The dogaressas of Venice (the wives of the doges), Edgcumbe Staley

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by Edgcumbe Staley · 1845–1903

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"The dogaressas of Venice (the wives of the doges)" by Edgcumbe Staley is a historical account written in the early 20th century. It explores the roles, influence, ceremonies, and legends of Venice’s first ladies within the broader story of the Republic’s politics, religion, crafts, fashions, and pageantry. The opening of the book sets out the author’s aim to tell, in English, the untold story of the Dogaressas, citing scholarly sources and noting how women shaped Venetian society and patronized its crafts. An introduction evokes Venice as “City of Venus,” “City of Saints,” and “City of Fair Women,” moving from a mythic sea-born origin to a fervent catalog of relics and saints, and then to vivid portraits of Venetian women—their beauty, perfumes, hair rituals, and dress. The narrative of the first chapter then turns to early history and legend: invasions by Huns and Longobards, the courage of women defenders, the refugee settlements on the lagoons, and the election of the first Doge at Eraclea. It recounts the first recognized Dogaressa (a Frankish lady, Carola) amid court intrigue, the decisive shift of power to Rialto under Agnello Badoero and his consort Elena, the building of foundations, bridges, and the first Ducal Palace, the arrival of St. Mark’s relics, and the emergence of civic customs—betrothal rites, the red-rose “boccola,” and the Festa delle Marie born from the dramatic rescue of kidnapped brides—before leading into the troubled rise of Pietro Candiano IV.

Summary generated automatically by Project Gutenberg.

Read time
426 min
Words
93,795
Chapters
50
Paragraphs
2,027
Price
Free
  • Venice (Italy) -- Dogaressas
  • Venice (Italy) -- Social life and customs
The dogaressas of Venice (the wives of the doges)NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON.]

The dogado of Tribolo Memo (979–991) was disturbed by the feuds of the Morosini and Caloprini.

Die Dogadozeit des Tribolo Memo (979–991) war durch die Fehden der Morosini und Caloprini gestört.

The former supported by the Orseoli were in favour of a democratic alliance with the Empire of the East, whilst the latter, aided by the Candiani desired an aristocratic arrangement with the Emperor of the West.

Erstere, unterstĂŒtzt von den Orseoli, waren fĂŒr ein demokratisches BĂŒndnis mit dem Reich des Ostens, wĂ€hrend letztere, gefördert von den Candiani, eine aristokratische Vereinbarung mit dem Kaiser des Westens anstrebten.

The Doge was much too weak a man and far too feeble a ruler to deal effectively with the situation, they stigmatised him in Venice as “a stupid man!”

Der Doge war ein zu schwacher Mann und ein zu mangelhafter Herrscher, um der Situation wirksam zu begegnen; sie stigmatisierten ihn in Venedig als „einen dummen Mann!“

Matters came to a head in 983 when, one day Domenigo Morosini was found stripped of his clothes and dead in a ditch near the Piazza of San Pietro di Castello.

Die Angelegenheiten spitzten sich im Jahr 983 zu, als Domenigo Morosini eines Tages nackt und tot in einem Graben in der NĂ€he des Platzes von San Pietro di Castello aufgefunden wurde.

His followers accused Stefano Caloprini of being privy to the deed.

Seine AnhÀnger beschuldigten Stefano Caloprini, mit der Tat vertraut zu sein.

He fled to the Court of the Emperor Otto and sought protection from the Imperial Court sitting at Verona, and he gained the ear of the gracious old Empress Adelheid, she who had befriended the imperious Valdrada.

Er floh zum Hof des Kaisers Otto und suchte Schutz am kaiserlichen Hof, der in Verona tagte, und gewann das Gehör der gnÀdigen alten Kaiserin Adelheid, jener, die der herrischen Valdrada beigestanden hatte.

A truce was effected and the two parties joined in the deposition of the Doge.

Ein Waffenstillstand wurde erzielt, und die beiden Parteien schlossen sich zusammen, um den Dogen abzusetzen.

As by convention bound he sought the repose of religion and Dogaressa Marina,

Wie durch Konvention gebunden, suchte er die Ruhe der Religion, und Dogaressa Marina,

the daughter of Pietro Candiano IV.--who had escaped almost miraculously with her mother Valdrada from the fire at the Ducal Palace,--assumed the nun’s veil in the convent of S. Trinita.

die Tochter des Pietro Candiano IV.,--der mit ihrer Mutter Valdrada dem Brand im Dogenpalast fast auf wundersame Weise entkommen war,--legte im Kloster S. Trinita das Nonnengewand an.

It was in the dogado of Memo that seven unmarried sisters--a prodigious number of spinsters as Venice society went--lived together in their own house opposite the Ponte della Maravigie just below the Palazzo Bembo.

In der Dogadozeit des Memo lebten sieben unverheiratete Schwestern--eine betrĂ€chtliche Anzahl von Jungfern, wie es die venezianische Gesellschaft kannte--zusammen in ihrem eigenen Haus gegenĂŒber der Ponte della Maravigie, direkt unterhalb des Palazzo Bembo.

Six were plain and one was fair, the youngest--and their spinsterhood was regarded with suspicion.

Sechs waren unscheinbar, und eine war schön; die JĂŒngste--und ihre Jungfernschaft wurde mit Argwohn betrachtet.

One day there chanced along the Rivo di San Trovaso a gondolier who had just gained laurels at the regatta.

Eines Tages glitt ein Gondoliere, der gerade Lorbeern bei der Regatta errungen hatte, am Rivo di San Trovaso vorbei.

Something constrained the stalwart youth to linger by the iron-grilled window of the spinsters’ home, but strange sensations pervaded his whole anatomy so that he became weak and incapable of movement.

Etwas zwang den krÀftigen Jungen, am gitterbewehrten Fenster des Hauses der Jungfern zu verweilen, doch seltsame Empfindungen durchzogen seinen ganzen Körper, sodass er schwach wurde und nicht in der Lage war, sich zu bewegen.

About the author

Edgcumbe Staley1845–1903

Edgcumbe Staley was a presbyter born in Southport in 1845.

The Edgcumbe Staley page, and where to start →

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Book details

Original language
English
Translation
German, machine translation
Source text
Project Gutenberg #78047
Licence
Public domain worldwide

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