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Summary
Situated on the Adriatic Sea, Venice traded with the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim world extensively, becoming the most prosperous city in all of Europe in the late 13th century by dominating Mediterranean commerce. During this time, Venice’s leading families vied with each other to build the grandest palaces and support the work of the greatest and most talented artists. Venice, as a city primarily concerned with commerce and finance, never became a producer of artistic and literary talent; instead, it imported. Artists were attracted to the Venice's wealth, and many immigrated to the city during the Renaissance, including, most prominently, the writer Pietro Aretino and the painter Titian.
The city was governed by the Great Council, which was made up of members of the most influential families in Venice. The Great Council appointed all public officials and elected a Senate of 200 to 300 individuals. The Senate then chose the Council of Ten, a secretive group which held the utmost power in the administration of the city. One member of the great council was elected 'doge,' or duke, and ruled for life under a system of constitutional monarchy. Laws were passed in his name, but his power was severely limited by the Great Council, and most notably, the Council of Ten.
In 1423, Francesco Fosari became doge, ruling with excessive grandeur and exercising far greater power than past doges as he aggressively pursued a policy of western expansion. Many in the Great Council thought he had usurped too great a degree of power. To better control the doge, the Council of Ten falsely accused his son, Jacopo, of treason, and began a long process during which Jacopo was exiled, readmitted, tortured, and exiled again, all the while refusing to allow the doge to resign. Finally, when the Council of Ten was satisfied that they had proven their power, they forced Fosari to resign.
Milan, the most northern of the major Italian city-states, served as a gateway to Italy from the north, and thus necessitated a strong military state. Due to this need, Milan became a monarchy under a succession of powerful dukes. The Visconti family ruled almost continuously from 1317 to 1447, maintaining the stability of the volatile region through military might, and controlling nearly all northernmost Italy at the height of their power. When the last Visconti died in 1447, the Milanese attempted to install a republic, but it proved unable to protect the city's military interests. In 1450, Francesco Sforza, a professional soldier, seized control of the government. His family would rule Milan for years to come.
The most well-known of his descendants, Ludovico Sforza, played the part of the archetypical Italian Renaissance prince, surrounding himself with intrigue and corruption. Though Ludovico was not the rightful duke of Milan and was also known to use coercion and manipulation to achieve his political goals, the city of Milan flourished under his care for a time. Under Ludovico, known as “Il Moro,” Milan was extraordinarily wealthy, and its citizens participated in a splendid and excessive social culture. Artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci, were attracted to the glamour and wealth of Milan and flocked to the city in search of commissions.
In the late 15th century, in an effort to reduce the troublesome power of his in-laws and enemies, the royal family of Naples, Ludovico promised King Charles VIII of France free passage through Milan into Naples. The French invasion of 1494 failed, but in 1499, another French expedition, led by the new king, Louis XII, turned on Ludovico and took Milan, using it to further conquer other parts of Italy. The glory of the Milanese court collapsed under French control, and the artists who had flocked to the city now fled to new locations.
Analysis
Venetian nobility had a strong commitment to oligarchy and were very wary of those who wished to usurp power from the Great Council. In fact, the Council of Ten, while often working for corrupt and self-serving purposes, frequently worked to destroy the ambition of political climbers, thus holding monarchy at bay. Though hierarchy was essential to the Venetian way of life, the nobility strongly believed that there should be equality and democracy among their ranks, and, as a group, acted quickly to knock down any member of their class who acted differently. The destruction of Doge Francesco Fosari assured that the Doge of Venice would never again attempt to assume monarchical power and firmly reestablished Venetian oligarchy, which would last to the end of the Renaissance.
Due to Milan’s location along trade lines and as the gateway to Northern Italy, Milan's existence as a powerful city-state was always precarious and subject to challenge if not maintained authoritatively. The Visconti family asserted Milan's strength throughout the fourteenth and early fifteenth century, allowing it to flourish economically as a trading post. However, when the Milanese experimented briefly with a republican system of government between 1447 and 1450, they found that it did not provide the stability needed to maintain their military might, and many welcomed the government takeover by Francesco Sforza, a soldier by trade. However, Francesco’s descendants proved unable to maintain the stability and security of the city-state.
Ludovico Sforza presided over a wealthy and powerful Milan, a position that enticed him to enter corrupt dealings with the goal of increasing his own wealth and power. In one such deal, he allowed French forces to enter Italy by way of Milan, a decision that would eventually be considered the equivalent to surrendering all of Italy. Not only did Ludovico’s actions lead to the takeover of Milan by the overpowering French forces, but allowed the French and other foreign forces to impose on Italy as well. Eventually, these forces would combine to engineer the sack of Rome in 1527, an event which marked the waning of the Italian Renaissance.
