the venetian intellectual world 577
as much as he did its politics. also belonging to the first generation of
Venetian humanists was leonardo Giustiniani, brother of lorenzo, the
first Venetian patriarch, and father of Bernardo.12 Giustiniani was not
only a humanist whose knowledge of Greek enabled him to translate from
Plutarch, among others, but a highly popular poet of both secular and
religious works.
The second generation of humanists (born between 1400 and 1429), the
most numerous cohort and the one in which lay patricians were especially
preponderant, cemented its fortunes to the political mission of the ruling
class. although these authors worked in many genres, political themes
were paramount. Bernardo Giustiniani, for instance, in addition to numer-
ous orations and letters, wrote two enormous works affirming Venice
and its traditions (a history of the city and a hagiography of patron saint
Mark the evangelist).13 domenico Morosini and Paolo Morosini, of the
same lineage but not the same immediate family, wrote works on Vene-
tian governance and in defense of Venetian foreign policy respectively,14
while lauro Qurini wrote defenses respectively of the Venetian nobility
and state,15 and the prolific ludovico Foscarini wrote orations and letters
tracking his tireless efforts to pursue Venetian diplomatic interests.16
in the third generation of Venetian humanists (born between 1430 and
1459), political issues remained predominant, although here, in an unfa-
miliar key, ermolao Barbaro the Younger, Francesco’s grandson, dedicated
himself primarily to philosophical and literary interests. author of De offi-
cio legati [On the Office of Ambassador], fully in alignment with the politi-
cal interests of earlier Venetian humanists, the younger Barbaro broke
ranks when he took up his pen in his De coelibatu [On Celibacy] to justify
a decision not to marry, and thus not to assume the full responsibilities
devolving on a patrician statesman—the role his ancestry directed him
12 King, Venetian Humanism, pp. 383–85 and passim.
13 Patricia h. labalme, Bernardo Giustiniani: A Venetian of the Quattrocento (rome,
1969); King, Venetian Humanism, pp. 381–83 and passim.
14 For domenico Morosini, see King Venetian Humanism, pp. 409–10 and passim; for
Paolo Morosini, see ibid., pp. 412–13 and passim.
15 lauro Quirini, Lauro Quirini umanista: studi e testi, ed. Konrad Krautter et al.
(Florence, 1977); King, Venetian Humanism, pp. 419–21 and passim.
16 King, Venetian Humanism, pp. 409–10 and passim; also isotta nogarola, Complete
Writings: Letterbook, Dialogue on Adam and Eve, Orations, ed. and trans. Margaret l. King
and diana M. robin (chicago, 2004).