Search

During the Middle Ages the Republic of Venice sought to establish a thalassocracy in the Mediterranean by all possible means. To accomplish this end, succeeding governments used the maritime economy as the spearhead for their expanionist, colonial politics. The creation of a commercial and military fleet of the first order involved the resolution of the problem of recruitment of qualified manpower, available in spite of vicissitudes of conjoncture. The colonial empire had to keep the crews available at all moments. Certainly, the cosmopolitanism of men of the sea was a shared feature of the maritime powers of the time, but at Venice an evident particularism reigned. Numerous new colonial subjects both devoted and loyal—Greeks, Dalmatians, and Albanians—constituted the essential components of the crews, with some contributions from the towns of Terra ferma. Thanks to this effective force, the Republic of Venice never lacked the human resources indispensable to sustain the hegemony of their naval forces in the Mediterranean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]