Festivity, Society and Politics in Sixteenth-century Venice ― The Invention of the Coronation of the Ducal Consort

This volume explores the two sixteenth-century revivals of the triumphal entry ceremony of the dogaressa, the wife of the Venetian doge. It focuses upon the evolution of the Venetian dogaressal entry ceremony as it was revived in 1557 and 1597, and the tension between maintaining Venetian ceremonial tradition and adopting foreign ceremonial innovations. While triumphal entries in Italy have been studied, the 1557 and 1597 dogaressal entries have received little attention, as they have been overshadowed by the studies of the 1574 visit of Henry III to Venice. The book makes available previously unpublished texts (ceremonial accounts, ambassadorial letters, diaries, and published pamphlets) in both their original language and modern English translation. These documents are put into context by a detailed introductory essay that describes the events, and analyses the written and visual records, and the political debates and social conflicts which influenced the form and memory of each revival of this ceremony. The inclusion of the most important of these records together with the introductory essay provides an opportunity to observe the complex process of reviving a traditional ceremony in the changing world of early modern Europe. Appealing not only to scholars of Venice and early modern festivities, the volume has much to say to a broader audience of scholars across the humanities as well as readers interested in the history of ritual, gender, society and politics, and urban culture.