but the French were not clearly prepared to fight over the matter, as the Spanish were. As this became apparent, Henry's diplomacy was able to resolve the immediately contentious matters. His objective all along was to play the peacemaker and gain influence in Italy, this approach being at odds in the end with Canaye's pro-Venetian posture. Canaye moved to press the Venetians to accept mediation by Cardinal François de Joyeuse. The interdict was lifted and formal reconciliation occurred in April 1607, with de Joyeuse as cardinal legate taking custody of the two priests at the centre of the dispute in his accommodation in the upper loggia at the Fondaco dei Turchi on the 21st. However the interdict had prompted a ban from the territories of the Venetian Republic of the Jesuits, and this continued until 1656/7, when it ended as part of the reconciliation of another period of disputes between the Republic and the Papacy. Evaluations Bouwsma states that, while the outcome was satisfactory to Venice, this event also marks the beginning of the decline of the Republic. John A. Marino writes that the polemical exchanges on theories of statehood, by their intellectual depth, were influential for future discussions well into the 17th century. This was the last example of a papal interdict applied to an extended region, though interdicts have been used subsequently on a local scale. References William J. Bouwsma (1968), Venice and the Defense of Republican Liberty. University of California Press. Filippo De Vivo "'Information and Communication in Venice: Rethinking Early Modern Politics.'" Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007 Notes External links The Venetian Interdict and the Problem of Order John C. Rao, 2004 article on the Interdict in the Seattle Catholic History of the papacy History of Venice 1606 in international relations 1606 in Italy 17th-century Catholicism 1600s in the Republic of Venice