262 luciano pezzolo
force on a regular basis in order to protect the economic interests of their
merchants.
Another response to the uncertainties of overseas commercial enter-
prises came, as previously mentioned, in the form of state convoys, which
were used from around the mid-14th century to the beginning of the 1500s.
The most precious goods were transported on galee grosse (great galleys),
capable both of defending themselves and protecting each other. A flotilla
of three or four such galleys could provide the notable fighting force of
600–800 men, since, in addition to crossbowmen and, after 1486, archibus-
iers, the rowers themselves could also fight.14 Such a convoy was certainly
not easy prey for pirates. Moreover, the galley was the fastest of all the
longships. A characteristic of this convoy system was its regularity: depar-
tures and, if possible, arrivals were marked by a calendar that determined
and made predictable the rhythms of supply and demand on the Venetian
marketplace. As the galleys heading for the Levant absorbed currency and
precious metals, making the city cash-poor, it was easily immaginable that
the cost of money was destined to rise. At their arrival, then, the supply of
liquidity brought about a corresponding fall in the cost of capital.15 Gal-
ley service as a crossbowman also offered young patricians the chance to
get accustomed to life at sea and begin the journey that would eventually
lead them to become merchants themselves. Finally, the crews, composed
of free men (as opposed to slaves), could provide a well-trained military
force in wartime to serve in the fleet.
Research on the regular state convoy system can boast a long tradition,
thanks above all to the official documentation produced by the govern-
ment. This has allowed us to track both the number of voyages made and
the prices patricians—who enjoyed the right to rent merchant galleys—
paid to use these ships.16 The sums collected at the auctions of galleys have
been considered a good indicator of the economic fluctuations, since they
reflected the investors’ profit expectations. It was possible that investors
14 Lane, Navires et constructeurs, pp. 21–22.
15 Reinhold C. Mueller, “ ‘Chome l’ucciello di passaggio’: la demande saisonnière des
espèces et le marché des changes à Venise au Moyen Age,” in John Day, ed., Etudes d’his-
toire monétaire (Lille, 1984), pp. 195–219.
16 Freddy Thiriet, “Quelques observations sur le trafic des galées vénitiennes d’apres les
chiffres des incanti (XIVe–XVe siècles),” in Studi in onore di Amintore Fanfani, vol. 3 (Milan,
1962), pp. 495–522; Doris Stöckly, Le système de l’Incanto des galées du marché à Venise
( fin XIIIe–milieu XVe siècle) (Leiden, 1995); Claire Judde de Larivière, Naviguer, commercer,
gouverner. Economie maritime et pouvoirs à Venise (XVe–XVIe siècles) (Leiden, 2008).