Course Description
The course will examine the political phenomenon of thalassocracy (Greek for "sea rule") in a global historical perspective and against a comprehensive philosophical background. The main focus of the course is on the maritime commercial empire of medieval and early modern Venice.
The detailed examination of Venice as an internationally active and militarily mighty trade republic will be framed by the close study of earlier and later commercial sea empires. In particular, the course will examine the Hanseatic League, a North German medieval and early modern alliance of trade cities operative throughout Europe. In addition, the course will feature the trading empire of the Dutch Republic in later modern times with substantial involvement in Asia, the Americas and Africa.
The consideration of the three historical examples will be framed by an analysis of the political, legal and commercial aspects of European colonialist imperialism. Particular attention will devoted to the development of international law ("law of the peoples") in the context of colonial expansionism and competition between colonial powers. In addition, the course will examine the close connection between commercial empires and the republican constitution of the states involved, chiefly among them Venice. As co-curricular features, the course will include site visits in Venice, among them the Palazzo Ducale and the Arsenale.
The course will begin with the ancient Greek colonization of the Mediterranean world in general and with Athens' naval empire in particular (Delian League). From there the course will move to the characteristic combination of republicanism and imperialism in classical Rome. Next the course will consider the rise of medieval and early modern trade republics in Northern Italy and Germany in the political context of "free" cities exempt from princely rule. The dual focus here will be on the Northern German trading alliance of the Hanseatic League and on Venice's maritime empire in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Next the course will move to consider the rise of the Dutch republic as a global commercial power in the wake of Portugal's and Spain's collapse as colonial world powers.
Throughout the course will address the political and philosophical underpinnings of the three case studies of sea empires and overseas empires. To that end, the course first will provide an introduction to classical and neo-classical republicanism, based on the works by the ancient Roman historian Polybius and on the early modern republican political thinker Machiavelli. Next the course will turn to the founding of modern international and maritime law by the Dutch lawyer and legal philosopher Grotius. Finally, the course will consider the modern linkage between commerce and politics as examined by the Swiss-French liberal political thinker Benjamin Constantat the beginning of the 19th century.

Learning Outcomes
Students will acquire historical and philosophical knowledge about the relation between political and commercial society, improve their skills in the analysis of historical and philosophical texts and problems, and enhance their ability to discuss complex theoretical issues in written and spoken academic English.

Teaching and Evaluation Methods
The course will be taught as a seminar with substantial and regular student participation, including formal presentations, moderated discussions and writing assignments. The final grade will be based one third each on active class participation, formal class presentations and a term paper.

Bibliography
(to be read and discussed in excerpts; all in English original or English translation)
All text will be made available online, in addition to being available as hard copies in the VIU Library

1. History and Philosophy

Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War (selections): Melian Dialogue
PDF file downloadable under: http://lygdamus.com/resources/New%20PDFS/Melian.pdf

Polybius, The Histories (selections): Book 6
PDF file downloadable under: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Polybius/6*.html

Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince and The Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy (selections); contained in: Niccolò Machiavelli, The Historical, Political and Diplomatic Writings, vol. 2
PDF file downloadable from Online Library of Liberty: http://lf-oll.s3.amazonaws.com/titles/775/Machiavelli_0076-02_EBk_v6.0.pdf

Hugo Grotius, On the Right of War and Peace, vol. 1 and vol. 2 (selections)
vol. 1
PDF file downloadable from Online Library of Liberty: http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/grotius-the-rights-of-war-and-peace-2005-ed-vol-1-book-i
vol. 2
PDF file downloadable from Online Library of Liberty: http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/grotius-the-rights-of-war-and-peace-2005-ed-vol-2-book-ii

Baruch Spinoza, Theologico-Political Treatise and Political Treatise (selections); contained in: The Chief Works of Benedict de Spinoza, vol. 1.
PDF file downloadable from Online Library of Liberty: http://lf-oll.s3.amazonaws.com/titles/1710/Spinoza_1321.01_EBk_v6.0.pdf

Benjamin Constant, The Liberty of the Ancients Compared With That of the Moderns
PDF file downloadable from Online Library of Liberty: http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/constant-the-liberty-of-ancients-compared-with-that-of-moderns-1819

2. The Hanseatic League

Donald J. Harreld (Ed.), A Companion to the Hanseatic League. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2015

3. The Republic of Venice

Monique O'Connell, Men of Empire. Power and Negotiation in Venice's Maritime State. Baltimore : The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009

Roger Crowley, City of Fortune. How Venice Ruled the Seas. New York: Random House, 2011; London: Penguin, 2013

4. The Dutch Republic

C. R. Boxer, The Dutch Seaborne Empire. 1600-1800. Introd. J. H. Plumb. London: Hutchinson, 1965; London: Penguin 1991

Oscar Gelderblom, Cities of Commerce. The Institutional Foundations of International Trade in the Low Countries, 1250-1650. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2013

Oscar Gelderblom (Ed.), The Political Economy of the Dutch Republic. Fanham and Burlington: Ashgate, 2009

Syllabus

Week 1 Introduction and Ancient History: a) Introduction: The Venetian Republic; b) Athens (Thucydides) and Rome (Polybius)
Readings a)
n.a.
Readings b)
Thucydides, Dialogue with the Melians
Polybius, Rome's Republican Constitution

Week 2 The Hanseatic League 1: a) The Rise; b) The Fall
Readings a)
Harreld (Ed.), Companion to the Hanseatic League, Chapter 2 (64-100)
Readings b)
Harreld (Ed.), Companion to the Hanseatic League, Chapter 3 (101-124)

Week 3 The Hanseatic League 2: a) Kontors and Outposts; b) Social Networks
Readings a)
Harreld (Ed.), Companion to the Hanseatic League, Chapter 4 (127-161)
Readings b)
Harreld (Ed.), Companion to the Hanseatic League, Chapter 5 (162-193)

Week 4 Philosophy 1: a) and b) Machiavelli, Principalities and Republics
Readings a)
Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapter I/1 and Chapter V/5
Machiavelli, Discourses, First Book, Introduction and Chapters I/1 through VII/7, Chapter IX/9 and
Chapters XVI/16 through XVIII/18
Readings b)
Machiavelli, Discourses, First Book, Chapters LV/55 through LVI-LIX/59
Machiavelli, Discourses, Second Book, Introduction and Chapters II/2 through IV/4

Week 5 The Republic of Venice 1: a) The Rise; b) The Stato da Mar
Readings a)
Crowley, City of Fortune, Part II/2, Chapters 8 and 9 (138-174 and 175-218)
Readings b)
Crowley, City of Fortune, Part II/2, Chapter 14 (257-279)

Week 6 The Republic of Venice 2: a) The Eclipse; b) The Shape of the Empire
Readings a)
Crowley, City of Fortune, Part III/3, Chapters 17, 18 and 19 (329-342 , 343-357 and 358-378)
Readings b)
O'Connell, Men of Empire, Introduction and Chapter One (1-38)

Week 7 midterm break

Week 8 The Republic of Venice 3: a) The Administration of the Empire; b) The Decline of the Empire
Readings a)
O'Connell, Men of Empire, Chapters Two and Three (39-74)
Readings b)
O'Connell, Men of Empire, Chapter Five (97-118) and Chapter 7 (140-160)

Week 9 Philosophy 2: a) Grotius, War and Peace; b) Grotius, The Law of the Peoples
Readings a)
Grotius, Right of War and Peace, Preliminary Discourse, Sections VIII, XVIII, XXIX
Grotius, Right of War and Peace, vol. 1/Book 1, Chapter 1 (What War Is, And What Right Is)
Readings b)
Grotius, Right of War and Peace, vol. 2/Book 2, Chapter 3 (Of the Original Acquisition of Things)

Week 10 Philosophy 3 and The Dutch Republic 1: a) Spinoza, Freedom and Democracy; b) Politics and Society
Readings a)
Spinoza, Theologico-Political Treatise, Chapters XIX/19 and XX/20
Spinoza, Political Treatise, Chapter I/1 (Introduction) and Chapter XI/11 (Of Democracy
) Readings b)
Boxer, Dutch Seaborne Empire, Chapter 2 (31-53)

Week 11 The Dutch Republic 2: a) Mare Liberum; b) Organization of Exchange
Readings a)
Boxer, Dutch Seaborne Empire, Chapter 4 (84-112)
Readings b)
Gelderblom, Cities of Commerce, Chapter 3 (42-75)

Week 12 The Dutch Republic 3: a) Protection of Trade; b) Long-Distance Trade
Readings a)
Gelderblom, Cities of Commerce, Chapter 6 (141-168)
Readings b)
Gelderblom (Ed.), Political Economy, Chapter 9 (223-254)

Week 13 Philosophy 4: a) Constant; b) Final Discussion: Civil and Commercial Society
Readings a)
Constant, Of the Liberty
Readings a)
n.a.

Week 14 Exam week

No previous knowledge required.