Recasting the history of Venetian rule in Greece

This chapter examines the Greek experience of Venetian rule (1204-1797). The first section discusses recent historiographical trends in the late medieval and early modern history of the Greek-speaking territories of the former Byzantine empire and assesses their connection to the broader history of the Republic of Venice. The second section focuses on key historical themes, such as warfare and colonization, the management of ethnic and religious difference, information and communication networks, mobility and migration, and cross-cultural encounters and exchange. In doing so, it takes Venetian Greece as a point of departure to revisit fundamental questions that lie at the heart of Mediterranean history. The chapter suggests that Venetian Greece should be seen as a crucible for understanding complex historical processes that shaped the emergence of the ‘modern world’. Overall, the analysis applies a critical imperial studies perspective that speaks to both historians of modern Greece and Venice and to scholars of early modern empires.