Stuart Serenissima: Venice and England in the seventeenth century

The distinctive relationship between Stuart England and the Republic of Venice played a vital role in some of the most important developments of the early modern period, including the globalisation of maritime trading empires and the increasing repudiation of papal power. Stuart Serenissima explores this significant moment of heightened exchange between the two states, bringing together – for the first time in a single collection – insights from leading scholars in the fields of cultural history, economic history, musicology, political theory, art history, and literary studies. Across the volume’s nine chapters, the authors make the collective case that the true extent and significance of seventeenth-century Anglo-Venetian relations can only be understood from a multidisciplinary perspective. The collection offers a nuanced account of interactions between subjects of both polities, analysing intra-confessional division as a driver of European politics, illuminating the lesser studied contributions of women and non-elite agents, and highlighting the cultural brokerage of intermediaries who unsettle notions of a purely bilateral Anglo-Venetian rapport. By locating the Anglo-Venetian Seicento within a broader web of transnational and global connections, the authors identify the early modern Mediterranean as a site of consequential imperial experiments and set the agenda for future Anglo-Venetian research.