History of Venice: Books I-IVPietro 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. |
Contents
Causes of the Neapolitans hatred for the French | 2 |
Grain storerooms built at Venice near St Marks Square 10 | 10 |
Single combat between Georg Sonnemberg and Antonio | 29 |
turn Cyprus over to Venice 35 Laws passed and Senate decrees 42 | 42 |
Innocent VIII and the election of Alessandro Borgia alliance of the pope | 64 |
the French upon Piedmont 62 Naval battle between Florence | 70 |
Note on the Text and Translation | 331 |
343 | |
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Common terms and phrases
ambassadors annos Antonio apud army atque auri autem bello bellum Bembo Carolus castra causa cavalry celeriter Charles civitas civitatis decemviri deinde diebus eius enemy enim eodem eorum equitibus equitum erant erat Ercole d'Este esset etiam exercitu facere Federico Ferrandino fleet Florentines French fuit Galli Genoa gold pounds haec Helvetiis hostium illis illo illum infantry inter ipse ipsi Itaque king legatis librae litteris Ludovico Ludovico il Moro magistratus magna magno magnopere milites militibus modo multo Naples navibus neque Niccolò Niccolò Orsini nihil omnes omnibus omnino omnium oppidi oppidum patres Pietro Bembo Pisa posset praefectus prope propterea quod proveditors quae quam quibus quidem rebus rege regem regis regnum reipublicae reliquis Republic Republic's Rovereto Senate sent sese ships sibi soldiers stradiots sunt tamen tametsi tempore town Trento urbe Veneti Venetian Venice vero Vicopisano