Honour and the culture of male Venetian nobles, c. 1500-1650
vVhy Venice? Venice was a republic in an age of monarchies, a stable political administration in an age of rebellions, a state of rigidly maintained social hierarchies in an age of social change, a political system which lionised liberty but had the most exclusive ruling elite in Western Europe. Its aristocracy was defined by political privilege and responsibility at a time when elite groups elsewhere were confused by the distance between the new priorities of the robe and the old ones of the sword. Yet at every level Venice had profound connections with the mainstream of European intellectual culture. Venice was used as both shining example and cautionary reminder by the age's most il1fluential political thinkers. By providing us with a model where the basic conditions of political and social life were the same as those in the rest of Western Europe but there were also preci~ely-identifiable differences, Venice serves as a testcase for assumptions about European culture and a partial exception that may help illuminate generalisations established elsewhere. Why honour? For some historians the study of mentality involves eliminating all that was unique and individual. However, any attempt to consider how ideas
Walker, Jonathan Martin
Reputation
Honour and the culture of male Venetian nobles, c. 1500-1650. vVhy Venice? Venice was a republic in an age of monarchies, a stable political administration in an age of rebellions, a state of rigidly maintained social hierarchies in an age of social change, a political system which lionised liberty but had the most exclusive ruling elite in Western Europe. Its aristocracy was defined by political privilege and responsibility at a time when elite groups elsewhere were confused by the distance between the new priorities of the robe and the old ones of the sword. Yet at every level Venice had profound connections with the mainstream of European intellectual culture. Venice was used as both shining example and cautionary reminder by the age's most il1fluential political thinkers. By providing us with a model where the basic conditions of political and social life were the same as those in the rest of Western Europe but there were also preci~ely-identifiable differences, Venice serves as a testcase for assumptions about European culture and a partial exception that may help illuminate generalisations established elsewhere. Why honour? For some historians the study of mentality involves eliminating all that was unique and individual. However, any attempt to consider how ideas
honour culture male venetian noble venice venice republic age monarchy stable political administration age rebellion state rigidly maintain social_hierarchy age social_change political_system liberty exclusive ruling elite western_europe aristocracy define political privilege responsibility time elite_group elsewhere confuse distance new priority old sword yet every level venice profound connection mainstream european_intellectual culture venice use example age political thinker provide_model basic condition political_social life rest western_europe also identifiable difference venice serve assumption european culture partial exception may_help illuminate generalisation establish elsewhere honour historian study mentality involve eliminate unique individual however attempt consider idea