Roman Venice and the End of the Renaissance

Abstract

Abstract Following the League of Cambrai disaster, Venice remade itself in the image of ancient Rome. This is most apparent in building as architects such as Sansovino and Palladio gave Venice a classical veneer. At the same time, Venice actively resisted the policies of papal Rome, limiting the influence of the Inquisition and trying to protect the printing industry from censorship. A new division emerged within the nobility between those nobles with close ties to the papacy and those who favored indigenous religious traditions; and between the Council of Ten and Senate and the Greater Council. The government increased its surveillance and control of the population. The conflict with the papacy came to a head in the Interdict Crisis, a political communication battle in which Venice presented itself as the protector of republican liberty against papal absolutism. This marks the end of the Venetian Renaissance.