Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21857/mnlqgc5k2y
On the “Temerity” of Ragusans: Venetian-Ragusan Conflict in the Summer of 1630
Lovro Kunčević
orcid.org/0000-0002-9654-6969
; Institute for historical sciences of CASA in Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Abstract
The article investigates one of the most dramatic military incidents between the Venetian and the Ragusan Republic: the skirmish between three Venetian galleys with the Ragusan armed ship and fortresses in front of Ragusa on the 28 July 1630. The first part of the article is dedicated to the reconstruction of the events themselves, since the Ragusan and Venetian documents offer strikingly
different versions of the incident. The second part investigates the aftermath of the event, i.e. the reactions of the two governments and the diplomatic initiatives which they undertook. Finally, the third part addresses the meaning and the consequences of this incident. In the first place, it questions the traditional interpretation which sees it as the beginning of the so-called Lokrum crisis, a
long-lasting diplomatic conflict between Venice and Ragusa regarding the jurisdiction over that island. The text is based on the hitherto unknown corpus of Venetian documents which not only bring a wealth of new data, but also reveal a profound methodological problem inherent in relying exclusively on the Ragusan diplomatic sources. Finally, the appendix contains a transcription of an until now unknown report about the incident, written to the Venetian Senate by the commander of the Serenissima’s forces, Giovanni Battista Grimani.
Keywords
Ragusa; Venice; diplomacy; seventeenth century; Lokrum; freedom of the seas
Hrčak ID:
267668
URI
Publication date:
1.12.2021.
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