The Dogaressas of Venice (The Wives of the Doges) by Edgcumbe Staley

Description

Every schoolchild knows the doge of Venice; almost no one knows the woman who sat beside him. Edgcumbe Staley set out to fill that gap in this history of the dogaressas — the wives of the doges, from the primitive republic’s first consorts to the majestic figures of the Renaissance and the fall of the state. He follows the office from its shadowy beginnings, when the wives of the earliest rulers of the lagoons took their first titles and state ceremony, through the development of the dogaressa’s own coronation, privileges, and court, and into the great historic figures — ending, inevitably, with Caterina Cornaro, the queen-dogaressa who gave a crown of Cyprus to St. Mark in exchange for an honourable retirement at Asolo.

Staley writes as a devoted, romantic historian of the city, mixing chronicle, legend, and anecdote: the grim warnings that came constantly over the Alpine passes in the republic’s crisis, the little islets where the legends of the Middle Ages took root, and the domestic brilliance with which the dogaressas’ household was run. A book by turns learned, gossipy, and elegiac, indispensable for every lover of Venice.

Why readers still come back to it

• The standard history of the wives of the Venetian doges
• Coronations, palace life, and legend from the early republic to Caterina Cornaro
• A romantic historian’s companion to the most beautiful of cities

About this DodaBooks edition

This edition gives you the complete text with clean, professional typesetting, a working table of contents, and careful chapter navigation — designed for comfortable reading on phones, tablets, and e-readers. Instant download after purchase.