"Largely uninterested in the well-being of its subjects, centrifugal in nature and economically exploitative, it [Venice] foreshadowed what was to come" from European colonialism.

"City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas" chronicles the three centuries of Venetian maritime dominance, from the ill-fated Fourth Crusade and the sacking of Constantinople in 1204 to the Ottoman-Venetian War of 1499–1503, which saw the Ottoman Turks supplant the Venetians as the preeminent naval power in the Mediterranean.

Making good use of primary sources, Crowley deftly weaves the big picture of history with the personal experiences of individual participants. He does an excellent job laying out the complex dynamics of a struggle impacted by myriad social forces ranging from food supply to technological innovation; from the pettiness of rulers to the heroism of individuals; from trade embargoes to outbreaks of the plague.

My only complaint is a blatant historical error. "The prostitutes of the town [Corfu] were renowned, both for their favors and the "French disease;…" (p. 234). Crowley asserts this a full century before the first recorded outbreak of syphilis in 1494-95 in Naples during the French invasion, hence "French disease". Also, to the publisher, the hardcover copy I read was missing most of the index.