TheVenetian Takeover of English Banking Lesson by Dr . Dou glas Gabr iel How the Venetian System Was Transplanted into England Against Oligarchy, by Webster G. Tarpley, Ph.D.; New Federalist, June 3, 1996. 1 Dou gl as Gabr iel gives a br ief in tr odu ction to th e su m m ar ized ar ticl e bel ow. W e su ggest th at you l isten to h is l ectu r e fir st, th en con tin u e r eadin g for detail s. 2 Th e ol igar ch ical system of Gr eat Br itain is n ot an au toch th on ou s pr odu ct of En gl ish or Br itish h istor y. It r epr esen ts r ath er th e tr adition of th e Babyl on ian s, Rom an s, Byzan tin es, an d Ven etian s wh ich h as been tr an spl an ted in to th e Br itish Isl es th r ou gh a ser ies of u ph eaval s. Th e statu s of Br itain as th e n ation fou tu é of m oder n h istor y is du e in par ticu l ar to th e sixteen th an d seven teen th cen tu r y m etastasis in to En gl an d an d Scotl an d of th e Ven etian ol igar ch y al on g with its ph il osoph y,pol itical for m s, fam il y for tu n es, an d im per ial geopol itics. Th e victor y of th e Ven etian par ty in En gl an d between 1509 an d 1715 bu il t in tu r n u pon a pr e-existin g fou n dation of Byzan tin e an d Ven etian in fl u en ce. Ven etian in fl u en ce in En gl an d was m ediated by ban k in g. Ven etian ol igar ch s wer e a gu idin g for ce am on g th e Lom bar d ban k er s wh o car r ied ou t th e ?gr eat sh ear in g? of En gl an d wh ich l ed to th e ban k r u ptcy of th e En gl ish Kin g H en r y III, wh o, du r in g th e 1250?s, r epu diated h is debts an d wen t ban k r u pt. Th e ban k r u ptcy was fol l owed by a l ar ge-scal e civil war. It was u n der Ven etian au spices th at En gl an d star ted th e catastr oph ic con fl ict again st Fr an ce k n own today as th e H u n dr ed Year s?W ar. In 1340, Kin g Edwar d III of En gl an d sen t an em bassy to Doge Gr aden igo an n ou n cin g h is in ten tion to wage war on Fr an ce, an d pr oposin g an An gl o-Ven etian al l ian ce. Gr aden igo accepted Edwar d III?s offer th at al l Ven etian s on En gl ish soil wou l d r eceive al l th e sam e pr ivil eges an d im m u n ities en joyed by En gl ish m en . Th e Ven etian s accepted th e pr ivil eges an d decl in ed to join in th e figh tin g. H en cefor th , En gl ish ar m ies l ayin g waste to th e Fr en ch town s an d cou n tr yside wou l d do so as Ven etian su r r ogates. Fr an ce was in n o position to in ter fer e in th e fin al ph ase of th e r ival r y between Ven ice an d Gen oa, wh ich was decided in favor of Ven ice. Th e degen er acy of En gl ish society du r in g th ese year s of Ven etian ascen dan cy is ch r on icl ed in th e wr itin gs of Ch au cer ? th e gr eatest En gl ish wr iter of th e age ? wh o was an al l y of th e an ti-Ven etian Dan te- Petr ar ca- Boccaccio gr ou pin g. 3 H en r y VII?s su ppr ession of th e ol igar ch s displ eased Ven ice. Ven ice al so did n ot l ik e H en r y?s pol icy of al l ian ce with Spain , secu r ed by th e m ar r iage of h is h eir to Cath er in e of Ar agon . H en r y VII in fact sou gh t good r el ation s with both Fr an ce an d Spain . Th e Ven etian s wan ted En gl an d to becom e em br oil ed with both Fr an ce an d Spain . Ven ice was al so fu n dam en tal l y h ostil e to th e m oder n n ation -state, wh ich H en r y was pr om otin g in En gl an d. W h en H en r y VII?s son H en r y VIII tu r n ed ou t to be a m u r der ou s pr o-Ven etian psych otic an d satyr ,th e Ven etian s wer e abl e to r e-asser t th eir ol igar ch ical system . H en r y VIII was Kin g of En gl an d between 1509 an d 1547. H is accession to th e th r on e coin cided with th e ou tbr eak of th e W ar of th e Leagu e of Cam br ai, in wh ich m ost Eu r opean states, in cl u din g Fr an ce, th e H ol y Rom an Em pir e (Ger m an y), Spain , an d th e papacy of Pope Ju l iu s II del l a Rover e join ed togeth er in a com bin ation th at bid fair to an n ih il ate Ven ice an d its ol igar ch y. Th e Leagu e of Cam br ai was th e wor l d war th at u sh er ed in th e m oder n er a. 4 in th e m oder n er a. H en r y VIII attr acted th e atten tion of th e Ven etian ol igar ch y wh en h e ? al on e am on g th e m ajor r u l er s of Eu r ope ? m ain tain ed a pr o-Ven etian position du r in g th e cr isis year s of 1509-1510, ju st as Ven ice was on th e br in k of destr u ction . H en r y VIII was for a tim e th e for m al al l y of Ven ice an d Pope Ju l iu s. Th e Ven etian ol igar ch y becam e in tr igu ed with En gl an d. In 1527, wh en H en r y VIII sou gh t to divor ce Cath er in e of Ar agon , th e Ven etian -con tr ol l ed Un iver sity of Padu a en dor sed H en r y?s l egal ar gu m en ts. Gaspar o Con tar in i, th e dom in an t pol itical figu r e of th e Ven etian ol igar ch y, sen t to th e En gl ish cou r t a del egation wh ich in cl u ded h is own u n cl e, Fr an cesco Zor zi. Th e ol igar ch an d in tel l igen ce oper ative Zor zi, con su m m atel y sk il l ed in pl ayin g on H en r y?s l u st an d par an oia, becam e th e fou n der of th e power fu l Fr eem ason ic tr adition in th e Tu dor cou r t. Later , H en r y VIII took th e m om en tou s step of br eak in g with th e Rom an Papacy to becom e th e n ew Con stan tin e an d fou n der of th e An gl ican Ch u r ch . H e did th is u n der th e expl icit advice of Th om as Cr om wel l , a Ven etian agen t wh o h ad becom e h is ch ief adviser. Th om as Cr om wel l was H en r y VIII?s bu sin ess agen t in th e con fiscation of th e for m er Cath ol ic m on aster ies an d oth er ch u r ch pr oper ty,wh ich wer e sol d off to r isin g fam il ies. Th om as Cr om wel l th u s ser ved as Oliver Cr om well th e m idwife to m an y a l in e of ol igar ch s. 5 Un der th e im pact of th e W ar of th e Leagu e of Cam br ai, th e Ven etian ol igar ch y r eal ized th e fu til ity of attem ptin g a pol icy of wor l d dom in ation fr om th e tin y base of a city-state am on g th e l agoon s of th e n or th er n Adr iatic. As was fir st su ggested by th e pr esen t wr iter in 1981, th e Ven etian ol igar ch y (especial l y its ?giovan i? faction ar ou n d Paol o Sar pi) r espon ded by tr an sfer r in g its fam il y for tu n es (fon di), ph il osoph ical ou tl ook , an d pol itical m eth ods in to su ch states as En gl an d, Fr an ce, an d th e Neth er l an ds. Soon th e Ven etian s decided th at En gl an d (an d Scotl an d) was th e m ost su itabl e site for th e New Ven ice, th e W ar of the League of Cam br ai 6 fu tu r e cen ter of a n ew, wor l d-wide Rom an Em pir e based on m ar itim e su pr em acy. Su ccess of th is pol icy r equ ir ed ol igar ch ical dom in ation an d th e degr adation of th e pol itical system by wipin g ou t an y Pl aton ic h u m an ist opposition . Th e over al l Ven etian pol icy was to fom en t war s of r el igion between th e Lu th er an s, Cal vin ists, an d An gl ican s on th e on e h an d, an d th e Jesu it-dom in ated Cath ol ic Cou n ter -r efor m ation of th e Cou n cil of Tr en t on th e oth er. Th e Ven etian s h ad spawn ed both sides of th is con fl ict an d exer cised pr ofou n d in fl u en ce over th em . Th e Ven etian s in sisted on th e m ain ten an ce of a Pr otestan t dyn asty an d a Pr otestan t state ch u r ch in En gl an d, sin ce th is m ade con fl ict with th e Cath ol ic power s m or e l ik el y. Th e Ven etian s dem an ded an an ti-Span ish pol icy on th e par t of Lon don , gen er al l y to en er gize th e im per ial r ival r y with M adr id, an d m ost im m ediatel y to pr even t th e Span ish ar m y station ed in M il an fr om gettin g an oppor tu n ity to con qu er Ven ice. Th e destr u ction of th e En gl ish m in d was foster ed by th e Ven etian s u n der th e ban n er of m u r der ou s r el igiou s fan aticism . Un der H en r y VIII, th e En gl ish popu l ation con tin u ed in th eir tr adition al Rom an Cath ol icism , wh ich h ad been establ ish ed in 644 at th e syn od of W h itby. Th en , in 1534, H en r y?s an d Th om as Cr om wel l ?s Act of Su pr em acy m ade th e Rom an Pope an ath em a. Th ose wh o r efu sed to fol l ow H en r y VIII down th is path , l ik e St. Th om as M or e an d m an y oth er s, wer e execu ted. Th is fir st ph ase of An gl ican ism l asted u n til 1553, wh en th e Cath ol ic Qu een M ar y I (?Bl oody M ar y,? th e dau gh ter of H en r y VIII an d Cath er in e of Ar agon ) took power. M ar y r e-establ ish ed Papal au th or ity an d m ar r ied Kin g Ph il ip of Spain . Bl oody M ar y?s m ain adviser in h er pr oscr iption s was Car din al Regin al d Pol e, wh o h ad l ived in Ven ice for som e year s an d was par t of th e im m ediate cir cl e ar ou n d Gaspar o Con tar in i. H en r y VIII h ad fear ed Pol e, an h eir to th e Pl an tagen ets, as a possibl e pr eten der , an d Pol e h ad don e ever yth in g to excite H en r y?s par an oia. Pol e in cited Bl oody 7 M ar y to car r y ou t a bl oodbath with 300 to 500 pr om in en t victim s. Th ese execu tion s of th e ?M ar ian m ar tyr s? wer e im m or tal ized in Joh n Foxe?s cel ebr ated Book of M ar tyr s (1554), a copy of wh ich was l ater k ept in ever y ch u r ch in En gl an d an d wh ich attain ed th e statu s of a secon d Bibl e am on g Pr otestan ts of al l types. Th e even ts or ch estr ated by Pol e seem ed to m an y En gl ish m en to pr ove th e th esis th at a Cath ol ic r estor ation wou l d th r eaten th eir l ives an d pr oper ty. Bl oody M ar y died in 1558 an d was su cceeded by El izabeth I, th e dau gh ter of H en r y VIII an d An n e Bol eyn . Fr om th e Cath ol ic poin t of view El izabeth was a bastar d, so it was su r e th at sh e wou l d r u l e as a Pr otestan t. El izabeth for cibl y r estor ed h er fath er ?s An gl ican or Episcopal Ch u r ch . Th r ee tim es with in th e span of 25 year s th e En gl ish popu l ation was th u s coer ced in to ch an gin g th eir r el igion u n der th e th r eat of capital pu n ish m en t. Th r ee tim es, th e su pposedl y eter n al ver ities tau gh t by th e vil l age par son wer e tu r n ed u pside down , cl ear l y becau se of dyn astic am bition an d r aison d?état. Th e m or al , psych ol ogical , an d in tel l ectu al destr u ction in vol ved in th is pr ocess was per m an en t an d im m en se. El izabeth ?s an ti-Cath ol ic an d an ti-Span ish pol icies fu l fil l ed th e basic Ven etian im per atives. Th e str u ggl e again st th e Span ish Ar m ada in 1588 al so gave th ese pol icies an u n den iabl e popu l ar ity. El izabeth was for 40 year s u n der th e in fl u en ce of W il l iam Cecil , wh om sh e cr eated Fir st Bar on of 8 Bu r l eigh an d Lor d Tr easu r er. Th e Cecil s wer e n otor iou s assets of Ven ice; th eir an cestr al h om e at H atfiel d h ou se was festoon ed with Lion s of St. M ar k . W h en W il l iam Cecil was too ol d to act as El izabeth ?s con tr ol l er ,h e was su cceeded by h is son Rober t Cecil , th e 1st Ear l of Sal isbu r y. Th e Ven etian -Gen oese Sir H or atio Pal l avicin i was an im por tan t con tr ol l er of En gl ish state fin an ce. El izabeth ?s econ om ic pol icies h ad str on g el em en ts of m er can til ism . Th e n u m er ou s in du str ial m on opol ies sh e pr om oted h ad th e r esu l t of establ ish in g n ew ar eas of pr odu ction in th e cou n tr y. Cecil devel oped th e m er ch an t m ar in e an d th e n avy. Th er e wer e taxes to su ppor t th ose u n abl e to wor k , an d a detail ed r egu l ation of jobs an d wor k in g con dition s. M an y of th ese su ccessfu l m easu r es wer e coh er en t with th e Ven etian desir e to bu il d u p En gl an d as th e n ew wor l d em pir e an d as a cou n ter weigh t to th e im m en se power of Spain . At th e death of El izabeth , Rober t Cecil m aster m in ded th e in stal l ation of th e Stu ar t Kin g of Scotl an d as Kin g Jam es I of En gl an d. Jam es I was an en th u siastic su ppor ter of Paol o Sar pi in Sar pi?s 1606 str u ggl e again st th e Papal In ter dict. Jam es I did th is in par t by th e Pope. Ven etian in fl u en ce at th e Stu ar t cou r t was accor din gl y ver y gr eat. Sar pi even tal k ed of r etir in g to En gl an d. Jam es?s feebl e pr o-Span ish appeasem en t pol icy bitter l y disappoin ted Paol o Sar pi, Cecil ?s boss an d th e l eadin g Ven etian in tel l igen ce ch ief of th e er a. Jam es m ade peace Rober t Cecil, 1st Ear l of Salisbur y 9 with Spain in 1604, en din g 19 year s of war. Cecil th en tr ied to in du ce Jam es in to an an ti-Span ish pol icy with a pl an n ed pr ovocation ? Gu y Fawk es an d th e Gu n powder pl ot of 1605. Sar pi sch em ed to u n l eash th e Th ir ty Year s?W ar (1618-1648) as an apocal yptic con fr on tation between Pr otestan t an d Cath ol ic Eu r ope, an d h e wan ted En gl an d in th e fr ay. Jam es?s adviser ,Sir Fr an cis Bacon of th e Cecil fam il y,u r ged Jam es to en ter th e war again st Spain an d Au str ia, bu t Jam es fir st attem pted to m ediate th e con fl ict an d th en did n oth in g. Ch ar l es I was equ al l y disappoin tin g: H e m ar r ied th e Cath ol ic Pr in cess H en r ietta M ar ia of Fr an ce an d h el ped Fr an ce to defeat th e Fr en ch Cal vin ists or H u gu en ots ? a Ven etian asset ? in th eir str on gh ol d of LaRoch el l e. W ith th eir tir ades abou t th eir own divin e r igh t, th e ear l y Stu ar ts wer e viol atin g a car din al poin t of th e Ven etian pol itical code. Ven ice was an ol igar ch y r u l ed by,at m ost, a few th ou san d m al e n obl es. In pr actice, power bel on ged to sever al dozen patr ician l eader s. Bu t n o sin gl e patr ician was str on g en ou gh to dom in ate al l th e r est as dictator. Th e Gr an d Cou n cil (M aggior Con sil gio) was 10 th e gen er al assem bl y of th e n obil ity,an d el ected th e Sen ate or Pr egadi. Th e Gr an d Cou n cil , u sin g a com pl icated pr ocedu r e, al so el ected th e Doge or Du k e, wh o occu pied th e h igh est post in th e state. Th e Doge was accor din gl y an el ected an d l im ited execu tive wh o ser ved for l ife. Th is office was n ever h er editar y; wh en on e Doge died, a n ew on e was el ected by th e M aggior Con sigl io. Th e Doge was su r r ou n ded by h is cabin et or Col l egio, in cl u din g th e m in ister s (savi) of var iou s depar tm en ts. Un der th is system , th e Doge was n ot th e l eader of a n ation an d th e pr otector of al l th e peopl e, as an absol u te m on ar ch m igh t be; h e was th e ch ief fu n ction ar y of a con sor tiu m of n obl e fam il ies wh o own ed an d r an th e state for th e pr ivate pr ofit of th eir own fon di. For th e Ven etian s, an ol igar ch y r equ ir ed th e weak execu tive power of a Doge, an d th is was th e system th ey wan ted tr an spl an ted in to th eir cl on e, En gl an d. En gl an d was th e cou n tr y wh er e th e tr iu m ph of th e ol igar ch s was even tu al l y m ost com pl ete. Th is is even cl ear er if we bear in m in d th at th e En gl ish gen tr y an d squ ir es cor r espon d to th e l evel of cou n t in th e con tin en tal titl ed ar istocr acy. Th e En gl ish gen tr y wer e deter m in ed th at th ey,an d n ot in ten dan ts fr om th e gover n m en t in W h iteh al l , wou l d r u l e in th e sh ir es. Par l iam en tar y l eader s wan ted to establ ish an ol igar ch y by th e su r r en der of th e Kin g to Par l iam en t so th ey cou l d bu il d u p a n avy an d h asten th e l ootin g of th e Span ish Em pir e in th e Car ibbean . Th ey wan ted a m or e vigor ou s pu r su it of th e sl ave tr ade. Pym an d H am pden asser ted Par l iam en tar y au th or ity by passin g bil l s of im peach m en t an d attain der again st r oyal favor ites l ik e Str affor d an d Ar ch bish op Lau d, th e h ead of th e Ch u r ch of En gl an d, wh o wer e both execu ted. In 1641, Ch ar l es I tr ied to ar r est Pym an d H am pden . Th e pr o-Ven etian City of Lon don , th e por ts, an d th e sou th an d east of En gl an d r ebel l ed again st th is botch ed cou p by th e stu pid Kin g, wh o fl ed n or th . Th e En gl ish Civil W ar ,or Pu r itan Revol u tion , was on . M an y En gl ish wer e appal l ed by th e m iser abl e l evel of l eader sh ip an d wr etch ed pr ogr am s of both th e sides. Th e civil war was ar tificial l y im posed by two r ival Lon don cl iqu es, both u n der Ven etian in fl u en ce. 11 En gl an d wou l d be th e on l y m ajor Eu r opean cou n tr y in wh ich a war of r el igion wou l d be fou gh t between two pr o-Ven etian Pr otestan t faction s ? th e An gl ican r oyal ist caval ier s an d th e Par l iam en tar y Pu r itan Rou n dh eads. Du r in g th e fir st ph ase of th e civil war ,(1642-1646), th er e em er ged two faction s am on g th e Par l iam en tar ian Rou n dh eads. A m or e con ser vative gr ou p favor ed a l im ited, defen sive war again st Ch ar l es I, fol l owed by a n egotiated peace. Th ey h oped to defeat Ch ar l es by u sin g a for eign ar m y,pr efer abl y th e Scottish on e, in or der to avoid ar m in g th e En gl ish l ower or der s. Th e Scots dem an ded for En gl an d a Pr esbyter ian state ch u r ch on th e m odel of th eir own k ir k ? r u n by syn ods of Cal vin ist el der s ? bu t th at was wh at th e m ajor ity of th e Lon g Par l iam en t wan ted an yway. So, th is faction cam e to be cal l ed th e Pr esbyter ian s. Am on g th em wer e th e Cal vin ist town ol igar ch y of Lon don . Th e oth er gr ou p wan ted total war an d even tu al l y th e execu tion of th e Kin g an d th e en d of th e m on ar ch y an d th e H ou se of Lor ds. Th is gr ou p was wil l in g to accept a stan din g ar m y of sectar ian r el igiou s fan atics in or der to pr evail . Th is gr ou p was cal l ed th e In depen den ts or Con gr egation al ists. Th ey wer e favor ed by Ven ice. Ol iver Cr om wel l em er ged as th e l eader of th is secon d gr ou p. Oliver Cr om w ell 12 Ol iver Cr om wel l was a Ven etian agen t. Pr om in en t in Ol iver Cr om wel l ?s fam il y tr ee was th e widel y h ated Ven etian agen t Th om as Cr om wel l (1485-1540), Ear l of Essex an d th e au th or of H en r y VIII?s decision to br eak with Rom e an d fou n d th e Ch u r ch of En gl an d. Ol iver Cr om wel l (1599-1658) was descen ded fr om Th om as Cr om wel l ?s sister. Ol iver Cr om wel l ?s u n cl e h ad m ar r ied th e widow of th e Gen oese-Ven etian fin an cier Sir H or atio Pal l avicin i. Th is widow br ou gh t two ch il dr en by h er m ar r iage to Pal l avicin i an d m ar r ied th em to h er own l ater Cr om wel l ch il dr en . So, th e Cr om wel l fam il y was in tim atel y con n ected to th e wor l d of Ven etian fin an ce. In M ar ch 1655, Cr om wel l decided in favor of a ?th or ou gh ? Bon apar tist m il itar y dictator sh ip. Th e cou n tr y was divided in to 11 ad h oc distr icts, an d a m ajor -gen er al of th e ar m y was pu t in ch ar ge of each distr ict. Th e m ajor -gen er al s con tr ol l ed th e l ocal m il itia, r an th e cou r ts, appoin ted al l official s, an d su ppr essed pu bl ic im m or al ity. Al l of th is was don e ar bitr ar il y, with l ittl e r efer en ce to l aw. Th e r u l e of th e M ajor -Gen er al s pr efigu r ed Eu r opean fascism . Bu t th ey al ien ated m an y ol igar ch s wh o fou n d th is in ter fer en ce far wor se th an th at of Ch ar l es I. Th e secon d Pr otector ate par l iam en t was im pel l ed by desper ation to pass th e H u m bl e Petition an d Advice, wh ich u r ged Cr om wel l to tak e u p th e cr own . Bu t it was a doge?s cr own , a l im ited m on ar ch y of th e H ou se of Cr om wel l su bject to Par l iam en t. Un der pr essu r e fr om th e ar m y gen er al s, Cr om wel l decl in ed th e titl e of Oliver Cr om well k in g bu t accepted al l th e 13 r est. In Febr u ar y 1658, Cr om wel l dissol ved h is l ast Par l iam en t, an d died th e sam e year. Fin al l y,th e ar m y spl it in to pieces; th e com m an der of th e win n in g piece, Gen er al M on ck , join ed th e n ew Par l iam en t in r ecal l in g Ch ar l es II, th e son of th e execu ted Ch ar l es I. Obser vin g th ese even ts, th e pr o-Ven etian wr iter Joh n M il ton ? wh o h ad been Latin secr etar y to Cr om wel l ?s Cou n cil of State ? l am en ted th at th e City of Lon don h ad con cl u ded th at ?n oth in g bu t k in gsh ip can r estor e tr ade.? M il ton ?s Ready and Easy W ay to Establish a Fr ee Com m onwealth, issu ed in M ar ch , 1660, pr oposed a r egim e based on a Gr an d Cou n cil al on g expl icitl y Ven etian l in es, with l ife ten u r e an d co-optation of n ew m em ber s. Th is cou l d be obtain ed, M il ton th ou gh t, by decl ar in g th e Ru m p per petu al an d capabl e of co-optin g n ew m em ber s wh en th e ol d on es died off. M il ton h ad wan ted r el igiou s tol er an ce, bu t h e was wil l in g to sacr ifice th is to obtain an ol igar ch y with ou t a sin gl e-per son execu tive. M il ton effu sivel y pr aised Ven ice, wh ich h ad m ade its ?wh ol e ar istocr acy im m ovabl e? with sim il ar m eth ods. Today som e m em ber s of th e Br itish ol igar ch y ar e cal l in g for th e en d of th e m on ar ch y an d th e cr eation of a r epu bl ic. W e m u st r ecal l th at th e l ast tim e th is was tr ied, th e r esu l t was th e fascist dictator sh ip of Ol iver Cr om wel l an d h is m ajor -gen er al s. A ?r epu bl ic? in Br itain in th e ear l y 21st cen tu r y m igh t tu r n ou t to be a m il itar y dictator sh ip r ath er sim il ar to Cr om wel l ?s. Cr om wel l ?s r u l e m ar k ed th e tr iu m ph of fr ee tr ade, as it was u n der stood at th at tim e. Al l attem pts by gover n m en t to su per vise th e qu al ity of pr odu ction , to fix pr ices, to m ain tain jobs an d em pl oym en t, to in fl u en ce l abor -m an agem en t r el ation s, or to in fl u en ce wage r ates wer e wh ol l y aban don ed. Th e City of Lon don dem an ded fr ee tr ade. Th e An gl o-Ven etian s decided th at th ey wer e fed u p with th e Cath ol ic, 14 pr o-Fr en ch an d wh ol l y u sel ess Stu ar t dyn asty. Repr esen tatives of som e of th e l eadin g ol igar ch ical fam il ies sign ed an in vitation to th e Du tch Kin g, W il l iam of Or an ge, an d h is Qu een M ar y,a dau gh ter of Jam es II. Joh n Ch u r ch il l , th e fu tu r e Du k e of M ar l bor ou gh , was typical of Jam es?for m er su ppor ter s wh o n ow wen t over to su ppor t W il l iam an d M ar y. W il l iam l an ded an d m ar ch ed on Lon don . Th is is cal l ed by th e Br itish th e ?Gl or iou s Revol u tion ? of 1688; in r eal ity,it con sol idated th e power s an d pr er ogatives of th e ol igar ch y,wh ich wer e expr essed in th e Bil l of Righ ts of 1689. No taxes cou l d be l evied, n o ar m y r aised, an d n o l aws su spen ded with ou t th e con sen t of th e ol igar ch y in Par l iam en t. M em ber s of Par l iam en t wer e gu ar an teed im m u n ity for th eir pol itical action s an d fr ee speech . Soon , m in ister s cou l d n ot stay in office for l on g with ou t th e su ppor t of a m ajor ity of Par l iam en t. Par l iam en t was su pr em e over th e m on ar ch an d th e state ch u r ch . At th e sam e tim e, seats in Par l iam en t wer e n ow bou gh t an d sol d in a de facto m ar k et. Th e gr eater th e gr aft to be der ived fr om a seat, th e m or e a seat was wor th . W ith in a few year s after th e Gl or iou s Revol u tion th er e was a Ban k of En gl an d an d a n ation al debt. W h en Geor ge I ascen ded th e th r on e in 1714, h e k n ew h e was a Doge, th e l eader of an ol igar ch y. Th e r egim e th at took sh ape in En gl an d after 1688 was th e m ost per fect copy of th e Ven etian ol igar ch y th at was ever pr odu ced. Th e Ven etian Par ty was br oadl y h egem on ic, an d Br itain was soon th e dom in an t wor l d power. Th e str u ggl es of seven teen th -cen tu r y En gl an d wer e th u s decisive in par l ayin g th e str on g Ven etian in fl u en ce wh ich h ad existed befor e 1603 in to th e l on g-ter m dom in ation by th e Br itish Ven etian Par ty obser vabl e after 1714. Th ese devel opm en ts ar e n ot ph en om en a of En gl ish h istor y per se. Th ey can on l y be u n der stood as aspects of th e in fil tr ation in to En gl an d of th e m etastatic Ven etian ol igar ch y,wh ich in its Br itish Im per ial gu ise h as r em ain ed th e m en ace of m an k in d. 15 Dr. Douglas Gabriel summarizes The Venetian Takeover of English Banking which brings to light the Venetian plan to supplant the Roman Catholic Pope, the European monarchy and any others who tried to slow down their insatiable desire for hegemony. The Venetian Republic became the new model for ruling a kingdom through multiple committees of oligarchs who exercise total control over the civic population, including imprisonment for debt or even assassination of those who got in the way of the bankers making money. The financing of war became the biggest business these warlord bankers conducted. The control of kings, queens, popes and despots fell to the control of central banks that came to rule most European nations as monarchs were transplanted by Italian Republics. Th e An gl o-Ven et i an Al l i an ce W ebster G. Tar pl ey?s descr iption of th e in fl u en ce of Ven ice on Lon don (CityofLon don ) in th e ar ticl e above is on e th at is sel dom fou n d in a h istor y book . Yet, it is qu ite tr u e an d con sisten t with h istor ian s wh o ?fol l ow th e m on ey? to or igin al sou r ces. H istor y is a col l ection of biogr aph ies an d m on ar ch ies, doges, ol igar ch s, an d gr eedy ban k in g fam il ies wh o often fal l pr ey to l ower vices an d becom e despots in th e pr ocess. Th e battl e between th e ?Repu bl ic? an d th e m on ar ch y is descr ibed sh owin g th at th e idea of th e ?divin e r igh t of Kin gs? was m or e an econ om ic con sider ation r ath er th an a r el igiou s on e. A sin gl e m on ar ch decided th e fate, l ife, an d death of th eir su bjects based u pon l oan s m ade by W ar l or d Ban k in g Fam il ies. Th ose in con tr ol of m on ey wer e m or e power fu l th an popes, k in gs, an d qu een s. Th e fin an cin g of pol itical aim s cou l d r estr u ctu r e a n ation , a gover n m en t, a con tin en t. 16 W e wil l see in th e con den sed an d abbr eviated ar ticl e n ext in ou r ban k in g ser ies, by Ger al d Rose, fu r th er su bstan tiation of th e sam e ideas th at Ven ice an d Ital ian cen tr al ban k er s m ol ded th e h istor y an d destin y of th e Br itish th r ou gh deviou s an d im m or al pl ots to con tr ol an d dir ect th e m on ar ch y th r ou gh qu estion abl e ban k in g pr actices. Th e con tin u in g pl an s to tu r n th e Br itish m on ar ch y in to a Ven etian Repu bl ic of ol igar ch s is obviou s to th ose wh o fol l ow th e path of Ital ian ban k in g fam il ies in fil tr atin g Br itish econ om ics. 17