58 alfredo viggiano
However, as we shall see, the push to create more specialized and efficient
magistracies would enjoy a certain success. The 1520s and 1530s represent
a change of direction, with respect to the constitutional experimentation
of the 15th century, because the two main sources of tension that had
previously characterized it were overcome: that internal to the privileged
class of patricians, and that concerning the government of the state.18 It
is to this dual development that we must now turn.
The first question, regarding the internal conflicts and adjustments in
the Venetian political class, may be glimpsed from a variety of perspec-
tives. Of these, the appearance of new forms of classification for politi-
cal actors appears particularly relevant. While such new classifications
enriched political discourse, at the same time they risked compromising
the logic of the republican system as a compact and tranquil political uni-
verse. These were definitions and attributions of etiquette that we would
not find in the previously cited “official” works but which appear con-
tinually in the daily lexicon of constitutional conflict in the accounts of
diarists. Among these, the contrast between “vecchi” and “giovani” stands
out. This dichotomy was only superficially linked to a question of age; it
was, rather, a mode of defining character and psychological inclinations:
disregard for rules both written and unwritten, shocking transgressions,
displays of intemperance, and an inclination toward physical violence. In
the early 16th century, that dichotomy drew a line between legitimate and
illegitimate behavior and, thus, defined the boundaries of political man-
ners. But new valence would soon be added to complicate this original
meaning.
New Case and old Case: it was this antithesis that attempted to explain
the superiority of certain family groups, connected with the mythical
foundation of the city, to others which had been integrated only later
into the ruling class; Case grandi and Case piccole. This dichotomy was
based on the dual elements of accumulated wealth and the capacity to
control decision-making procedures through the strength of the family
name and a network of friends. These terms indicate groups of individu-
als and alliances between families whose boundaries were quite fluid and
uncertain. They were defined gradually during the course of conflicts over
title and election to public office and through debates over the criteria for
18 Giuseppe Del Torre, Venezia e la Terraferma dopo la guerra di Cambrai. Fiscalità e
amministrazione (1515–1530) (Milan, 1986).