Venice and the Slavs

 This book by Larry Wolff has been sitting on my to-read shelf for a while. It is largely a cultural history of Venice's relationship with its Dalmatian territories, with the military aspects only occasionally referenced. However, it is important context and a subject rarely covered in other studies. The hardback copy comes at a staggering price, but the paperback price is reasonable, and I picked up a secondhand copy of this 2002 book.

Venice controlled most of the Dalmatian coastline in modern Croatia and Montenegro, initially as bases for their commercial and galley fleets, but later expanding into the hinterland. They rarely went much further than the mountains that tower over the coastline. They separated the inhabitants into the 'civilised' coastal Dalmatians and the inland Morlacchi. These were mostly Slavs and Orthodox, compared to the largely Catholic population on the coast. Described by them as 'a race of ferocious men, unreasonable, without humanity, capable of any misdeed.' The boundaries shifted as a result of warfare, mostly against the Ottomans, but even today, Italian influence is evident. I was sitting in a cafe in Trogir a couple of years ago, patiently explaining to an American couple that the reason why the town looked Italian was that it had been for centuries.

The author uses a variety of sources for this study, mostly Venetians or other Western travellers to the region. They all come with their own bias, which the author draws out fairly. Much of the book examines the challenges the Venetians faced in managing their Slavic populations. Like many colonial empires, they claimed a civilising mission, claiming the inhabitants sought the protection of Venice. As the author puts it, 'to construct a culturally convenient vision of the Venetian empire'.

Their military qualities were recognised, as sailors and soldiers. The Morlacchi were less frequently recruited, but they were when needs must, such as during the War of the Austrian Succession. There were even covert efforts by foreign powers to recruit them. Agents of Frederick the Great were executed for doing just that. The arrival of the Russian fleet in 1770 was viewed as a significant threat, as Orlov stirred up revolt in Greece (the Ionian Islands were a Venetian possession) during the wars against the Ottomans. One-fifth of the population in Venetian Dalmatia was Orthodox, and there were examples of Morlacchi bands travelling south to join the Russians.

Colonial governors, Provveditori Generali, came and went, often with different policies and views of the population. Several argued the Morlacchi could be useful 'with constant discipline'. By the late 18th century, the need for reform had been recognised, although it was too late by then, as Napoleon arrived at the end of the century. With him came the premier Marshal, Marmont, who did reform the territories and created an Illyrian ideology for Dalmatia as a means of breaking away from the Venetian past. There had been revolts on several of the islands. In 1793, a revolt on Korcula over new taxes was regarded as the most serious.

If you are interested in the region, this is worth reading, although it can be hard going in places and probably not for the general reader. 

Some of my generic 28mm Orthodox warriors of the period.