Customer Reviews

Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice

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Thomas Madden writes history in the style I always hope to read. For the avid reader of history, often the question arises: how did the writer know for a fact what happened then? How can he treat a certain event as a certainty? While that's true for any attempt at recreating the past, the questions become even more intriguing when the matters at hand are events that happened eight hundred years ago. In his books Mr. Madden addresses these questions at every step of the way - contemporary sources are checked against each other for veracity, later documents are placed in their context and critically analyzed, and modern historiography is put in perspective and occasionally debunked. He doesn't rush into character evaluations based solely on guesswork and modern day standards - a sin many historians are guilty of - he presents solid arguments when his opinions are going contrary to the general opinion, and admits his limits when there is simply not enough documentary information and all that's left to us is educated guesswork.

He did not disappoint in "Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice". Due to the scarcity of family history documents for that time, the doge is painted rather in matter-of-fact colors, and his image only emerges with clarity during the 4th crusade, when the he was already at the nadir of his years. However, what is lost from the portrayal of Enrico Dandolo's earlier years is gained through the insights in the stories of the other members of his family, his father Vitale, and his uncle, also named Enrico. The family history is organically wrapped in a thick layer of context about Venice in the 12th century, politics in Italy and a broader overview of the universe of the Mediterranean in the era of the crusades.

And as usual, Madden's writing style is compelling in itself. I found myself consulting the notes as often as the main text. While many of the notes are mere references to the sources, a great number of them offer insights into the complex investigative process that stands behind the beautiful prose of the book.

While Madden's history of one of the most significant Doge's in Venice is interesting, it lacks a certain something. The first half barely touches on Enrico Dandolo, instead focusing on his father and the actions of Michiel and Ziani. While the most interesting event in Dandolo's life (the Fourth Crusade) is covered in detail, anyone seeking a full picture of Dandolo's life will be disappointed.

Still, this is well-written and an incredibly interesting read, and I recommend it to anyone who would like to know more about the man behind the Fourth Crusade.