Marino Sanudo

Marino Sanuto the Younger (born Marin Sanudo de Candia; May 22, 1466 – 1536) was a Venetian historian and diarist. His most significant work is his Diarii, which he had intended to write up into a history of Venice.

Early life

He was born into a patrician family of Venice, of important wealth, the son of the senator Leonardo Sanuto, descendant of the Counts of Candiana originating from Pietro I Candiano. Left an orphan at the age of eight, he lost his fortune owing to the bad management of his elder brother, who eventually left the family for Syria. Thus, Sanuto was for many years hampered by want of means. He spent the rest of his childhood under the protection of his uncle, Francesco Sanuto, who may have also supported him financially.

Sanuto began writing early. Aged fifteen, he wrote the Memorabilia Deorum Dearumque, on the antique gods and goddesses. In 1483 he accompanied his cousin Mario, who was one of the three sindici inquisitori deputed to hear appeals from the decisions of the rettori, on a tour through Istria and the mainland provinces, and he wrote a minute account of his experiences in his diary. Wherever he went he sought out learned men, examined libraries, and copied inscriptions. The result of this journey was the publication of his Itinerario per la terraferma veneziana and a collection of Latin inscriptions.

Adulthood

Sanuto was elected a member of the Maggior Consiglio when only twenty years old (the legal age was twenty-five) and he became a senator in 1498; he noted down everything that was said and done in those assemblies and obtained permission to examine the secret archives of the state.