144 benjamin arbel
entry to the Ambracian Gulf ), Zante (Zakynthos), and Cephalonia (with
its island dependency of Ithaca). Finally, Cerigo (Kythera) remained the
farthest Venetian territory. This empire was definitely smaller than it
was in the 16th century, but relatively easier to control, at least in terms
of distance and space. Another characteristic was the relatively greater
weight of the Dalmatian provinces and their Slavic subjects compared to
the Greek ones in this last phase of the stato da mar’s history. Towards the
end of Venice’s existence as an independent state, the nearly half-million
inhabitants of the Republic’s overseas dominions were fewer by about 23
to 29 per cent compared to the level reached in 1570, and the relative
weight of these oltramarini in the overall population of the Venetian state
had also declined.43 Nevertheless, as will be seen presently, this somewhat
weakened wing of St. Mark’s lion still required a lot of attention by the
Dominante.
IV. Institutions of Administration and ControlUnity and Diversity
Though ruled from the center by the same councils and according to
the same principles, each one of Venice’s overseas colonies had its own
local institutions, which enabled indigenous elites to enjoy a certain
measure of autonomy in the conduct of local affairs. The scope of this
autonomy depended on the dimensions of the territory, on its distance
from the metropolis, on the extent of colonization by Venice, and on
the circumstances of inclusion in the Venetian dominions, as well as on
institutional patterns that preceded the Venetian takeover. For example,
Crete was conquered by force from Byzantium. Consequently, Byzantine
institutional heritage was not given much space in the organization of
Venetian Crete. By contrast, the Venetian takeover of Corfu was relatively
peaceful, and local institutions were strongly marked by those of the
previous regime.
Under Venetian rule, public life in the Dalmatian and Albanian towns
continued in the framework of the pre-existing communal institutions. In
the absence of active communal institutions, as, for example, in Cyprus,
43 For the population of the overseas dominions in 1570, see Arbel, Colonie d’oltremare,
p. 955; for the late eighteenth century, see Giuseppe Gullino, Atlante Della Repubblica
Veneta, 1790 (Sonna Campagna, 2007), pp. 28–29.