Late Renaissance Venice

In the later sixteenth century Venice governed a patrician republic supported by Mediterranean trade, naval power, publishing, manufacturing and an extensive diplomatic and intelligence network. Its ruling families balanced private ambition against institutions such as the Senate, Council of Ten and elected doge.

War with the Ottoman Empire culminated in the loss of Cyprus and the Battle of Lepanto, while Venetian merchants and agents continued to operate across the Adriatic and eastern Mediterranean. Marriage, exile and commercial alliances could therefore carry direct political consequences.

Bianca uses this setting for the Cappello family and the fictional career of Bianca’s cousin Marco in the Venetian fleet and secret service. It provides the appropriate context for the novel’s combination of patrician society, maritime conflict and political espionage.