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Regardless of what horror stories you might have heard if you lived in 18th century Europe, Venice never was a true police state. Indeed, she spied on her citizens far less than her contemporary countries, though much more effectively. The Council of Ten, while not a democratic institution, offered itself to cloak-and-dagger stories with its secret collaborations and draconic judgements, and yet it was always beloved by the common people of Venice, for whom it was a safeguard against despoty. The only ones who were spied on were the nobility, and even then the impoverished patricians were ignored as irrelevant to national security.

I don't know if the State Inquisitors ever wore masks in office - probably not. It's cool, though.

The Inquisitor is referring to the Peace of Passarowitz between Austria and Turkey, ending the last of the Turkish-Venetian Wars. After Venice failed to assert her claims to her Greek holdings and Austria made a seperate peace, Venice stopped involving itself in international politics. After 1718, she was irrevocably declining, though not yet quite doomed.

Milan at the time was ruled by the Austrians.

A Sequin was a Venetian gold coin, I refer to the A/N to chapter 10 for an explanation of Venetian coinage.

Frankfort is an older spelling of Frankfurt. The Rothschild were an important Jewish banking family which later ascended into nobility in the peerage of Austria, France, and England. At the time, they had not yet expanded into international business, so it is unlikely Cecilia would have had debts with them.

Garamond, Manuzio and Casaubon are all named for Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.

The Heptanese is an old name for the isles of the western coast of Greece, the Ionian Islands (Corfu and such). They were the last remaining oversea possessions of the Venetian empire.

Cecilia's thoughts towards the end echo a quip by Ser Hyle Hunt from A Feast for Crows.

The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis were imperial postmasters-general from the 15th century until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, then became a private mail service. There's a fun board game about them.

Please review!

Insert Disclaimer here.

Description
Regardless of what horror stories you might have heard if you lived in 18th century Europe, Venice never was a true police state. Indeed, she spied on her citizens far less than her contemporary countries, though much more effectively. The Council of Ten, while not a democratic institution, offered itself to cloak-and-dagger stories with its secret collaborations and draconic judgements, and yet it was always beloved by the common people of Venice, for whom it was a safeguard against despoty. The only ones who were spied on were the nobility, and even then the impoverished patricians were ignored as irrelevant to national security.

I don't know if the State Inquisitors ever wore masks in office - probably not. It's cool, though.

The Inquisitor is referring to the Peace of Passarowitz between Austria and Turkey, ending the last of the Turkish-Venetian Wars. After Venice failed to assert her claims to her Greek holdings and Austria made a seperate peace, Venice stopped involving itself in international politics. After 1718, she was irrevocably declining, though not yet quite doomed.

Milan at the time was ruled by the Austrians.

A Sequin was a Venetian gold coin, I refer to the A/N to chapter 10 for an explanation of Venetian coinage.

Frankfort is an older spelling of Frankfurt. The Rothschild were an important Jewish banking family which later ascended into nobility in the peerage of Austria, France, and England. At the time, they had not yet expanded into international business, so it is unlikely Cecilia would have had debts with them.

Garamond, Manuzio and Casaubon are all named for Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.

The Heptanese is an old name for the isles of the western coast of Greece, the Ionian Islands (Corfu and such). They were the last remaining oversea possessions of the Venetian empire.

Cecilia's thoughts towards the end echo a quip by Ser Hyle Hunt from A Feast for Crows.

The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis were imperial postmasters-general from the 15th century until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, then became a private mail service. There's a fun board game about them.

Please review!

Insert Disclaimer here.