ABSTRACT
In fifteenth-century Venice the family was the gateway to the political life. A small patrician class, with sole access to political power, dominated the city. This patriciate was legally closed; only legitimate descendants of noble families could belong to the nobility. To become a policy maker in Venice, therefore, it was necessary to belong to a race of makers of policy. The individual alone, unaided by family association, could not achieve political position. Conversely, the state, in its search for loyal and talented men, did not look directly to individuals, but to families, which prepared their members for political responsibility. The organization of the members of the family in Caldiera's work is hierarchical, as is the organization of social classes in the republic. The task of defining the parts of the household and the virtues appropriate to each is achieved through the speculative intellect, according to Caldiera.
