Izvorni znanstveni članak
A Contribution to the Study on the Relations Between Dubrovnik and Venice in the 17th and 18th Centuries
Ilija Mitić
; Zavod za povijesne znanosti HAZU u Dubrovniku, Dubrovnik, Hrvatska
Sažetak
In respect of the relations between Dubrovnik and Venice during the 17th and 18th centuries were significant — besides the well-known fight of Dubrovnik for the maintenance of its independence and of the sovereignty of the whole State area — the efforts of Venice to preserve its domination on the Adriatic and to restrict the maritime trade of Dubrovnik on that sea as much as possible, on one hand, and the resistence of Dubrovnik against these attempts and the efforts of Dubrovnik that Venice should recognize it as a Republic, on the other.
The Venetians always used to look upon Dubrovnik as a small commune or semi-independent State, which, by dint of chance events, had contrived to elude the sovereignty of the Republic of Venice, placing itself under the protection of one or another large state, and which separated Venetian estates in Dalmatia from the town of Kotor. Therefore one of the main aims of Venice in the Adriatic was to make Dubrovnik impossible in one way or another, thus subjugating it the more easily. This was attempted to achieve by introducing taxes levied for a free passage through the Adriatic, by Dubrovnik’s recognizing the Venetian domination in that sea, by interfering with the Dubrovnik navigation through levying various unjustified tributes, and by introducing unnecessary quarantines for all Dubrovnik ships calling at Venice. Through an incident provoked before Dubrovnik Harbour and a blockade of the same port in 1752, the Venetians attempted to disturb the good relations between Dubrovnik and Turkey. In these endeavours, however, Venice was unsuccessful, which was reflected also in the so-called »Travnik arbitration« of 1754, whereby Dubrovnik undertook the obligation, instead of paying a tribute, to acknowledge every third year with a modest gift only symbolically the Venetian dominance in the Adriatic. However, despite all difficulties and unpleasant events due to such an attitude on the part of Venice, Dubrovnik decided, for the sake of maintaining tolerable relations with the Venetians, that it would send regularly its deputies extraordinary to the new governor of Dalmatia, hand over Venetian fugitives to the border authorities and their galleons, allow privileges to their ships anchored in Dubrovnik Harbour, and, from the end of the 17th century, keep its permanent representative in Venice. The existence and activity of a permanent Dubrovnik representative in Venice, albeit he managed his affairs only unofficially for 80 years, was most important not solely in respect of the Dubrovnik maritime trade but likewise for the conducting of the policy of the Dubrovnik government. For, in this time, Venice was the seat of diplomatic representatives of many European states with which Dubrovnik used to come in touch by way of its representatives. In contrast, from the middle of the 15th century, Venice did not have representatives in Dubrovnik, not wishing to recognize in any way Dubrovnik’s independence.
Venice likewise shunned to recognize Dubrovnik as a Republic, not wishing to allow that in the »Gulf of Venice« there should exist yet another republic which, with time, like other powers, might dispute its sovereignty over the Adriatic. From the first middle of the 18th century the Venetians levied a tribute for the free passage through the Adriatic from Dubrovnik ships only, and that precisely for the reason that they did not recognize Dubrovnik as a Republic but a »commune of the City of Dubrovnik«, considering the Dalmatian population to be Turkish subjects, whose ships carried a »firman« issued by the Porte for free
navigation. Dubrovnik, as a small state on the border between two worlds, the Western, Christian world, and the Eastern, which was under Turkish domination, as a buffer state that was supported by both sides, contrived to maintain its ground for several centuries. The reason for that was that Venice never attempted to capture it by force, fearing a war with the West or with the East, and the only thing it could do was to refuse recognizing it as a republic, and to render its life difficult in many ways, all this in an attempt to subjugate it at least in this way. However, the flexibility of the Dubrovnik government in its adaptation to monetary economic and political circumstances, along with the simultaneous protection by other states, made it imperative for Dubrovnik to be cautious in respect of its relationship with the Republic of Venice, which latter it outlived as a republic by more than ten years.
Ključne riječi
Dubrovnik; Venice; 17th century; 18th century
Hrčak ID:
244800
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.6.1976.
Posjeta: 1.200 *