by Pietro Bembo edited and translated by Robert W. Ulery Jr.
Harvard University Press, 2007 Cloth: 978-0-674-02283-6 Library of Congress Classification DG677.A2B413 2007 Dewey Decimal Classification 945.3103
ABOUT THIS BOOK | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK Pietro Bembo (1470–1547), a Venetian nobleman, later a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, was the most celebrated Latin stylist of his day and was widely admired for his writings in Italian as well. His early dialogue on the subject of love greatly influenced the development of the literary vernacular, as did his Prose della volgar lingua (1525). From 1513 to 1521 he served Pope Leo X as Latin secretary and became known as the leading advocate of Ciceronian Latin in Europe and of the Tuscan dialect within Italy. He was named official historian of Venice in 1529 and began to compose in Latin his continuation of the city's history in twelve books, covering the years from 1487 to 1513. Although the work chronicles internal politics and events, much of it is devoted to the external affairs of Venice, principally conflicts with other European states (France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, Milan, and the papacy) and with the Turks in the East. The History of Venice was published after Bembo's death, in Latin and in his own Italian version. This edition, in a projected three volumes, makes it available for the first time in English translation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Introduction 000
Map 000
Book I (1487-1493)
Preface 1 * War in the Tyrol: cause and onset 3 * The attack on
Rovereto 5 * Single combat between Georg Sonnemberg and Antonio
Maria da Sanseverino 12 * The Germans leave Rovereto 14 * Luca
Pisano and Girolamo Marcello debate the siege of Trento 16 * The
death of Roberto da Sanseverino; Venetian defeat at the fortress
of Petra 22 * The end of the war and the terms of peace 29 *
Sumptuary and other laws passed; the arrivals at Venice of
Giovanni Bentivoglio and of the Queen of Denmark 31 * Girolamo
Riario and Galeotto Manfredi assassinated 33 * Francesco Priuli
sent to counter the Turks 34 * Caterina Cornaro is convinced by
her brother Giorgio to turn Cyprus over to Venice 35 * Laws
passed and Senate decrees 42 * Truce negotiated by the Senate
between the Emperor Frederick and King Matthias of Hungary; the
emperor visits Italy 44 * Various legislation and deliberations
46 * Description of the gun, and the Senate's introduction of its
use 48 * Ermolao Barbaro is made Patriarch of Aquileia;
subsequent events, and his death 51 * Girolamo Marcello is
expelled from Constantinople 54 * Addition of a third Criminal
Court of the Forty; the system for casting votes 57 * The
corruption of certain citizens is repressed 61 * Deaths of
Lorenzo de' Medici and Pope Innocent VIII, and the election of
Alessandro Borgia; alliance of the pope, the duke of Milan, and
Venice 63 * Arrival at Venice of Eleanora, wife of Ercole d'Este,
and her children 64
Book II (1493-95)
Onset and causes of the war of Naples waged by Charles VIII of
France 1 . Great floods in Lombardy; certain trials held in
Venice 5 . Charles decides to invade; death of Ferrante, king of
Naples 8 . Embassy of Charles to the Venetians 10 * Naxos taken
under the protection of the Venetian Republic 11 . Colloquy and
treaty between King Alfonso II of Naples and Pope Alexander VI;
preparation of a fleet against the Turkish sultan 12 . Embassy of
Florence to the Senate to seek advice 13 . Scardona and Clissa
voluntarily subject themselves to Venice 14 . Arrival of King
Charles in Italy; death of Giangaleazzo, duke of Milan 16 . Piero
de' Medici is ousted from Florence 18 . Achievements of King
Charles in Italy 19 . Bayazid's ambassador violated by the prince
of Senigallia 20 . Charles enters Rome; Venetian galleys sent to
Flanders are sunk at sea 21 . Departure of King Alfonso from
Naples and his death; his son Ferrandino succeeds to the kingship
23 . Death of Sultan Djem 25 . Flight of King Ferrandino of
Naples, and entry of Charles 26 . Fear of the Turks due to
victory of the French king 27 . Embassy of the Spanish sovereigns
to Venice and the fleet sent to Sicily 28 . Death of emperor
Frederick; embassy of King Maximilian to the Senate 30 . Treaty
entered into between Venice, the pope, the sovereigns of Spain,
Ludovico Sforza, and Maximilian, against King Charles 31 .
Departure of King Charles from Naples 36 . Novara is taken by
Louis, Duke of Orleans 38 . Preparations of Venice and her allies
against Charles 39 . The battle at the Taro river 41 . Actions
with the French in Liguria 56 . The Senate takes account of those
who had fought bravely 58 . Venetians, Milanese, and Ligurians
become exiles from the domain of Charles 60 . Siege of Novara by
the allies 61 . Peace made between Ludovico Sforza and King
Charles, and its terms 63 . Contarini's plot to assassinate
Ludovico Sforza 65 . Charles' return to France 66
Book III (1495-1497)
Arrival of King Ferrandino in Calabria and adverse battle with
the French 1 * Causes of the Neapolitans' hatred for the French 2
* Return of the same Ferrandino to Naples 3 * Actions of the
Venetians in the Kingdom of Naples on Ferrandino's behalf; Venice
sends a fleet to Naples 6 * Grain storerooms built at Venice near
St. Mark's Square 10 * Pisa surrenders to Venice but is rejected
by the Senate 11 * Embassy and gifts to the Senate from the
Turkish sultan 17 * Faenza and her prince taken under the
protection of the Senate; Clock tower built at Venice in the
Piazza 19 * Treaty of Venice with Ferrandino 20 * Varying
fortunes of the French and Ferrandino in the Kingdom of Naples 21
* Pisa taken under the protection of Venice, the pope and
Ludovico Sforza, and the beginning and progress of the war for
Pisa 23 * Board of Three for maritime affairs instituted; law
passed concerning possessors of property 26 * Ludovico Sforza
named duke by Maximilian; Battle of the cavalry of Nauplia with
the Turks 27 * Achievements of Bernardo Contarini in the kingdom
of Naples, and his death 28 * Death of Ferrandino, King of
Naples, and succession of Federigo to the kingship; Prince of
Bisignano wounded by a servant 38 * Departure of the French from
Gaeta, and their shipwreck 39 * Varied counsels of the Tarantines
concerning surrender, and of the Venetian Senate concerning
accepting them or not 40 * Origin of syphilis 43 * The Emperor
Maximilian, summoned by Ludovico Sforza, Venice, and the other
allies, comes into Italy against the French 52 * The emperor's
actions in Tuscany, and his return to Germany 55 * The Ten look
out for those who suffered fire or shipwreck 59 * Attempts of the
French upon Piedmont 62 * Naval battle between Florence and
Venice 65 * An opportunity to assassinate King Charles is
rejected by the Senate 70
Book IV (1497-1499)
A truce is established between Charles and the Spanish
sovereigns; ambassadors are sent by the Senate to procure peace
between the kings of Spain and France 1 * The Spanish sovereigns
send to the Senate the king of one of the Canary Islands 3 * The
captain-general Francesco is accused before the Senate 4 *
Progress of the war for Pisa 5 * Battle of a galley of the
Republic with the Turkish fleet 6 * Naval battle of Bernardo
Cicogna with the pirate Peruca 8 * The fleet of Pedro Navarro is
burned by Andrea Loredan 9 * Citizenship and noble status is
given to Joannes Corvinus 11 * Armenians are granted a home in
Venice 12 * Ludovico Sforza's treachery toward Lucca 13 * Death
of King Charles of France 15 * Defeat of the Florentines near a
Tuscan fortress 17 * Plans and stratagems of Ludovico Sforza 19 *
Arrogance of some in magistracies is punished 23 * Defeat of the
Venetians at Luna and Cascina 24 * Attempts of the Venetians in
the Casentino 40 * Pisa is attacked by Paolo Vitelli 43 *
Preparations and plans of the Turkish sultan against the
Venetians, and the causes of this 50 * Louis hailed as king of
France, and the Venetians' embassy and gifts to him 54 * Treaty
between the Venetians and King Louis 55 * Settlement between the
Venetians and the Florentines in Pisan affairs 59 * The French
invasion of Piedmont 63 * Milan is taken by the French, and
Cremona by the Venetians; Ludovico Sforza leaves Piedmont;
arrival of the king of France in Milan 66 * Louis of Luxembourg
and many others are granted citizenship and noble status 68 * The
French king returns to France 69
Note on the Text and Translation 000
Notes to the Text 000
Notes to the Translation 000
Bibliography 000
Index 000
by Pietro Bembo edited and translated by Robert W. Ulery Jr.
Harvard University Press, 2007 Cloth: 978-0-674-02283-6
Pietro Bembo (1470–1547), a Venetian nobleman, later a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, was the most celebrated Latin stylist of his day and was widely admired for his writings in Italian as well. His early dialogue on the subject of love greatly influenced the development of the literary vernacular, as did his Prose della volgar lingua (1525). From 1513 to 1521 he served Pope Leo X as Latin secretary and became known as the leading advocate of Ciceronian Latin in Europe and of the Tuscan dialect within Italy. He was named official historian of Venice in 1529 and began to compose in Latin his continuation of the city's history in twelve books, covering the years from 1487 to 1513. Although the work chronicles internal politics and events, much of it is devoted to the external affairs of Venice, principally conflicts with other European states (France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, Milan, and the papacy) and with the Turks in the East. The History of Venice was published after Bembo's death, in Latin and in his own Italian version. This edition, in a projected three volumes, makes it available for the first time in English translation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Introduction 000
Map 000
Book I (1487-1493)
Preface 1 * War in the Tyrol: cause and onset 3 * The attack on
Rovereto 5 * Single combat between Georg Sonnemberg and Antonio
Maria da Sanseverino 12 * The Germans leave Rovereto 14 * Luca
Pisano and Girolamo Marcello debate the siege of Trento 16 * The
death of Roberto da Sanseverino; Venetian defeat at the fortress
of Petra 22 * The end of the war and the terms of peace 29 *
Sumptuary and other laws passed; the arrivals at Venice of
Giovanni Bentivoglio and of the Queen of Denmark 31 * Girolamo
Riario and Galeotto Manfredi assassinated 33 * Francesco Priuli
sent to counter the Turks 34 * Caterina Cornaro is convinced by
her brother Giorgio to turn Cyprus over to Venice 35 * Laws
passed and Senate decrees 42 * Truce negotiated by the Senate
between the Emperor Frederick and King Matthias of Hungary; the
emperor visits Italy 44 * Various legislation and deliberations
46 * Description of the gun, and the Senate's introduction of its
use 48 * Ermolao Barbaro is made Patriarch of Aquileia;
subsequent events, and his death 51 * Girolamo Marcello is
expelled from Constantinople 54 * Addition of a third Criminal
Court of the Forty; the system for casting votes 57 * The
corruption of certain citizens is repressed 61 * Deaths of
Lorenzo de' Medici and Pope Innocent VIII, and the election of
Alessandro Borgia; alliance of the pope, the duke of Milan, and
Venice 63 * Arrival at Venice of Eleanora, wife of Ercole d'Este,
and her children 64
Book II (1493-95)
Onset and causes of the war of Naples waged by Charles VIII of
France 1 . Great floods in Lombardy; certain trials held in
Venice 5 . Charles decides to invade; death of Ferrante, king of
Naples 8 . Embassy of Charles to the Venetians 10 * Naxos taken
under the protection of the Venetian Republic 11 . Colloquy and
treaty between King Alfonso II of Naples and Pope Alexander VI;
preparation of a fleet against the Turkish sultan 12 . Embassy of
Florence to the Senate to seek advice 13 . Scardona and Clissa
voluntarily subject themselves to Venice 14 . Arrival of King
Charles in Italy; death of Giangaleazzo, duke of Milan 16 . Piero
de' Medici is ousted from Florence 18 . Achievements of King
Charles in Italy 19 . Bayazid's ambassador violated by the prince
of Senigallia 20 . Charles enters Rome; Venetian galleys sent to
Flanders are sunk at sea 21 . Departure of King Alfonso from
Naples and his death; his son Ferrandino succeeds to the kingship
23 . Death of Sultan Djem 25 . Flight of King Ferrandino of
Naples, and entry of Charles 26 . Fear of the Turks due to
victory of the French king 27 . Embassy of the Spanish sovereigns
to Venice and the fleet sent to Sicily 28 . Death of emperor
Frederick; embassy of King Maximilian to the Senate 30 . Treaty
entered into between Venice, the pope, the sovereigns of Spain,
Ludovico Sforza, and Maximilian, against King Charles 31 .
Departure of King Charles from Naples 36 . Novara is taken by
Louis, Duke of Orleans 38 . Preparations of Venice and her allies
against Charles 39 . The battle at the Taro river 41 . Actions
with the French in Liguria 56 . The Senate takes account of those
who had fought bravely 58 . Venetians, Milanese, and Ligurians
become exiles from the domain of Charles 60 . Siege of Novara by
the allies 61 . Peace made between Ludovico Sforza and King
Charles, and its terms 63 . Contarini's plot to assassinate
Ludovico Sforza 65 . Charles' return to France 66
Book III (1495-1497)
Arrival of King Ferrandino in Calabria and adverse battle with
the French 1 * Causes of the Neapolitans' hatred for the French 2
* Return of the same Ferrandino to Naples 3 * Actions of the
Venetians in the Kingdom of Naples on Ferrandino's behalf; Venice
sends a fleet to Naples 6 * Grain storerooms built at Venice near
St. Mark's Square 10 * Pisa surrenders to Venice but is rejected
by the Senate 11 * Embassy and gifts to the Senate from the
Turkish sultan 17 * Faenza and her prince taken under the
protection of the Senate; Clock tower built at Venice in the
Piazza 19 * Treaty of Venice with Ferrandino 20 * Varying
fortunes of the French and Ferrandino in the Kingdom of Naples 21
* Pisa taken under the protection of Venice, the pope and
Ludovico Sforza, and the beginning and progress of the war for
Pisa 23 * Board of Three for maritime affairs instituted; law
passed concerning possessors of property 26 * Ludovico Sforza
named duke by Maximilian; Battle of the cavalry of Nauplia with
the Turks 27 * Achievements of Bernardo Contarini in the kingdom
of Naples, and his death 28 * Death of Ferrandino, King of
Naples, and succession of Federigo to the kingship; Prince of
Bisignano wounded by a servant 38 * Departure of the French from
Gaeta, and their shipwreck 39 * Varied counsels of the Tarantines
concerning surrender, and of the Venetian Senate concerning
accepting them or not 40 * Origin of syphilis 43 * The Emperor
Maximilian, summoned by Ludovico Sforza, Venice, and the other
allies, comes into Italy against the French 52 * The emperor's
actions in Tuscany, and his return to Germany 55 * The Ten look
out for those who suffered fire or shipwreck 59 * Attempts of the
French upon Piedmont 62 * Naval battle between Florence and
Venice 65 * An opportunity to assassinate King Charles is
rejected by the Senate 70
Book IV (1497-1499)
A truce is established between Charles and the Spanish
sovereigns; ambassadors are sent by the Senate to procure peace
between the kings of Spain and France 1 * The Spanish sovereigns
send to the Senate the king of one of the Canary Islands 3 * The
captain-general Francesco is accused before the Senate 4 *
Progress of the war for Pisa 5 * Battle of a galley of the
Republic with the Turkish fleet 6 * Naval battle of Bernardo
Cicogna with the pirate Peruca 8 * The fleet of Pedro Navarro is
burned by Andrea Loredan 9 * Citizenship and noble status is
given to Joannes Corvinus 11 * Armenians are granted a home in
Venice 12 * Ludovico Sforza's treachery toward Lucca 13 * Death
of King Charles of France 15 * Defeat of the Florentines near a
Tuscan fortress 17 * Plans and stratagems of Ludovico Sforza 19 *
Arrogance of some in magistracies is punished 23 * Defeat of the
Venetians at Luna and Cascina 24 * Attempts of the Venetians in
the Casentino 40 * Pisa is attacked by Paolo Vitelli 43 *
Preparations and plans of the Turkish sultan against the
Venetians, and the causes of this 50 * Louis hailed as king of
France, and the Venetians' embassy and gifts to him 54 * Treaty
between the Venetians and King Louis 55 * Settlement between the
Venetians and the Florentines in Pisan affairs 59 * The French
invasion of Piedmont 63 * Milan is taken by the French, and
Cremona by the Venetians; Ludovico Sforza leaves Piedmont;
arrival of the king of France in Milan 66 * Louis of Luxembourg
and many others are granted citizenship and noble status 68 * The
French king returns to France 69
Note on the Text and Translation 000
Notes to the Text 000
Notes to the Translation 000
Bibliography 000
Index 000
