Chapter 737 The Kiss of the Republic

From the establishment of the governorship to the final conquest by Napoleon, the Republic of Venice experienced a total of 120 governors. Not all of these governors made great achievements, and some were even imprisoned in monasteries. However, the 49th governor elected in 1289, Peter Grazia is not the kind of mediocre person, he has made a very important role for the Venetian constitution and oligarchy.

The 46, 47, 48 doges before him did nothing, including Giovanni Dandolo, another Dandolo man.

During the French Revolution, there was a painter Eugène Delacroix. He painted a famous painting "Liberty Leading the People", which is currently collected by the Louvre in France. The Beheading of Marino Farrero", this painting is currently in the collection of the Wallace Collection in London. It is not as famous as "Liberty Leading the People", but Monica, an art student, knows that this painting The story depicted is related to Giovanni Dandolo.

Oligarchy refers to a form of rule in which a few people hold power. The 48th Governor Giovanni Dandolo did not retire after leaving office, but moved to the Admiralty on the first floor of the Doge's Palace. The navy is the key to the Republic's dominance of the Mediterranean.

In ancient Rome, there were dense fir forests on the Italian peninsula, and fir was a good material for building warships, but the phenomenon of shortage appeared as early as the early 14th century. The chief of the armory first bought wood from the foot of the Alps, and then from The north went to the Trieste region to buy timber, and finally had to cross the Adriatic Sea to buy timber, and private shipyards had to buy oak from abroad.

The increase in material costs indirectly led to an increase in the cost of warships. When military expenditures cannot increase indefinitely, it is inevitable to squeeze labor costs. Sailboats did not become popular until the 15th century. In the 14th century, paddle boats were still the mainstay, and guilds were responsible for providing paddles. Hands, when necessary, some unemployed citizens will be forcibly recruited through the requisition system. Basically, as long as they are individuals, even fools can be responsible, and no special training is required. The salary is simply no one is willing to do it. On April 12, 1355, a sailor recommended by the boatswain Izanello was rejected by Giovanni Dandolo. The man did not meet the criteria. His face was pale and he was coughing all the time. This kind of person couldn't be allowed to enter the airtight cabin.

Isanello argues: "It's just a cold, it won't kill anyone."

Giovanni Dandolo could not confirm that the sailor had pneumonic plague. People at that time did not know much about the Black Death. Giovanni had nothing to do and left angrily. However, Izanello won, but he felt that he couldn't swallow his breath, so he found a few partners to complain, thinking that Giovanni should not point fingers, and several people told each other one sentence at a time. The anger of this group of sailors turned from Giovanni to all the nobles unconsciously, so a dozen of them wandered back and forth near the residence of the head of state, waiting for Giovanni to appear.

The inequality caused by the gap between the rich and the poor will sooner or later make people resort to violence because of jealousy. The poor will not really envy the luxurious life of the rich. If you don't, you will commit a crime, just like during the French Revolution, even the soldiers of the king's army were robbed in "Liberty Leading the People", not to mention the nobles who are gorgeous.

The Doge’s Palace that tourists see now was rebuilt after the fire in 1574. No one knew what it looked like before, and no one knew whether there was a secret passage. Even Giovanni would not leave. In desperation He reported the matter to the head of state, Farrero, hoping that he would send someone to protect his safety.

Marino Farrero was 80 when he was elected head of state, a few years younger than Enrico Dandolo, but that didn't stop him from marrying the 18-year-old daughter of a friend of his. You are so beautiful, 80 years old marrying 18 years old, how many people are envious and jealous.

It was a political marriage, and seven months after being elected head of state, Marino Farrero threw a huge festive banquet. Among the guests at the feast was a young man named Steno, who at some point during the festive feast passionately kissed the new wife of Marino Farrero. The masked move was not liked by the stern Führer. He bluntly ordered the unfortunate Steno to be pushed out. Steno was so enraged by the humiliation he suffered in the presence of his beloved and the Venetian nobles, that he wandered through the halls, and at last came to the Chamber of Ten, where he carved an insulting inscription on the back of an oaken chair: " Marino's beautiful wife is used by others."

On the second day of the banquet, the inscription spread, and Steno, the Führer's rival in love, was thrown into prison. After discussion by the "Ten People's Council", considering the sinner's youth and ignorance, his contribution to the republic and his fiery love, it was decided to imprison him in a dark cell for two months and then expel him from Venice.

After being elected head of state, Marino Falieri roamed the galleries from Rome to Venice. When he came to the city, there was a sudden thick fog, and the boatman had to anchor the boat beside the steps between the two granite pillars where the executions were usually carried in the Palazzo San Petronio. Marino Farrero saw the circumstances as a bad omen at the time.

Marino Farrero was outraged by such resolutions as the "Council of Ten" and by the new insults in them. The incident also brought the Führer together with Bertuzio, who volunteered to bring together many dissatisfied people in order to facilitate a resolution of the matter. From this a catastrophic plot was born, the purpose of which was to destroy all the dignitaries who had been summoned by the bell of St. Mark's in the hall of the Council of Ten.

But this plan is very difficult to implement, and the military power is not in the hands of Marino Farrero. The Ten was a secret organization founded by Pietro Grazia in 1310. It was one of the main components of the government of the Republic of Venice. It was elected every year and was responsible for the police and defense. Issues it governs include morality, public civilization, insurgents, and foreign enemies. It is said that an anonymous letter was dropped from the mouth of the stone lion in San Marco the night before, and the person who reported on the letter would disappear the next day.

This legend is pure nonsense, but the public security and defense affairs in the city are managed by the ten-member group. Every Sunday morning, a total of more than 300 people gather together. They only make personnel choices and do not discuss policy issues unless something happens. In a serious emergency, the only threat to them in the city is the Navy.

Farrero ordered Izanello to be brought in and reprimanded him for such a reckless act. Izanello obeyed the order of the head of state and dispersed the assembled people, and Giovanni escaped from danger.

However, Izanello received a message that night and went to the mansion to discuss matters. During the period, Farrero proposed: I hope Izanello can help him call on the common people to help him overthrow the aristocracy and build a stronger Venice. Izanello nodded in agreement, and joined Carandario, the chief masonry worker, to decide to act on April 15, the day before the meeting of the various administrative departments.

However, because of the large number of participants, the news spread like wildfire, and some people refused to participate. The Republic of Venice established a court to try Marino Farrero himself. Confessed all his crimes and was sentenced to death.

Early in the morning two days later, the members of the "Council of Ten" took away the things that symbolized the status of the head of state. The shield of Marino Farrero with the coat of arms was broken, and the boatswain Izanello and the master mason Calandario sentenced to hang, carried out at the Fuehrer's residence late at night, and the number of hanged people increased to 11 a few days later.

On the platform in the middle of the giant staircase, Marino Farrero was beheaded, and in the "Ten Council" hall of the Doge's Palace in Venice, there are exquisite portraits of all the heads of state who have ruled Venice. But where the portrait of the Führer Marino Farrero should have been placed, there is now only an empty oval frame with an inscription: "This is the place of Marino Farrero, executed for treason."

In 1286, when Governor Giovanni Dandolo was in office, the nobles had already proposed to make the membership of the Great Council hereditary, but several proposals were rejected. After Dandolo left office, Governor Pietro Grazia and a group of nobles insisted on reforming the election system of the Grand Council to ensure the stability of the Republic government. So in 1297, Venice enacted the Serrata Law, also known as the Great Council Closed Law, stipulating that members of the Great Council must be members of the Great Council within the past four years, or their paternal relatives. At the same time, in order to admit new members, forty candidates will be selected by lottery every year from the descendants of current members of the parliament. Further laws were enacted in 1307 and 1316, and lists of nobles were drawn up, only members of which were eligible for election to the Great Council.

This parliament was first named the Council of the Wise, and later renamed the Grand Council of Venice. The Grand Council even had the right to legislate and elect a ten-member group, and the ten-member group also had the power to judge the head of state, just like the Marino Farrero rebellion.

"Who do you think leaked the news?" Under the bright sun of the 21st century, Monica was lying on a deck chair, drinking the red wine that Severus brought back from the winery, and talking to Pomona, her poor cousin. Smokey grilled seafood.

"What do you think?" Pomona asked the double agent, who was the best at giving away secrets.

"Did you think it was Giovanni Dandolo?" Severus said to Monica with a smirk, he wasn't lying on a deck chair outside the house, the sun would burn him.

"You don't think so?" Monica asked back.

"Why did Marino tell Giovanni that he was going to rebel? Is he old-fashioned?"

"He needs the support of the Navy," Monica said.

The old bat laughed so hypocritically.

"That's impossible," Severus said.

"Why?"

"Giovanni and Pietro are allies, and he will not let the Ten and the Great Council die in Marino's hands."

"That's it……"

"What you, a little girl, can think of, can't Marino think of it? He played a scene in front of Giovanni, reprimanded Izanello, and brought the sailor back after Giovanni and others left. , Marino was on guard against Giovanni, how could he tell Giovanni the secret."

"Then who do you think it is?" Monica asked unconvinced.

"I already told you." Severus said calmly.

"What?" Monica asked confusedly.

"Sandy, do you know who he's talking about?" Pomona stretched her waist and asked.

"I know." Alessandro said, looking at the sizzling oysters.

"Tell her." Severus said with a wicked grin, taking a sip of his chilled champagne.

"Giovanni Dandolo."

"Are you playing with me?" Monica looked at everyone grumpily.

"I told you that Marino was not stupid, he would not tell Giovanni that he was going to rebel, and Giovanni would not use his army to help Marino rebel, but he did not say that Giovanni would not inform, he would inform The reason is different from what you think."

"Mimir's head." Pomona said with a smirk after taking a sip of the strawberry cocktail.

"Then why did he inform? No, how did he know?" Monica asked.

"The bosun is a low-level officer, and Giovanni is the commander of the navy. If you are a sailor and don't want to get involved in this matter, and you want to inform but you can't write, who do you turn to?" Severus asked monica.

"Giovanni," Monica said suddenly.

"The next thing he has to do is to put the anonymous letter into the lion's mouth. He doesn't even have to write it himself. I remember that the Führer's rival in love, Steino, was locked in a dark prison. He must be able to write. He is still alive. On the back of the oaken chair of the Council of Ten it is written 'Marino's wife is kept by others'."

"No man can bear such an insult, idiota." Alessandro said to Monica "The court has sentenced Steno to exile, but Marino wants him to die, and even intends to destroy the parliament in order to achieve this goal." , he has gone mad."

"The navy won't help, the army won't help, Marino can only use those sailors and masons, it's really sad." Severus put the champagne on the table, waved to Pomona, she immediately ran over in a jerk up.

"Sing me a song," Severus said, looking her in the eyes.

"Which one do you want to hear?" she asked in a sweet voice.

"I don't know, surprise me." Snape Lover said in a low, nasal voice.

"How about you sing it to me?" She said stupidly.

"I can't sing with outsiders around." There was a mysterious smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Leave them alone." She closed her eyes and wanted to kiss him.

In the end, he escaped.

"Lunch time." He said very seriously "I'm hungry."

"I can't believe it." Monica looked at her cousin, "You can be right."

"It's not fake," Alisandro said. "No one is above the law, not even the president of the United States, only the emperor."

"Neither the wise nor Socrates, but he obeyed the court's decision, that's why he was called a sage," Severus said.

"Mamma Mia." Monica murmured in disbelief, covering her head.

"Giovanni Dandolo is a man with a clear mind. He is the promoter of the oligarchs, but he will not let the monarchy appear in Venice. Marino can't bribe him no matter what he offers." Severus stuck a fork in his mouth A quick roasted oyster is sent to the mouth.

"Even a woman?" Pomona asked deliberately.

Severus smiled.

"Oligarchy can often be a tool for change, but it is a disaster if it is in the hands of people who seize power for corruption or personal purposes. It is a dangerous double-edged sword." Severus dissected it skillfully "Marino made the wrong choice."

"What happened to his beautiful young wife?" Pomona asked Monica.

"There are rumors that Lucia has voluntarily lived in seclusion in the monastery." Monica said.

"His property was confiscated," said Alessandro, "just to meet Giovanni's immediate needs."

"Who took over as Führer after Marino's death?" Pomona asked, and then she regretted it.

She really asked a silly question.

"Giovanni Grazia." Monica answered Pomona's question enthusiastically, "It seems that the Dandolo family must also investigate the Templar money besides the Grazia family. "

"I guess Napoleon took all the documents away," Pomona said impatiently.

"What else does that painter Eugène Delacroix do?" Severus asked.

"You want to find clues from the painting?" Monica asked in surprise.

He tilted his head, noncommittal.

"Eugène Delacroix is ​​a man with a sense of justice." Pomona curled her lips. "Maybe he left us something."

"CORNUTO!" Alessandro was so angry that he turned over the grilled chicken wings and said, "Napoleon Panama."

"What do you mean?" Pomona asked.

"You don't want to know," Monica said, then stood up, walked briskly like a little girl, walked behind Alessandro, and slapped him on the back of the head so hard that he almost knocked his head off. Press into the fire.

Then the two started arguing again in Italian.

Severus took a stack of processed food into the tent and sat down next to her.

"Open your mouth," he said to her, as if her hands had been crippled.

"Do you think Lucia will stay in the monastery obediently?" Pomona said, looking into his black eyes.

"She's a good girl, maybe." He said lightly, "but you can't stay."

"That's not necessarily true." She opened her mouth and bit the squid. It was so deliciously roasted that Pomona remembered that she had never eaten the leg of the giant squid in the Black Lake.

And that mermaid named Lucia, is she still singing in the black lake now?

She put her arms around Severus' neck, sharing the squid with him.