Constructing a Mainland State in Literature: Perceptions of Venice and Its <i>Terraferma</i> in Marin Sanudo’s Geographical Descriptions

This article focuses on how, in a time of important political changes, narratives concerning Venice and its mainland state could be constructed and transformed. As case study, three geographical descriptions by the Venetian patrician Marin Sanudo (1466–1536) are analyzed: Itinerarium Marini Sanuti Leonardi filij patricij Veneti cum syndicis Terre Firme, De origine, situ et magistratibus urbis Venetae , and Descriptione de la patria de Friul . Several interwoven themes are treated: the ways Sanudo justified Venice’s rule over a large territory on the Italian mainland, his perception of the links between capital and mainland territory, and his view on the strength of these links. I show that the way Sanudo constructed an image of the Venetian state had its own internal dynamics. As shown in the chronological development present in Sanudo’s works, his representation of the Venetian state is partly a reaction to the political circumstances, but not a direct reflection of them. Cet article se concentre sur la facon dont, dans une periode d’importants changements politiques, les recits concernant Venise et son etat sur le continent pouvaient etre construits et transformes. Trois descriptions geographiques du patricien venitien Marin Sanudo (1466-1536) sont analysees et servent d’analyse de cas : Itinerarium Marini Sanuti Leonardi filij patricij Veneti cum syndicis Terre Firme, De origine, situ et magistratibus urbis Venetae , et Descriptione de la patria de Friul . Plusieurs themes entremeles sont abordes : la facon dont Sanudo justifie le regne de Venise sur un large territoire de l’Italie continentale, sa perception des liens entre capitale et territoire continental ainsi que son opinion sur la force de ces liens. Je montre que sa construction d’une image de l’etat venitien possede sa propre dynamique interne. Tel que le montre le developpement chronologique present dans les ecrits de Sanudo, sa representation de l’etat venitien est en partie une reaction aux circonstances politiques, mais n’en est pas un reflet direct.