Revolt of Snowballs

Claire Judde de Larivière is Senior Lecturer at the University of Toulouse and honorary research fellow at Birkbeck, University of London. Her previous works include Naviguer, commercer, gouverner. Économie maritime et pouvoirs à Venise (XVe-XVIe siècles), 2008; "‘Le peuple est la cité’. L’idée de popolo et la condition des popolani à Venise (XVe-XVIe siècle)", Annales HSS, 2013/4 (with Rosa M. Salzberg); and, ‘The Urban Culture of the Ordinary People. Space and Identity in Renaissance Venice (fifteenth-sixteenth Centuries)’, Medieval Urban Culture, ed. by Andrew Brown and Jan Dumolyn, Turnhout, 2017.

'For a thousand years, the Republic of Venice experienced no regime change and only modest social and political strife when compared to the upheavals that erupted across Europe. The Revolt of Snowballs interrogates the meaning of a rare outburst of popular discontent against Venetian political authorities. This excellent translation will allow English-language readers to appreciate an engaging and informative analysis of a singular episode in the history of Renaissance Venice.'Francesca Trivellato, Yale University, USA'Both a vivid reconstruction of an event, and a sparkling analysis of society and politics, The Revolt of the Snowballs reminds us of the power of microhistory. The book contributes profoundly to our understanding of pre-modern politics and revolt, of what counted as politics from different contemporary perspectives, and of what we might call a social history of political ideas. It is a great achievement, and a gripping read.'John H. Arnold, University of Cambridge, UK

• Introduction; Chapter 1. The Island of Murano; Chapter 2. Murano’s Political Community and Venice; Chapter 3. A Tottering Ritual; Chapter 4. The Revolt in its Time; Chapter 5. The Sense of Justice; Chapter 6. The Accused; Chapter 7. Political Actions, Political Intentions; Chapter 8. The Trial. A Test of Truth and Persons; Conclusion