The Expert in a Historical Context: The Case of Venetian Politics

Abstract

In his book on the Mediterranean Sea as a historical area, the French historian Fernand Braudel included a chapter on Venice up to the end of the Republic in 1797. He was obviously fascinated by the “most serene republic” (Serenissima). Among the many aspects of Venetian politics, he mentioned the cinque savii alla mercanzia, literally the five wise men in matters of trade. Interestingly, however, Braudel did not use this literal translation, but rather employed the more loosely translated phrase five experts in matters of trade (Braudel, 1987, p. 169). This raises an important historical question. Braudel intentionally designated these men as experts. But, is it possible to speak of “experts” in the early modern period? Also, to ask if there were experts from approximately 1500 onward at all is made more complicated by the difficulty of defining experts in general. To prevent disappointment, I have to admit that I will not be able to give satisfactory answers to all of these questions. Rather, I will concentrate, in this article, on the problem of experts in the early modern period with reference to one special institution, the syndics of the Venetian mainland (Sindici in Terraferma). First, I will discuss the problem of early modern experts on a larger scale before turning to commissioners as a form of early modern experts and their role as power/ knowledge forms. The results of this discussion will lead into a case study of the syndics of the Venetian mainland as early modern experts.