Gian Galeazzo Visconti’s death in 1402 created a significant power vacuum in northern Italy. Venice feared that the Carraresi would have encircled it by threatening land routes for its trade with Italy and Europe. The Venetian choice of military intervention initiated an extraordinary territorial expansion for the Serenissima, which added a mainland state to its maritime empire. Nevertheless, no scholar has ever considered Portugal’s role in the Venetian state formation in the Italian mainland. Being the marquis of Treviso since 1422, the Portuguese king challenged the Venetian legitimacy to rule the new Stato da Terra. My paper will analyse Venice and Portugal’s diplomatic negotiation on this dispute in the first half of the fifteenth century. Such a period was also characterised by an intensification of relations between the two states, culminating in the Portuguese king’s visit to Venice. 

About the speaker:
Daniele Dibello is a PhD student at Ghent University with a thesis supervised by Prof. Maurice Aymard and Prof. Marc Boone. His interests deal with late Medieval Italy, especially regarding Venetian history. Late medieval politics and institutions characterize his research’s perspective, although they are explored by considering the socio-economic and cultural context in which they operated. Venice’s myth is one of his most exciting research fields since it contributed to shaping the Venetian state, economy, and culture. He has lectured at numerous conferences in seven different countries, he has been involved in three international research projects, and he publishes in Italian, English and German journals. He is the author of five encyclopedia entries about Venetian patricians and doges edited by Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani.  

He has recently promoted as the scientific coordinator at the Deputazione di Storia Patria per le Venezie the research seminar Venice in Question, which deals with the history of Venice and its dominions. The seminar aims to discuss Italian and international projects, present recent publications, and share ideas between Venetian studies scholars worldwide (from the US to Australia), collaborating with the most prestigious Venetian and international cultural institutions.