Women of Venice - Power, Patronage & Performance

About this episode

The episode explores the significant yet often overlooked roles women played in the political, social, and cultural life of Venice.

While Venice was a patriarchal society, women nonetheless played vital roles in shaping the city’s political, social and cultural fabric. From patrician marriages that forged alliances among the elite to the quiet influence exerted behind convent and palace walls, what was life really like for women in the Republic of Venice? Their stories span from prominent figures such as Caterina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus, to the orphaned girls educated at the Ospedale della Pietà, and even to the ever-pre...

Topics covered

• women in history
• Venice
• patriarchy
• cultural influence
• political roles
• social fabric

Keywords

• Venice
• women
• Caterina Cornaro
• Ospedale della Pietà
• patriarchy
• cultural history
• political influence

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ospedale della Pietà

Places: Venice, Republic of Venice, Cyprus

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