La nobiltà di Terraferma tra Venezia e le corti europee: I Gambara nella Praga di Rodolfo II (1584–1598)

In recent decades, research on the Venetian mainland state has underlined the tendency of subject elites to establish political relationships with foreign princes. This phenomenon was remarkably prominent in the cities of Brescia and Bergamo. The western periphery of the Venetian state was home to a wealthy and ambitious feudal nobility whose loyalty to the Most Serene Republic was very dubious. From the early decades of the 16th century, the Gambara family of Brescia maintained habitual contacts with the Imperial court and Spanish Lombardy to gain prestige and honour. In 1584 and 1596 two young brothers, Scipione and Lucrezio Gambara, were thus sent to the court of Emperor Rudolf II in Prague, where they served as pages. Although their brief experiences did not lead to noteworthy careers, their stay in Prague represented their family’s interest in preserving its long-standing Imperial allegiances. The rich family correspondence provides a detailed account of the two brothers’ life at the Imperial court, highlighting their family networks and relationship with courtiers and ambassadors. The Gambaras’ pro-Habsburg attitude ultimately had a negative impact on their relationship with Venice, since the Republic could not completely trust them as vassals. Nevertheless, the family’s allegiance to the House of Austria endured at least until the 1630s.