ranking of the various attending dignitaries, precedence was often an issue among ambassadors. The positioning of Doge Andrea Gritti vis-a-vis his visitors was another matter, and a certain flexibility was sometimes necessary." p. 76

Sanudo Diaries Oct 10, 1530: (54:35-36) "From Chioza there were letters from the governor and ser Gabriel Venier, the ambassador, which were written yesterday evening. ... They related how the duke, upon his arrival in Chioza, was greeted by the governor.... They came forth to meet him in small boats; once they had met on the other side of Chioza, they boarded his barge, where ser Gasparo Bembo, university laureate, recited a very beautiful Latin oration. His excellency thanked him very much... Then they ... disembarked..., and took up their lodging in the palace.... Many of the members of the compagnia the Royals came to the Collegio and requested the use of the hall of the Great Council so that they could give a little festa and a comedy for the duke; in addition, they wanted to hold a banquet. His Serenity and the Collegio said that they were willing to let them use the hall but that they did not wish there to be any banquet, since such a thing had never been done before. Thus [the compagnia members] began to decorate it with tapestries for the festa that will be held on the 18th, Tuesday. ... I note that the Signoria wished to invite the ambassadors to go to meet the Duke of Milan, [and the ambassadors of ] the emperor, France, and the king of England sent word yesterday to his Serenity that they would come but that they did not want to be placed below the Duke of Milan. Thus it was decided to invite neither them nor the papal legate. Item: it was decided by the Collegio that the chair should be removed from the Bucintoro and replaced by [a bench covered in] crimson satin, as is done when cardinals visit, so that the duke will be equal to our doge."

Editor's note: "The reception of so important a person had several exceptional elements, such as the doffing of the doge's ducal corno and the disembarking of the duke in Piazza San Marco itself rather than in an outlying point of the city. A carefully planned program followed, with the two principal players, the duke and the doge accompanying each other in mutual honor." p 77

Sanudo Diaries Oct 11, 1530: (54:37-38) "After dinner, this being the day designated for the arrival in this city of the most illustrious Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza, the five heavy fishing boats were prepared; in spite of their costing ten ducats apiece rather than the usual five, they were very small and not very nice. Dressed in gold with a corno and a collared mantle of crimson satin, His Serenity boarded the Bucintoro without any ambassadors; the chair having been removed, he sat on a crimson satin bench. Present were the following... there were many other patricians, though there were few silk robes, and none of the knights wore gold ones. They went to San Chimento (Clemente) to await the duke.... His Serenity who was waiting for the duke in the church, went forth to meet him. The duke took off his cap, and our doge did the same, although by law the ducal bonnet may be doffed only for a king or a cardinal or an imperial elector; however a duke of Milan has never before come to this city. Once the necessary greetings had been made, they boarded the Bucintoro together. The duke has difficulty walking --, and his ambassador, who lives here, went along with him, giving him a hand to help him. His excellency was followed by his brother and preceded by the ambassador to France; present also was the Duke of Ferrara, who went to meet them. Together they boarded the Bucintoro, followed by those other gentlemen and nobles in parity with the senators, all dressed in black. They disembarked at the columns of the Piazzetta, between which they passed after the gangway had been put in place. The Piazza San Marco was half full of people and it took some effort to cross it. The duke usually travels on a small mule, which was actually there in the Piazza, but today he wanted to go on foot. ... "

Editor's note: "For so distinguished a visitor, lodgings were prepared in the Piazza San Marco itself, in the home of one of the procurators...." p. 78

Sanudo Diaries (con't): "The duke was taken to the Procuratia and the house where the patriarch of Aquileia, domino Marco Grimani, is staying. It was very nicely prepared with very beautiful tapestries, etc.; on the balconies were large, very fine rugs from Cairo....  Also placed there on the facade on canvas were two Sforza coats of arms with the Grimani coat of arms beneath. In addition, ser Andrea Lion, procurator, had himself prepared his house very well, although it is always kept in good order; other houses were prepared for other gentlemen, as were all the inns. The doge accompanied the duke upstairs; after he had stayed there a while, he took his leave. The duke accompanied him as far as the door of the room and sent his brother and some other gentlemen to accompany him to the Ducal Palace. It was a sunset then, and nothing else took place. This evening a supper was held for the duke.... Tomorrow he will rest, and the next day he will go to the Signoria. This duke is -[35]- years old and very melancholic; he has difficulty using his hands and walks poorly."

______________________________________________________________________________________

Editor's note: "For his entertainment, 500 ducats and the use of the Bucintoro were given to the compagnia of the Reali [the Royals, or Kingsmen]. The justification for this support of a great variety of events, including two momarie, was the diplomatic usefulness of such compagnie to the Venetian state, which was in this case a cosponsor." p 500

Sanudo Diaries: Oct 13, 1530 (54:46-47); " In the Senate .... The compagnia of the Reali greatly desiring, no less for their own than for the public reputation, to pay honor to the most illustrious Duke of Milan and his entourage in every way possible, they have for many days now begun to prepare those things that are necessary. Because in so doing they have not stinted on expenditures, which have up to now amounted to a large sum, it is appropriate and worthy of the gratitude and munificence of this state that it should partially aid this compagnia of the Reali, as our Signoria is accustomed to doing in similar cases when it has been opportune to hold public feste in the Ducal Palace to honor an important person, for this also redounds to the honor of our own state. It is therefore proposed that by the authority of the council, a gift of 500 ducats at six lire and four soldi per ducat be made to the compagnia of the Reali for their present needs so that they can increase their funding and fulfill their aforementioned desire. And similarly it is proposed that the compagnia be granted use of the Bucintoro for the one day on which they wish to use it. In favor, 164; opposed, 36; abstaining 3."

______________________________________________________________________________________

Editor's note: "San Salvador was the church of the savior, a church of immense importance for its foundation and location.... It was at this holy center of the city ... [that] were brought, in the thirteenth century, the remains of Theodore... And it was the intention of its prior, Antonio Contarini, to make San Salvador [i.e. its reconstruction] not only a fitting receptacle for Theodore's relics but also worthy of its titular namesake.... By 1530 the church had been completed and could assume its role as emblem of the sanctified city, the civitas sancta, and the city of regal display. During the ceremonial visit of the Duke of Milan it would serve as a venue for the compagnia della calza of the Reali [Royals, or Kingsmen] to entertain that dignitary, and so the church entered fully into the renewal of the city, its religion, and its politics." pp. 394-5

Sanudo Diaries: Oct 16, 1530 (54:54-55); "This morning, in the church of San Salvador, which had been prepared with tapestries, flags, etc., and where an enclosure had been built in which the Duke of Milan would attend Mass along with the Duke of Ferrara and High Mass would be sung with all the virtuosi in attendance. And the lord of the campagnia of the Reali, ser Zacaria Gabriel, was dressed in cloth of gold with vair and a mantle of two-pile velvet over it, with a large gold chain at his neck  and a cap of crimson velvet ... and all the others in crimson velvet with gathered sleeves and many in stoles of double-height black velvet, their stockings embroidered, with a single message above their emblem, adorned with pearls, which read, "May his name soar straight to heaven." And their jackets were of cloth of gold, and there was a wind band. They came to hear a solemn High Mass, as I have said in San Salvador."

Editor's Footnote: "On the importance of the reconstruction of San Salvador as part of the spiritual reformatio and material renovatio of Venice see Concina 1988; and  Tafuri 1983. Tafuri suggests that the reconstruction of this Venetian church, with its enormous interior space, may have been a response to Julius II's grandiose plans for St Peter's in Rome, whose reconstruction began on 18 April 1506. Cf. McAndrew 198, 455." p. 396.

Concina, Ennio, 1988: Una fabbrica in mezzo della citta: la chiesae il convento di San Salvador. In "Progetto S. Salvador": un restauro per l'innovazione a venezia, ed. Caputo Fulvio, 72-153. Venice: Albrizzi.

Tafuri, Manfredo. 1983: Pietas repubblicana, neobizantinismo e umanesimo: Giorgio Spavento e Tullio Lombardo nella chiesa di San Salvador. Ricerche di Stroria dell'Arte 19:5-36

McAndrew, John. 1980: Venetian architecture of the early Renaissance. Cambridge, MA; MIT Press

All quotes as Sanudo Diaries or Editor's notes or Editor's Footnotes, as well as bibliography entries, from Venice, Cita Excellentissima, Selection from the Renaissance Diaries of Marin Sanudo translated by Linda L Carroll,  editors: Patricia H LaBalme and Laura Sanguineti White, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008

news from 18oct12

Looks like it has been a while since I did a news roundup of things that got my interest or seemed notable.

"The Benghazi Embarassment" in The Atlantic

Clive Crook at Bloomberg says 'Leaders are AWOL' :we've waited too long and now, even the 'can't we all just get along' folks have bleak expectations about any growth

NYT says Costs of present income inequality will likely effect future growth. Why isn't this front-paged?

Here's a new one. Donated to Allen West for Congress? You may have been duped, and not this time by him.

Historic talks in Norway first ever of their kind to end civil war in Colombia.

all above came from fatster @ FDL, she's so good!

Dday makes taxing hi-frequency trading look easy

planet money podcast on some of what to do with an offshore account, 13 min audio

what undecideds agree on about the economy, Adam Davidson for the nytimes

If Koreans seize a portion of the market with Gangnam Style and it's ilk, 

the US is likely to see a loss of some of its market share. 

It's pretty straightforward and maybe far reaching. 16 min audio

Friday econ dump at the cusp of the fiscal year, October 2012

I collected these things from the previous week as many sat down to watch the first presidential debates, 

BoA gave $4.2 billion settlement to investors over Merrill Lynch losses

Treasury Sec Geithner wants better oversight of mutual fund markets

Banks begin offering limited cases of renting instead of evicting for foreclosed homeowners, four years later after they dropped the ball

In July 2009 gas prices went way up. Turns out it was because a trader, in a drunk blackout, sold $520 million worth of oil future contracts thru the night...

and from last week, a look at actual costs in fracking.

Goldman Sachs Chair and CEO Lloyd Blankfein comes on marketplace on following Tuesday (Oct2) and doesn't sound a thing like anything the Republicans have been yelling for the last several years, 9 min audio

JP Morgan sued for cases picked up when they were essentially forced to buy Bear-Stearns in 2008. 2 min audio

Kai's interview with NY AG Schneidermann on NY State in a coalition of AG offices bringing civil cases of fraud to JP Morgan et al over a number of things, Tuesday Oct02. 5 min audio

Extra Special Bonus (But Feels Like A Present) Award goes to Planet Money for this Tuesday's podcast. Ta-da!

Double entry bookkeeping gets a podcast and they give the credit to Luca Pacioli who went to Venice to finish and make and sell his big math book: Summa Arithmetica... in Sanudo's time period even...!!! These people get it... I love it when they talk about my period of study.

and previously on the same channel:
In a joint effort, the bbc and marketplace teamed up to host a
neat talk about US economy, 56 min, I'd say it was needed and
it happened
on this show , the one called, do we get the banks we deserve?


Germany, Australia and Canada have proposed or adopted limits on high speed trading on their stock exchanges. Why is it we can't do that? 3 min

Planet Money investigates:

Insurance companies send kickbacks to customers in settlement as a response to one of health care law provisions, 3 min


What to do with a shell company? Providing context, 19 min


What if you controlled the economy - playing with econ models. If you could raise national confidence would that bring down unemployment? etc. 14 min


How to spin those economic popular ideas that politicians won't touch , OR, how spinmeisters do what they do/ 22 min


Saturday, 29sep12 on upwithchris he has a bunch of Republicans on to talk about the presumed popping of the conservative bubble, economics, the lack of new right foreign policy;
Sunday, 30sep12 Chris Hayes has a more liberal group talking about the importance of the Supreme Court in this election, the national assaults on voting rights, free speech

Firedoglake book salon:
Saturday
A discussion on how to talk about the economy. worth it!

BoA starts paying off investors for acquisition of Merrill-Lynch four years ago.

and presenting even MORE from late sept12:

why pictures can sway our moral judgements from npr morning edition, 20sep12, 8 min

and the best thing I've seen Jon Stewart do since his homage to Glenn Beck - he's since enlarged his scope, 19sep12; this first monologue here that lasts 11:30 obliterating the 'turd containment' lackeys trying to mop up the chaos on "bullshit mountain"

Just look at 'em go. See how they run!
A view into why Kobach's agenda must be stopped. 7 min

Rhapsody In Blue, 'Original Piano Roll' w/ 'The George Gershwin Story'  , 10 min

Chris Christie lacks leadership abilities: Time for him to go.

Holy chao! These people are living up in trees in TX protesting the advancement of the XL Pipeline there. Dude! They're up in trees, can you give $10 to muthas up in trees?  Wow!

Jennifer Rubin still incensed trying to martyr herself for free speech, again, but will she say the same about Ann Romney?

Sen Sanders warns about Grand Bargain in Lameduck session between November and lnauguration Day

In comparison, Christine LeGarde IMF Managing Director who was French Econ Minister when the credit crunch happened, seems to be speaking remarkably clearly, 24sep12, 11 min

Sanudo Diaries: Oct 17, 1502 (4:369)

nedits: Sanudo had some fans including Aldo the Roman:

Editor's note: "... Aldo Manuzio, the famous printer who took up residence in Venice about 1490 and from whose press came a series of carefully edited Latin, Greek, and Tuscan classics was to issue forth. ... esteem for Sanudo is already evident in the dedication to Sanudo of Aldo's editions of the works of Poliziano in 1498, where he praises Sanudo for his "sharp intelligence and singular learning" and speaks of having visited Sanudo's library "crammed with every sort of book". Of Sanudo's character and work, Aldo said: "Deeply modest and devoted to public affairs, he never stops writing and compiling whatever is worthy to be read." " pp 431-2

Editor's footnote: ""... Aldo indicates that Sanudo's humanism included both erudition [paideia] and love of mankind [philanthropia], considered the two critical aspects of Renaissance humanism in this period. However, Aldo's multiple dedications to and praise for Sanudo must be considered in the light of this printer's active self-promotion through flattery." p 432.

Editor's note: "Sanudo ... was instrumental in securing for Aldo his patent for italic type, devised as a means of converting cursive into print, a way of making Aldine books fully competitive with the most beautiful Greek and Latin manuscripts.... by 1500 there were 200 competing printing presses in Venice. Shortly after returning from Verona, Sanudo mentioned his role in sponsoring Aldo's exclusive license for his innovations and indicated how supportive the government was of Aldo's contribution to Venice primacy in this new industry." p 432

Sanudo Diaries: "October 17, 1502; (4:369); "At my instigation the council proposed a bill to grant the request of m[agistr]o Aldo the Roman, who prints books, works, and new letters and things that no one else may print for the next ten years, etc. The vote for it was unanimous." "p 432-3

Editor's note: "... the general Venetian attitude toward patricians who opted for a career outside the political and diplomatic framework of the Venetian government or the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the Venetian church.... Sanudo was more truly representative of the Venetian attitude toward humanitas than either Pietro Bembo or his earlier compatriot Ermolao Barbaro, a great scholar who also lived outside the Venetian political system and earned Sanudo's respect but not his praise." p 431

Editor's footnote: "Sanudo copied into one of his notebooks in 1492 Ermolao Barbaro's verses on Ludovico Sforza .... On why both Ermolao Barbaro and Pietro Bembo had to live outside the Venetian system, Gilbert remarks: "The vita contemplativa,' an existence devoted to scholarship and literature, remained Ermolao's ideal.... It was no accident that he had to live in exile from Venice the last years of his life. Pietro Bembo's genius also led beyond the political and intellectual limits of Venice into a world which had rules and values quite outside the control of a particular social body." (1979, 23)" quote  from Humanism and Venice. In Florence and Venice: comparisons and relations, ed. Sergio Bertelli, Nicolai Rubinstein, and Craig Hugh Smythe, I:13-26. Florence: La Nuova Italia; Footnote from p. 431.

All quotes from  Venice, Cita Excellentissima, Selection from the Renaissance Diaries of Marin Sanudo translated by Linda L Carroll,  editors: Patricia H LaBalme and Laura Sanguineti White, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008

France, Genoa, Milan, 1400's

The real problem for France in the 1480's and '90's was Rome but she wanted Naples. Just so, France required a foothold on the peninsula to oversee their interests. This was so that, long after their invasions and capture of Milan at the end of the 15th century, France could continue to demand attention from the whole of Italy. 

But why Milan in 1494? Simply put, they were rich and relatively near and had been just out of reach for so long. France could not afford to let all Italy slip into Spanish control.

There were five major city-states besides Rome in Italy during the time we call the renaissance: Venice, Milan, Florence, Naples and Genoa. Any external or internal force that wanted to to deal with any part of Italy including the trade routes for example and the markets that went through it, had to deal with all of these independent city-states, at some level. They were all independent and all interconnected. They all had histories of plying the forces of the church against the emperor and vice versa. They all were in different places on their historical path or different points on their individual cycles. All these cycles were dependent on and influenced each other and in turn had effect on and were effected by the church and Rome as well as the effects of the emperor. It's a complicated and fascinating series of stories. Milan and Genoa both aided Charles VIII in his advancement on Italy. All interconnected.

Genoa, a declining second-rate state who was physically closer to France had already ceded control to the French at least twice because they couldn't maintain their own freedom from outside interests while quelling internal instability at the same time. Indeed, Genoa was no longer the prize she had been even a hundred years before because of these numerous problems. They would give up their freedom in exchange for protection by Francesco Sforza or his heirs ruling Milan, again and again through the fifteenth century as well.

But Milan had meanwhile enjoyed a period of prosperity and stability during the regency of 'il Moro', Ludovico Sforza that was fully a part of the Renaissance sweeping Italy. Leonardo da Vinci lived there through the '80's and '90's - the 1480's and '90's - and France could certainly recognize that. Venice was more complicated and were more useful to the French left focusing on the Ottoman Turks and their holdings in the Adriatic Sea. Despite what Louis XII would tell the Venetians, the problem for France was still Rome and also Naples. And France required a foothold on the peninsula to oversee their interests. The reasons were many, the personalities that brought it to happen varied according to background and motivation. In the end, the city of Milan that had known freedoms and triumphs, glories and tragedies and losses was once again brought low but this time through foreign intervention and control.

For Charles VIII of France, the problem with Rome was her Spanish influence. In 1492 a Borgia had purchased the papacy. Fifty years before the Spanish House of Aragon had taken and held Naples - the 'capital' of The Kingdom of Two Sicily's. Prior to that, the Kingdom of Two Sicilies had been French, a protectorate of the House of Anjou, since the pope in 1264 had asked for help in defending herself and the Papal States of Italy. But in the early 1400's there were a pair of Joanna's of that name that held the titles and the inheritances but needed help in quelling revolt. So extreme was the situation that in 1420, Joanna II adopted and marked Alfonso of the House of Aragon as her heir. He dutifully did his part but she thought he might go farther and exceed his usefulness, so she disowned him. When she died in 1435 she had instead named Rene of Anjou as her heir to Naples and the Sicilies. Alfonso saw his chance and proceeded to try to take Gaeta for a launchpad, fifty miles north of Naples. For nearly eight years Alfonso the Magnanimous would, time and again attack and lay siege to Naples.

In that time Milan had been held under the despotic monarchial dynasty of the Visconti since 1277. There were good Visconti and bad ones, generous and cruel ones. By that time Alfonso of Aragon was trying to take the cape of Gaeta, he himself was captured in a battle at sea by the Genoese. At that time, August 1435, Genoa's sovereign was Milan , so instead of a victory party for themselves, they instead brought him all the way north to be dealt with by the most recent, but also last incarnation of the line, Duke Filippo Maria Visconti. Alfonso V of Aragon knew he had to convince the Duke of one thing. The French, he predicted were making their move and if this Visconti was to keep his inheritance he had to have friends. Alfonso explained he was in the south trying to take back Naples and with the French friendly with Venice in the East and pressuring Genoa in the west, it was just a matter of time before the House of Anjou or Valois would strike again. Filippo of Milan agreed and sent him back south. Better to have such a dangerous man a long way away.

It took many years of war and cost many lives but Alfonso took Naples and in just a few years Fillippo Visconti died without male heir. The naval battle that captured Alfonso V off Gaeta (1435) was perhaps the last naval battle Genoa could claim in her long proud history. Naples would stay in mostly Spanish hands until 1713.

The last Visconti had married his only daughter, a girl Bianca born from a mistress to a mercneary who was canny enough to take the last name given to his father by Joanna II and brave enough to fight with his own men and to take towns with strategy rather than the size of his army. Francesco Sforza fought for Milan, Florence, and Venice, so by the time a few years later when he took and even held Milan the rest of Italy could accept it. Sforza and his heirs would maintain and increase Milan and her income all through the 1400's. By the time Francesco's fourth son Ludovico - il Moro - had died in the dungeon at Loches on the Loire valley in France in 1508, betrayed several times over, both father and son had been called the greatest of Renaissance rulers. It was Ludovico's son that would be the first Duke of Milan to visit Venice in 1530. When he died in 1535, another round of Italian Wars would start.

But in 1492 , the Treaty of Barcelona was set, and the Italian Wars were not long off when Columbus 'discovered' Hispaniola in the Caribbean, and Pope Innocent VIII a friend of the della Rovere clan had died and the Borgia clan were ready to pay if need be to take Rome and the papacy. And so they did. The Borgias would have their time at the height of European power for just over ten years and then their power too would collapse.

sources:

The Renaissance , Will Durant, chs. 6, 13, 16; also pp 609-13; Simon & Schuster, New York, 1953.

Genoa and the Genoese, 958-1528 Steven A Epstein , UNC Press, Chapel Hill, 1996

France's Pivotal Role: Sanudo Diaries: October 12, 1498

In 1530 the very last Duke of Milan visited Venice on October 10 for the first time. The visit was a long time coming but to learn this story you have to go back over thirty years and learn a bit about France and more about Sanudo's own history.

nedits: In 1494 Charles VIII of France led an expedition over the Alps to take Milan. He claimed it part of his inheritance though there were other claimants. Charles' cousin, his successor Louis XII eventually did seize Milan and held it in 1499. But Marin Sanudo saw the first attempt as such a momentous one, he wrote a book about it, called La spedizione di Carlo VIII in Italia which tells that story through December 1495. His Diaries begin January 1, 1496 with a broader scope. He was recognizing that the range of Venetian interests was much larger. [p. xxvii, intro of Cita Excelentissima: Venice.] 

Editor's note: "... in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries Venice gave no European power more consideration than it gave France. The Venetian alliance with the French king "the most Christian king", was usually the hinge of its policy. Whether Venice found itself opposed to that power, as in the earliest passages of the diaries on the French campaign, fearing the preponderant role France might play in the politics of Italy, or allied, as in the League of Cognac, it was clear that the role of the French monarch and his armies loomed large, drawing alternately Venice's admiration and it's apprehension.

Charles VIII did not long survive the expedition to Italy that had been the subject of Sanudo's book and had prompted its continuity in the shape of the diaries. Charles died in 1498, to be succeeded by his cousin Louis XII, whose Orleans inheritance included a claim to Milan. The Italian Wars now continued with a focus on northern Italy..." p. 186.

nedits: this relazione, their term for 'report' comes from their representative at the French court, named Stella who tells the Signoria about the new king Louis.

Editor's footnote: "Stella was one of the most successful Venetian civil servants, a non-patrician who would rise to the highest citizen rank, that of grand chancellor."

Sanudo Diaries: October 12, 1498, (2:30-31); "Zuan Piero Stella, our secretary, having arrived from France, presented his report to the Collegio. First: His Majesty the king [Louis XII] sent his greeting and recommended himself to the most serene prince and Signoria of Venice. He is forty years of age, distrustful, and avaricious. The taking of Milan is very important to him and he bears great ill will toward Lord Lodovico [Sforza], the present Duke of Milan. He has told him [Stella]: "You will say to the Signoria that while it is my ally, it need fear no power on earth." The king's favorite, the Monsignor of Ligny, who is twenty-eight years old and a Savoyard, is in negotiation to marry him [Louis XII] to the daughter of King Federico [of Naples]. She is in France, and a grand master of Brittany is also negotiating with her .... In France many have died of hunger because of the levies [taxes] ordered by Charles [before his death], principally from Paris south. When our ambassadors arrived in France, two opinions circulated in the court: one was that the Signoria would not tolerate the king's taking of Milan, [because it did not want] to have someone of this kind and power so near. The other was that the Signoria would not mind, because the king had no children and never had been able to have children with any woman; he would conquer the state of Milan, and then the Signoria would have it after his death, as happened in the case of Monsignor of Andrages with Pisa, etc. Our secretary believes that the king has formed a union with the queen [of Brittany], who is the widow of King Charles, called Lady Anne, at San German, near Paris, where he found the king and her and another man alone in a chamber."

Editor's footnote: " Two months after this report in December 1498, King Louis XII obtained a divorce from Jeanne (daughter of Louis XI) and early in 1499 he married Anne of Brittany (widow of Charles VIII) in order to keep this important duchy for the crown. In spite of the speculation, this matched produced two daughters, Claude (who married the future [French king] Francis I) and Renee, who married Ercole II d'Este." p. 187

Sanudo's Diaries: (con't) "The Monsignor of Clarius [William of Poitiers, Monsignor of Clariens], a native of Provence and former intimate friend of the king who went chasing after women with him when they were young, is completely on the Aragonese side [read: Naples' side]. He is the one who arranged for Frederico's ambassadors to come to France, and he thinks that he will handle those matters, since the king is more concerned with the Milanese undertaking, saying that that duchy pertains to him, while the kingdom [of Naples] does not. The king has found no money remaining in King Charles's treasury and has spent 60,000 francs for his funeral. He does not wish to impose new levies, and his soldiers were paid... four times a year. All of the king's revenues come from Languedoc and Normandy [Brittany]. There is no money in France, and they are poor, and little money circulates between Paris and Italy...."

Editor's note: "The reign of Louis XII [1498-1514] saw a number of invasions into Italy as the French king pressed his claims to Milan. He [Louis] joined the War of the League of Cambrai against Venice, occupying Milan and Brescia and leading his own troops to victory at Agnadello, but then he saw territorial conquests slip back into Venetian hands. " p. 188

nedits: Brescia was recaptured by the French in 1512 but lost again when Gaston de Foix was killed in 1513.

Editor's note: "Louis died during the night of December 31, 1514, leaving the kingdom to the Valois line and the young dashing Francis I (1515-1547), whose tastes were as Italianate as his ambitions." p. 188


All quotes as Sanudo Diaries or Editor's notes or Editor's Footnotes from Venice, Cita Excellentissima, Selection from the Renaissance Diaries of Marin Sanudo translated by Linda L Carroll,  editors: Patricia H LaBalme and Laura Sanguineti White, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008

Sanudo Diaries: Oct 2, 6, 1531; Andrea Gritti; death of Contarini, Oct 7, 1524

nedits: At first this may seem like a jumble. But from where I'm sitting, seeing what's coming, makes pretty good sense. During happier times with the Turks, Constantinople became the preferred market for luxury goods.

Sanudo Diaries: October 2, 1531 (55:14); "This morning in the Jewelers' Street I saw ser Francesco Zen, whose father Piero is the bailo in Constantinople, he was holding a gold ring. Mounted on it was a very beautiful and well-crafted watch that shows the time and chimes. He wants to send it to Constantinople to be sold."

Editor's footnote: "Piero Zen was actually the vice-bailo in Constantinople at that time. " p. 264. 

nedits: A bailo was a permanent ambassador to the Ottoman sultan in Constantinople. The Zen's had many relations with the sultan in the 16th century. What follows is an example of how Venetians liked to portray themselves in a description of a [now lost] painting by Titian of doge Andrea Gritti.

Sanudo Diaries: Oct 6, 1531 (55:19); "I saw, newly installed in the Collegio, the full-length painting of the doge. He is pictured kneeling before Our Lady, who is holding the Christ child, and he is presented to her by San Marco; behind her are San Bernardin, Santo Alvise, and Santa Marina. It has been suggested that these three saints are quarreling over which of them made him doge. San Bernardin in saying, 'He was elected on my feast day.' Santa Marina is saying, 'He was elected because he retook Padua on my feast day, July 17.' Santo Alvise is saying, 'I am the namesake of ser Alvise Pisani, the procurator, who is his supporter, who was a member of the Forty-one and was responsible for his being elected doge.' Thus, given the dispute among the three saints,it appears that St Mark is presenting him to Our Lady and her son so that they may decide which of the three saints determined the election of His Serenity to the dogeship. It is a beautiful painting made by Titian the painter and an  amusing commentary, which I wanted to preserve for posterity."

Editor's note: "Patronage of the arts was also exercised by wealthy Venetians such as the Corner family and the Grimani. Cardinal Domenico Grimani was well known not only for his library but also for his collection of furnishings and art..." p. 458.

nedits: after Gritti died, Titian did another, but a solo portrait, presumably for the family. But in his and Sanudo's earlier life, it was Andrea Gritti that had resolved a great grain shortage in Venice through his actions in Constantinople as a grain merchant. For example. He had also used secret code to get the word out in those days about the Turks impending invasion of Corfu, an important holding of Venice in their water the Adriatic Sea. That had been 1499.

Editor's note: "... by August 1499 he was imprisoned [for espionage] along with many other Venetians, including other merchants and workers in the Venetian community of Constantinople.... The detention was to last two and a half years, for much of the period of the war between the Turks and Venice, 1499-1503." p. 234

nedits: Gritti was doge from 1523-1538. It's a wonder Venice was still intact then, though he did his best.

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Editor's note: "The role of Patriarch Antonio Contarini in the religious life of Venice was marked not only by the reform of the convents but also by the reconstruction of the church of which he had been prior before his elevation to patriarch. As Sanudo wrote at the time of Contarini's death, this reconstruction was among his most cherished projects." p 393

Sanudo's Diaries: October 7, 1524: (37:17-18); "The canons of [San Pietro di] Castello came to notify the Serenissimo of the death of the most reverend patriarch, domino Antonio Contarini.... This patriarch was appointed in 1508, on November 17, by the Senate and confirmed by the pope. He was the prior of San Salvador..., a good and devout person.... He exerted himself greatly in reforming the convents of nuns. He wore his habit [as a canon regular of San Salvador] of a white with a black mantle. He did not live ostentatiously, but rather in a simple manner. With his own means he had a chapel built in San Salvador, arranging for mosaics in the upper part, and it was he who had the church pulled down in order to rebuild it, as is happening now."

nedits: October marked the time when the Duke of Milan came to visit in 1530 but also was when they held the great procession and feast for the alliance struck in 1511 during the great War of Sanudo's time. Also an interesting bit of news from France in 1498 appeared and in 1502, Sanudo claims responsibility for getting the senate to purchase a printer to print books. A famous singer died in 1514, and the same month a cry to tax the prostitutes was made to help pay for the war. Much of it though seems to have happened in the middle of the month, oddly enough.


All quotes as Sanudo Diaries or Editor's notes or Editor's Footnotes from Venice, Cita Excellentissima, Selection from the Renaissance Diaries of Marin Sanudo translated by Linda L Carroll,  editors: Patricia H LaBalme and Laura Sanguineti White, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008