Starts out like this: "Not many, visiting Venice, wonder how he did this
extraordinary city-state to survive free for a millennium: the rationale
such a long existence are obviously many, but one of the main
is almost always escaped even the most attentive observers
Carlo Beltrame and Mark Morin
The ancient artillery of Venice
If the Queen of the Adriatic is the treasure trove of architectural treasures
and artistic whole world admires, what
is due to the enormous wealth accumulated over the centuries
thanks mainly to the maritime trade with neighboring
East. These routes could become dangerous
for the often aggressive attitude of other powers
- The first between the Ottomans and their vassals North Africa - and
so the Serenissima was forced to build ports and fortresses
along the western shore of the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea and then
and the Aegean, and maintain teams of galleys to protect
his trades.
As part of these commitments defensive firearms from
their appearance, played a role whose importance in general
is not even remotely perceived in Italy
only by ordinary people but even by historians, military
or unless they are.
We have not yet definite information on when, in the lagoon,
began the use of gunpowder. The oldest document
we have found so far is a resolution
Senate dated October 3, 1376, with which you have
that ... machinis, right Manganellis, Bombardis, et alijs edificiis
nostris ... used in the war against the Duke Leopoldo
of Austria were gathered in a safe place.
In the next conflict, fought against Genoa
what was called the war of Chioggia, took a
widespread use of firearms by both
sides. This bloody clash took a decisive turn
January 22, 1380 when a ball bombards
struck in the belfry Brondolo and broke off some stones,
falling that killed Peter Doria and his nephew that
were walking the building. They were in fact taken action..."
This is of course a Google robo-translation, you can do the whole text that way, a piece at a time.
