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626 Magnus Ressel

for example, was set very high in the customs declarations for expor-
tation and the fee to be paid was calculated on this basis. The corpo-
ration of mirror-makers, the Arte degli Specchieri, was opposed to any
reduction in this price. Also, the value of cotton and drugs was too
high in the customs lists for their exportation, presumably since the
Republic did not want these products to be exported before having
undergone several more production steps towards finished products.
Problematically, the values of these three products had been reduced
in the ordinary customs station, the Uscita, in 1662, in the wake of
the first Venetian free-port declaration. The result was a disadvantage
for the Germans against some Italian speaking Grisolotti, who usually
used the Fondaco as privileged merchants for their exports, but for
these specific products used the Uscita .
38
It was the Republic which approached its German guests. In 1667,
most likely in connection to the successful negotiations with Tyrol, the
Republic contacted the German nation in Venice and requested their
proposals for a fundamental reform of the customs system. In the fol-
lowing years, complex negotiations were undertaken by the two sides.
The Venetian goal was a general improvement of the trade volume with
Germany. The Germans in Venice emphasised in their answers the
unfair competition with the Grisolotti, who allegedly abused the privi-
leges of the Fondaco with their option of altering it with the other toll
stations.
We see thus the different goals of the Republic and the Germans.
For the Republic, a possible solution to the problems could have been
an overall reduction in tolls to Germany to the benefit of all traders
involved. For the German nation in Venice, this would have been at
best a half-success. Their goal was the weakening of the Grisolotti as
competitors. Thus, they had to convince the Venetian government that
rescinding the privileges from the Grisolotti would strengthen the trade
of the Republic with Germany. The Republic was thus given a choice
between the two groups. It may have been more inclined towards the
wishes of the Germans in Venice as this also weakened the direct sub-
jects of the Habsburgers and their ally, the Bishop of Trent, who, de-
spite the accord of 1666/7, were also always political-economical com-
petitors of the Serenissima.
In some complex manoeuvres in subsequent years, which cannot
be presented here in full detail, the Germans were able to convince the
Venetian government of their position. The Venetian state decreed in
a law from July 15, 1671, that thenceforth the Fondaco dei Tedeschi

38 Until the next footnote, all the following is based on: M. Ressel, Protestantische
Händlernetze cit., pp. 279-298.

Mediterranea – ricerche storiche – Anno XIX – Dicembre 2022
ISSN 1824-3010 (stampa) ISSN 1828-230X (online)