venice’s maritime empire in the early modern period 217
the theme of collaboration with the Ottoman armies has been overstated
in both cases.352
Finally, it seems that the events in Montenegro in the 1760s that had
been ignited by the appearance of “Stephen the Small” were regarded in
Venice as a virtual threat to its presence in that region. The involvement
of Serbian monks and priests in the rebellion must have worried the Vene-
tian authorities in particular and led to its suppression by harsh military
measures. It is doubtful, however, whether such developments could have
taken place without the Russian involvement in the affairs of the western
Balkans.353
X. The Colonial EconomyBasic Principles of Colonial Finance
One of the first acts of the Venetian Senate following the annexation
of a territory to its overseas empire was to assure control over the local
resources and revenues: customs, excises and other taxes, monopolies, and
landed estates, as well as various obligations of groups and individuals.
Venice’s basic policy was to cover the expenses of colonial administration
and defense out of the revenues of the subject territories, and in case there
was a surplus, to assure that Venice would profit from it.354 Of course, a
successful implementation of this policy was not always possible.
Historians are often tempted to use the extant balance sheets of the
Venetian Republic and its overseas territories to evaluate the profitabil-
ity of the stato da mar as against other parts of the Venetian empire.
Yet it is often ignored that some significant revenues derived from the
colonies—such as those resulting from the exportation of salt to Venice,
indirect income derived from trade, payments effectuated in Venice by
colonial subjects, not to mention income derived by private individuals
352 For Cyprus, see Benjamin Arbel, “Résistance ou collaboration? Les Chypriotes sous
la domination vénitienne,” in Michel Balard, ed., État et colonisation au Moyen Âge et à
la Renaissance (Lyons, 1989), pp. 137–41; for Crete, Papadia-Lala, Αροτικές Ταραχές, pp.
163–65.
353 Paladini, ‘Un caos che spaventa,’ pp. 183–84.
354 Arbel, “Colonie d’oltremare,” p. 978; Alain Major, “Un héritage de la Quatrième
Croisade. Les Vénitiens à Nauplie et à Argos au XVe siècle,” in Léon Pressouyre, ed.,
Pèlerinages et croisades. Actes du 118e colloque de Pau, 1993 (Paris, 1995), p. 284; Schmitt, Das
venezianische Albanien, pp. 329–31; Jean-Claude Hocquet, “Fiscalité et pouvoir colonial.
Venise et le sel dalmate aux XVe et XVIe siècles,” in Michel Balard, ed., État et colonisation
au Moyen Âge et à la Renaissance (Lyons, 1989), pp. 278, 286.