Collateral promoters of the Venetian Myth: Veronese chronicles in the age of Venetian hegemony

The intervention of Venice onto the western portion of the Veneto known as the terraferma has had a marginal focus of scholarly interest over the past fifty years. This annexation aroused a good deal of hostility towards the Republic of Venice as an imperialist force which upset the balance of power in the peninsula. To counter this negative perception a number of Venetian patricians began writing histories of their city, embellishing the city's past with stories of divine intervention, a saintly foundation, and universal acceptance by her terraferma cities. From these and earlier writings emerged the creation of Venice as La Serenissima, the most Serene Republic, and the all-encompassing Myth of Venice, that ephemeral confection difficult to define and thus difficult to dispute.;This dissertation deals with the over-looked creators of the Venetian Myth, writers from the mainland, specifically Verona, who sought Venetian patronage and were compliant in creating a positive image of Venice in Italy and abroad. It is my contention that these literati were sought by Venetian patricians as the perfect perpetuators of the Myth. In this manner, personal advancement was achieved while praising the city, which was in control of Verona.;The title of this dissertation, Collateral Promoters of the Venetian Myth, is so named because Venice encouraged the writing of local history providing that in those histories Venice was promoted as a benign administrator. It was a relationship between unequals. Venice usually did not oppose local displays of civic pride or communal historical narratives, as long as Venice was eulogized in the process.;The added element in all of this was that it was to create the impression to the other Italian and European powers that even Venetian "subject" cities wrote in praise of the Republic. Thus Venetian and local histories must be sound and accurate in their positive assessment of Venice.;This study suggests insights into how the Venetian Republic used a nuanced approach to create and maintain her public image in print, while eliciting the support of her subject citizens to assist in perpetuating this Myth. It will also illustrate how writers from Verona responded to these requests, creating their own mythology about Verona and the role of Venice in its history.