A bill posted in Venice to select a new ambassador to England May 3, 1533, created a debate amongst her leaders. Despite the forty Venetians they had in Southampton, acting as her servants there in what was a substantial port hub, both transeferring and accounting for bales of wool and finished tin and pewter goods, ser Alvise Mocenigo thought they didn't need an ambassaor to such a place anymore. The current man in charge there, ser Carlo Capello had to remain at the post longer than expected as there was no ready replacement to be had, and this, despite a high salary and a great deal of local power in the far-off Anglo-trading entrepot.
Our Editors chose to give us as example some letters - that Sanudo provided- from ser Capello in his active duty of informing the Signoria of all aspects on British doings. Notably the reception and dinner and afterward discussion in Greenwich, with English King Henry VIII and his new bride Queen Anne Boleyn, back in April.
Sanudo Diaries: May 24, 1533; (58:200-201): "Letters from England, from our ambassador Capello from London on April 16, received on May 21 in the evening. He writes this one by way of Antwerp: a gentleman came from the king before noon to tell me to go to the court of Granuzi [Greenwich] to dine."
He went and dined with the father and brother of Queen Anne and the Duke of Norfolk and the Marquis of Exeter, then was ushered in to see the king. There he was, with Anne and several ministers, and they all greeted him warmly, and he gave them all his best wishes. They asked if he had any news. Capello said no.
The King then said their imperial ambassador had just confirmed that an alliance had been struck between the Signoria in Venice and the pope, and Emperor Carlos V. The King accused Venice of pretending to have not joined such a league and that a proclamation had been made stating Venice's complicity.
Sanudo Diaries: May 24, 1533; (58:200-201): "At that point our ambassador denied such a claim, saying that the Signoria had been solicited to join the league but had refused and that the proclamation had been printed in Bologna [papal lands] and not in Venice, and had been done as they [the league members] wished. His Majesty appeared to be satisfied by this, saying that the pope and the emperor were making this known to give greater authority to their league."
It would make sense that a king would want to know such things. His annullment with Catherine of Aragon, and his marriage to Anne, he knew, had already sent a fissure of division across the continent. Did the king of England think he could do anything he wanted, in stark contravention to the sacred oaths before the authority of the Catholic Church? He and his wife seemed to think so. But what Henry says next in this story says something about what the two powers had in common. A king and a Republic both had secrets that they would rather silence or, simply, keep hidden altogether.
Sanudo Diaries: May 24, 1533; (58:200-201): "Then he said, "You have passed a law that upon pain of capital punishment all are prohibited from divulging matters of the Council of Ten and the Senate." He is of the opinion that the Signoria governs most prudently and that this decision was very wise, saying, "I can affirm that most of your matters have reached many ears." He showed that his words were meant kindly, indicating this with words and with gestures."
The king asked if Venice had 30,000 troops massed near Padua. Capello answered those were troops in review, who did that regularly at this time. He said he believed that and asked when the galleys from Venice would arrive again. Capello replied they came regularly at the end of November. Then the king turned and let him greet Anne his Queen.
The next day, in the letters and that Sanudo reported the next day, as well, told of a new royal order. This was that all guilds in the city of London were not dare to speak of the new Queen unless it were in favorable terms. That any one mentioning the previous Queen would meet with capital punishment and that not one of the churches or mendicant orders would preach on these henceforward proclaimed hoildays celebrating the marriage festivities, unless approved beforehand by the archbishop.
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notes from 'our editors', and Sanudo Diaries from pp 200-03: 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
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