Sublime
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One of the epitaphs on Colleoni, who died in 1475 after being Venetian captain general for twenty years, suggested that ‘he who serves a republic serves no one’. This was a common reference to the vacillating quality of leadership in the Italian republics, and it has been suggested that condottieri preferred to serve under princes where they knew
... See moreMichael Mallett • Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy
It was part of the early myth of Venice that her policies were not directed by individuals but by some sort of corporate awareness of the eternal needs of the Republic. Niccolò Piccinino is said to have remarked on one occasion that he would like to serve Venice ‘because while princes are mortal, the Republic will never die’.
Michael Mallett • Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy
The constitution of Venice, which had originally been democratic, became gradually less so, and was, after 1297, a close oligarchy. The basis of political power was the Great Council, membership of which, after that date, was hereditary, and was confined to the leading families. Executive power belonged to the Council of Ten, which was elected by
... See moreBertrand Russell • History of Western Philosophy
