HISTORY 2HH3 Lecture 5: Diplomacy Part II
12 Oct 2020
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Armstrong • History 2HH3
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Course: History 2HH3
Instructor: Dr. Megan Armstrong
Lecture: Governance Part II: Venice
Introduction:
• Venetian Empire
o Particular focus on governance
• 2 dimensions:
o 1. Venice as a maritime state in a maritime empire
o 2. Venice as a distinctive kind of gov’t form = republican form
Name meant “most serene republic” in Italian
• Painting by Gentilly Bellini
o An important Venetian artist of the 16th c.
o Important window into distinctive renaissance culture of the city
o Painting of a man from an elite family
Painted in a pensive pose
Wearing luxurious but sober clothes of the elite
Venetian Empire:
• Two components we must recognize:
o 1. An empire in the Adriatic Sea into the Mediterranean
o 2. Had an in-land part of the Empire (by 1405), known as the Veneto
Included cities such as Vincenza, Verona, Padua
• At Renaissance, Venice was known as the wealthiest state in Europe because of trade
• Built on a series of lagoon-bound sandbanks at the head of the Adriatic Sea
o Location was naturally defensible
o Well situated for trade with port cities in eastern and western basins of
Mediterranean
• Initially traded locally produced goods along the coast in the Adriatic
o Artisanal gifts such as glass, sylph, silk, leather, salt, timber
• Venetians recognized importance of Mediterranean to their destiny through an annual
ritual known as the Marriage to the Sea
o The Doge threw a ring into the sea to symbolize the city’s marriage to the sea
• Important symbols: Roman God Neptune, Roman Goddess Minerva, Saint Mark
• Canals were critical arteries out to trade in the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas
• Venice was a commercial rather than military empire
• Had a number of trading colonies in the Adriatic and on the islands of Corfu and Crete
• Most important trading partner in the Mediterranean was Byzantine Empire
o Relationship that dated back several centuries
o 1082 – Venetians helped Byzantine Empire fend off an attack by the Normans
Normans threatened the Adriatic regions of the Empire
o Venice received important commercial exemptions on customs duties and
preferences in Byzantine ports (particularly Constantinople)
o Conquered by Ottomans in 1453
The Eastern Mediterranean:
Armstrong • History 2HH3
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• From the 7th c., we know it has trading relations with the east Mediterranean
• 1082 – strong alliance between Venetians and Byzantine Empire
• During Crusades (11th to 13th c.), Venetian boats played crucial role in carrying pilgrims,
commercial goods, and naval support
o As a result of the Crusades, Venetian power in eastern Mediterranean grew
o Became essentially the main European brokers of eastern goods
o Developed a close alliance with Mamluk Turks
o Established merchant colonies in Levant (Cairo, Alexandria, ports in eastern
Mediterranean)
Venetian Empire (16th c.):
• Ottoman Empire still expanding by the start of 16th c.
o Already taken Byzantine Empire
o Expanding westward
o Eventually reaches as far as Vienna
o Tries at Battle of Lepanto to take Italian states more generally
• Venetian Empire didn’t control lots of land but did control important parts along the
Dalmatian Coast in the Adriatic
• Their networks of mercantile connections went all the way around eastern and western
basins of Mediterranean and into the north (up to Black Sea)
Political Challenges to Empire:
• Ottoman expansion into Mediterranean was an important challenge
o 1453 – Constantinople conquered, most important trading power for Venice
o Continued to push westward and conquering Venetian colonies
o Although they became commercial partners, they were also commercial rivals
• Another important rival was Genoa (until 15th c.)
o Genoese were active traders in the Mediterranean
o Started to move north into Europe towards Black Sea
o Not as engaged in Mediterranean by 16th c.
• Venice expanded on the mainland by 15th c.
o Partly due to conflict with other Italian city-states
o Strong rivalry with papacy and Florence, as well as Milan to an extent
o Concern with expanding power of papacy and Florence
o Decided to create in-land colonies for protection
• Mediterranean orientation of Venetian state by 1400 is most defining characteristic
o Important for understanding the distinctive nature of Venetian culture
Heavily influenced by Byzantine contact and exchange of knowledge
o Also made extremely wealthy
Wealth used to patronize local artists and scholars
Recruit artists and scholars from elsewhere in Italy
o Wealth important for expanding economic and political reach into Mediterranean
• Inclusion of Venice in extensive trading networks with Byzantine and Islamic states
o Venetian humanists and patricians access to scholarly networks in Constantinople
• One of the most important commodities for Venetians were the texts of Greek, Roman,
and Islamic learning which they obtained through Byzantine contacts
