La crise structurelle de la marine vénitienne au XVe siècle : le problème du retard des Mude

The Structural Crisis of the Venetian Navy of the 15th century : the Problem of the mude While the maritime system established by the Republic of Venice has been for sometime presented as a generic model, nevertheless a detailed study permits the disclosure of the weaknesses of this organisation. The complexity of the utilisation of merchant galleys on a grand scale presents problems which are difficult to resolve. To the technical difficulties associated with the quality of the boats and the adequacy of the crew should be added the doubts of the representatives of the State when confronted with the needs of the patricians concerning customs and fiscal regulations. The senators were unable to respond effectively to a great many questions without undermining the equilibrium of the society as a whole. The crisis of the Venetian navy which broke out around 1450 was the result of a slow decline of the system of the mude. The crisis was due not merely to the consequences of the interminable war against the Turks which was responsable for an anormous consumption of ships but also to the crisis confidence which struck those using state galleys. All these elements combined served to bring about the disorganisation of the system of the mude and the irrevocable decline of the convoys at the beginning of the 16th century.Doumerc Bernard. La crise structurelle de la marine vénitienne au XVe siècle : le problème du retard des Mude. In: Annales. Économies, Sociétés, Civilisations. 40ᵉ année, N. 3, 1985. pp. 605-623