INTRODUCTIONA BRIef SURvey Of HISTORIeS Of veNICeeric R. DurstelerIntroductionWhy do we need another history of venice? There is a long and abundant
historiography of the city that stretches far back over a thousand years.
The first medieval tendrils of this tradition have grown since the end of
the Republic into a broad and complex body of scholarship. This volume
both grows out of and pays homage to these forebears, and it is the hope
of all contributors that, by illustrating the richness, diversity, and com-
plexity of contemporary venetian historiography, this volume will be a
worthy addition to this admirable tradition. What follows is not intended
to be an exhaustive treatment of the history of histories of venice but,
rather, a survey and a suggestion of a selection of the key works of both
the history and historiography of venice, with which the present volume
can be placed in dialogue.
Medieval and Early Modern HistoriesThe roots of venetian historiography reach back to the Middle Ages, when
the first chronicles of the city on the lagoon began to appear. The oldest of
these is the fragmentary Cronaca veneziana attributed to Giovanni Diacono
and dating to the early 11th century.1 Other notable examples include the
anonymous Historia Ducum Veneticorum and Martin da Canale’s impor-
tant Les estoires de Venise, both dating from the 13th century, and Andrea
Dandolo’s celebrated Chronicon Venetum of 1339. Beginning around the
middle of the 14th century, vernacular chronicles with a somewhat more
critical tone began to appear. Up until this time, chronicles had been
1 Gina fasoli, “I fondamenti della storiografia veneziana,” in Agostino Pertusi, ed., La
storiografia veneziana fino al secolo xvi: Aspetti e problemi (florence, 1970), pp. 13–14.