The history of Venice. Venice - the history of the emergence of a city on the water Description of medieval Venice, the form of a resident’s story

The history of the city of Venice goes back more than one and a half thousand years. It all started with a small village founded by residents of the region on deserted swampy islands who were fleeing the invasion of the Goths. According to the data archaeological excavations, this event occurred in 421 AD. Gradually the village grew and soon turned into a real city.

From the 9th to the 16th centuries, Venice was a major trading port where ships stopped on their way from the East to Western Europe and back. Year after year, new settlers arrived here and developed neighboring islands. In the Middle Ages, the city became a republic with its own ruler, the Doge. The state flourished both financially and culturally: new buildings, palaces, libraries, chapels and, of course, bridges were built. Today there are more than 400 of the latter in Venice, and the most famous of them are the Bridge of Sighs, the Straw Bridge and the Rialto Bridge.

The Napoleonic Wars brought an end to the independence and prosperity of the republic, resulting in it coming under Italian rule. Today, Venice has regained its former grandeur and is a popular center of international tourism and a venue for art and architectural exhibitions. Although, to enjoy the wonders of architecture, you don’t have to wait for any cultural event - there are plenty of monuments under open air, and the buildings themselves, built in the Middle Ages, can amaze with their beauty and grandeur.

Advice: In Venice there are no trams, buses and, especially, metro. Main public transport there are all kinds of boats. If you are in the city for the first time, be sure to take a trip along the canals on the famous Venetian boat - a gondola. It is controlled by a gondolier with one oar, which makes it possible to sail through even the narrowest canal. The art of management, as well as the gondola itself, are considered the pride of the family and are passed on by inheritance.

Venice – the city of romance and love

Many call Venice the most romantic city on Earth, and this is true. The emotional atmosphere here is amazing, enchanting, bewitching... Peace and quiet reign on the streets, disturbed only by the cries of lonely seagulls, the rustling of waves, the ringing of the bells of San Marco Cathedral and the melodic singing of gondoliers.

Locals start their morning with a cup of aromatic espresso. Its smell hangs in the air almost around the clock, since every meal in any restaurant or cafe traditionally ends with a portion of an invigorating drink. You can join in the contemplation of the sunrise over numerous canals and bridges in any corner of the city. There are never any problems finding a suitable coffee shop here. However, there is one special cafe in Venice, which is considered its symbol and is world famous - this is the Florian cafe. It began operating in 1720 and over its almost three-century history has hosted such famous people, like Carlo Goldini, Lord Byron, Joseph Brodsky, Hemingway.

Any visitor will find entertainment in the city, be it an avid shopaholic, a religious pilgrim or an art lover. To see famous masterpieces from various cultural eras, just go on a tour of the famous museums - Naval, Archaeological, Peggy Guggenheim Museum, etc. You can get to know the unique architectural style of Venice in Piazza San Marco - this is an amazing complex of buildings, including the Clock Tower, the Doge's Palace and Cathedral San Marco. At the edge of the square there are two columns symbolizing the gates to Venice. On top of one there is a statue of St. Theodora, and on the other - a winged lion. It is considered the heraldic symbol of the city and is depicted on many booklets, postcards, and envelopes.

The largest number of tourists come to the city at the end of winter, when the traditional Venice Carnival takes place here. Its history began in the 18th century, and the event itself was timed to coincide with the winter solstice. Elegant costumes and masks were considered an integral attribute of the holiday, the purpose of which was to hide obvious social differences between the participants.

The best place for shopping in Venice is rightfully considered to be St. Mark's Square. There are exclusive shops where you can buy high-quality Italian shoes and bags, as well as clothes from famous world brands. However, the best souvenirs from Venice are considered to be products made from Murano glass - various vases, dishes, mirrors and decorations made by hand by craftsmen.

Venice is a city in northern Italy, geographically occupying a group of islands. The climate in Venice is temperate, similar to the climate of Crimea, summers are hot and winters are mild.

The history of Venice is full of ups and downs. Today we will learn how the city on the water came into being.

The name of the city comes from the Veneti tribe who inhabited the territory north coast Adriatic Sea during . This territory was captured by the Romans and named Aquileia. Aquileia later became the administrative center of the province of Venetia. In 402 the province was ravaged by the Visigoths. According to legend, Venice was founded by the inhabitants of the province who fled from the Goths on March 25, 421. Settlement began with the Rialto Islands and continued during the decline of the Roman Empire. The main source of income for the inhabitants of the islands was fishing, salt mining and coastal navigation.

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While the tribes of the Huns, Lombards and Ostrogoths ravaged the cities of the Western Roman Empire, Venice, thanks to its isolated position and the fact that the inhabitants learned to build houses on stilts and live on the water, avoided the fate of mainland cities. The invasion of militant barbarians led to the resettlement of wealthy mainlanders to the islands.

The result of this was the rapid growth of trade and transportation of goods, as the fleeing nobles invested in these industries.

In the 6th century, Venice had the most powerful fleet on the Adriatic, which supported Emperor Justinian in the Eastern Roman Empire's war with the Ostrogoths. In gratitude, Byzantium granted Venice its protection and trading privileges. The Venetians elected their first Doge in 697. For more than 1000 years, 117 people were in power in Venice.

Dear reader, to find an answer to any question about holidays in Italy, use. I answer all questions in the comments under the relevant articles at least once a day. Your guide in Italy Artur Yakutsevich.

Due to its unique location, Venice was a trade and transport hub through which silk, rice, coffee and spices, which at that time were worth more than gold, reached Europe.

Middle Ages and trade

The competent policy of Doge Pietro Orseolo II, Morganist marriages, and the help Byzantium provided by Venice against the Saracens further increased the privileges of Venetian merchants. The “golden bull” given by Byzantium halved the duty on Venetian ships arriving in Constantinople. During the Crusades, Venice increased its wealth through loans to the crusaders and chartering ships.

With varying success, for almost two centuries, Venice waged wars with Genoa, which were based on trade rivalry. In the 12th century, the first banks opened in Venice. Venetian sailors were the first to insure their cargo. In the XII-XIII centuries, the shipyards of Venice began to build big ships

displacement up to 200 tons.

To increase its economic power, the Republic of Venice annexed mainland territories called terraferma. In 1494, the Venetian Luca Pacioli systematically described double-entry bookkeeping, which is successfully used in the modern world.

Decline Since the 15th century, when great geographical discoveries were made, Venice lost its position to Portugal, Spain, Holland and England. By the 18th century, Venice had lost its former power, most of the mainland possessions passed to Austria. But the city itself shone with splendor.

During this period, gambling and prostitution became widespread in Venice.

On May 1, 1797, Napoleon declared war on Venice. The Great Council decided to fulfill all the demands; on May 12, Doge Ludovico Manin abdicated the throne.

For the first time in more than a thousand years, Venice lost its independence. The city's economy was undermined by the French continental blockade. But time passed, in 1869 it was opened Suez Canal

, a new port was built in Venice, and the city became a popular place to start a journey to the East. The tourism business is developing, annual international art exhibitions are held in Venice, and the Golden Lion international film festival has been held since 1932. History of Venice begins in the first millennium BC, when lagoons of the Adriatic Sea appeared on the islands Veneti tribes

At the beginning of the 5th century AD, due to constant attacks by Germanic tribes, many inhabitants of the Roman Empire began to move from mainland Italy to the lagoons of the Adriatic Sea. So in these lagoons a city was formed, which received the name.

In the mid-6th century, Venice formally became part of Byzantine Empire, although in fact the city retained its independence. In 568, a new tribe invaded the North - the Lombards. This invasion gave rise to a new wave of immigrants to Venice.

The power of the Doges in Venice

Beginning in 697, the sole power of a doge elected for life was established in Venice.

In 828, the Venetians managed to kidnap in Alexandria relics of St. Mark, who, from that moment on, began to be considered the patron saint of the city. During these years, Venice became the main trade intermediary between the countries of Western Europe and Byzantium. The city grew rich, and he had to constantly fight off pirates, Vikings and other adventurers of all kinds. To do this, the city had to build a strong navy. In the 10th century, Venice achieved formal independence from Byzantium and became the main maritime power in the Adriatic Sea.

Venice's participation in the Crusades

Venice actively supported Crusades. For this, the city received ownership of shopping streets in the cities of the Middle East, which led to the rapid development of trade and a significant strengthening of the Venetian merchants.

In 1172, the Great Council was created in the city - Legislature republics. The rapid development of commodity-money relations led to the resettlement of a large part of rural population from the environs of Venice, which later became the bulk of the city's artisans.

In 1177, an important political event in European history took place in the city. Thanks to skillful diplomacy, Venice became the site of reconciliation between Pope Alexander III and the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.

At the beginning of the 13th century the Venetian dojo Enrico Dandolo managed to persuade the crusaders to make Constantinople the target of the Fourth Crusade, in which Venice had recently lost its trading privileges. Dandolo personally took part in the campaign. He died in Constantinople and was given the honor of being buried in the Church of Hagia Sophia.

For his assistance provided to the crusaders at capture of Constantinople(Venice provided the crusaders with a fleet), the city received ownership of a quarter in Constantinople, Dalmatia, the Peloponnese in Greece, and the Ionian Islands.

Beginning in the 13th century, Venice fought wars with its rival and fellow Italian trading republic, Genoa. Venice was victorious and, according to the Turin Trade Treaty of 1381, Venetian dominance in the eastern part Mediterranean Sea was officially recognized by Genoa. Another dangerous rival of Venice in the Adriatic Sea was the city of Dubrovnik, with which Venice did not stop fighting throughout the Middle Ages.

Venice maintained lively relations with the countries of the Middle East, bringing spices, cotton, silks and ivory from there. Oriental goods Venetian merchants They were taken to Bruges, from where they dispersed throughout Europe. The main trade turnover between East and West passed through Venice.

Venice on the map

The formation of a city on the water and its history

Brief chronology

According to legend, Venice arose in 421, but many contemporaries question this date and believe that it is hardly possible to accurately indicate the time of the formation of the city. The Veneti tribe lived on the islands on which the city is now located 1000 years before the new era.

The first historical information about a settlement on the site of present-day Venice dates back to 452. Its emergence is associated with the invasion of Northern Italy by hordes of Huns led by Attila, when the inhabitants of the mainland were forced to seek salvation on the Adriatic islands.

VI–X centuries - the beginning of the reign of the Doges. Through skillful diplomatic maneuvers, they managed to maintain relative independence, without falling under the rule of either Byzantium or the empire of Charlemagne. In 809, Rialtina, an archipelago of 118 islands on both sides of the Grand Canal, became the center of settlement in the Laguna. And in the 10th century the name Venice was first mentioned.

In 1000, Doge Pietro Orcelo II consolidated Venice's dominion over the Adriatic. This significant event is celebrated annually with the celebration of Festa della Sense (“wedding with the sea”).

In 1172, the Venetian aristocracy and wealthy merchant families created the Great Council in an effort to limit the power of the Doge. By the end of the 13th century, the Venetian nobility took a decisive and irreversible step towards establishing its collective power to the detriment of the doge's autocracy.

In 1298, the so-called closure of the Great Council took place, that is, from now on only those Venetians whose paternal ancestors had already sat on this council could be its members and take part in the elections of the Doge. At different times, the council included from 35 to 2000 members.

In 1203–1204, the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders, supported by Venice, helps lay the foundations of a powerful Venetian trading empire. After the division of Byzantium, Venice gets most of the islands in the Aegean Sea, as well as the islands of Corfu and Crete.

In 1297, the Venetian Republic arose, which at its core was the power of an aristocratic oligarchy. An active struggle at this time took place between Venice and Genoa for trade routes in the Mediterranean Sea.

1423–1457 - the reign of Doge Francesco Foscari, during which the greatest territorial expansion of the Venetian state took place. His possessions extended from the Alps to the Po River and to Bergamo in the west. Even Cyprus came under the rule of Venice.

The Venetian fleet consisted of 3,000 ships, and trade with other countries was carried out by 300 large ships. At that time, Venice was called “the mistress of all the gold of Christendom.”

In 1453–1476, as a result of the capture of Constantinople by the Turks, part of the Venetian possessions passed to them. Fearing Turkish expansion, the Venetians themselves attacked the Turks, but were defeated and lost part of their territories.

In 1499, Venice began to decline as a major European trading power. Age of the Greats geographical discoveries was marked by the strengthening of the positions of other European states, which are gradually beginning to displace Venice from its traditional trade routes.

In 1500, Vasco da Gama opens the route to India. The trade monopoly of the Venetians is threatened by merchants from the East.

In 1508, the Pope, German, Spanish and French monarchs unite to undermine the Venetian Empire.

In the 70s of the 16th century, Venice again entered into war with the Turks and lost Cyprus.

In the 17th century, the power of the Venetian Republic suffered significant blows. The Habsburgs began intensive development of the trading harbor in Trieste. In the war with Austria, Venice supported the French, but at this very time a terrible plague epidemic began, as a result of which about 50,000 city residents died in a year and a half.

In 1796, the invasion of the troops of Napoleon Bonaparte into the borders of the Venetian Republic marked its decline.

In 1797, the Great Council announced the abolition of the Venetian Republic. Soldiers of the Napoleonic army rule the city, many valuables are transported to France. However, in the fall of the same year, France cedes the city and the entire province to Austria. Venice forever loses its independence, and its Arsenal, once the world's largest shipbuilding center, falls into disrepair and is used only for ship repairs.

After Austria's defeat at Austerlitz on December 2, 1815, the French recaptured Venice, and Eugene de Beauharnais, Viceroy of Italy, Napoleon's stepson, became the city's ruler.

Since 1846, Venice has ceased to be an island. The construction of the Milan-Venice railway was completed, and the “Queen of the Adriatic” was connected to the mainland by a four-kilometer bridge.

In 1848, along with the rest of Italy, the Venetians rebelled against the Austrians.

In 1866, Venice voluntarily joined the Kingdom of Italy, led by Vittorio Emmanuel II.

In 1926, Mestre, a suburb of Venice, received independent status.

During the Second World War, Venice and Mestre became the largest military-industrial centers for Mussolini, but this did not entail bombing by allied aircraft.

In 1966, an event in the history of Venice was a catastrophic flood, when the water level rose by 2 m. This natural disaster attracted the attention and concern of the whole world. After him, the Italian government and UNESCO allocated considerable funds for repair work and protective measures to prevent flooding in the city.

Historical Retrospection

The historic center of Venice is located among the Venetian Lagoon of the Adriatic Sea, at 118 low sandy islands, connected by countless bridges and bridges and closely built up with ancient houses. This unusual location of the city is explained by its origin.

Before its founding, the area of ​​the future Venice included several Roman cities: Aquileia, founded in 181 BC. e., Opitergius (modern Oderzo), Tarvisius (modern Treviso), Altinus (modern Altino), Patavius ​​(modern Padua), etc.

In 452, when the fading Western Roman Empire had already lost its military power, Aquileia and other areas of the Venetian region were captured and plundered by the Huns, led by the formidable Attila.

Part of the local population fled in horror to the lagoon islands around Rialto (meaning “high shore”) to escape the conquerors. Here since time immemorial there have been modest huts of fishermen, salt miners and waterfowl hunters.

During the early Middle Ages, the island population was replenished with refugees from Parma, Mantua, Ferrara, Florence, Bologna, Ravenna, Pisa and many other cities not only in Italy, but also in the Eastern Adriatic.

In 568, when Italy was subjected to the devastating invasion of the Lombards, Patriarch Paulinus with all the shrines and church treasures fled from Aquileia and settled with his patriarchy on the small island of Grando, then they moved to the islands and bishoprics of other cities.

In order to build the city, the builders had to divert the flow of several rivers - the Piave, the Sila, the Brenta.

The boundless sea, the vast sky and small flat islands - this is the minimum of natural bounties that fate has bestowed on Venice. And since there was a very large population, and little land, every tree became a luxury item, which was allowed to grow where something could be built.

There is a legend about the solemn founding of the city. On March 25, 413, at noon, the settlers founded the first building on the banks of the Rialto with the goal of establishing an impregnable stronghold in this place. Antonio Sabellico, celebrating this event, makes the priest who consecrated the city exclaim, turning to heaven: “When we have dared to do great things, send us a blessing. We have now knelt before the poor altar, but if our prayers were not in vain, then in this place a hundred temples of marble and gold will be erected to You, O God.”

Many more centuries will pass before people strengthen the unsteady soil of the islands with an innumerable number of piles from the Dalmatian forest and build numerous houses and palaces, churches from stone taken from the Adriatic coast in order to create a fabulous a beautiful city glorified with his name the ancient Veneti tribe.

The most luminous, the pearl of the Adriatic, Southern Palmyra - they called Venice as many names as they could to express admiration for the creative genius of the Italian people.

The ancient history of the city on the islands is shrouded in mystery, for for a long time people lived there quietly, poorly and inconspicuously. They were surrounded by water and sky, and there was so little land that their whole life was connected with the sea.

It fed them with fish and other gifts, and also opened the way for them to other countries; they learned to sail the sea, build ships (at that time forests grew on their flat islands, of which nothing remains now) and engaged in intermediary trade between Europe and the East.

The early history of the city on the lagoon has not reached our time, except in historical monuments traces of it can be found in ancient churches.

It is known that in the 12th century in Italy the center of the Byzantine possessions (exarchate) was Ravenna ( ancient city, founded by the Etruscans, when the Western Roman Empire came to its decline). The islands of the lagoon were subordinate to the exarchate.

At the end of the 12th century, the Byzantines united them into a duchy. The residence of the Duke (in Venetian he is called Doge) became the island of Heraclea (it is also called Cittanova - “new city”).

At first, doges were appointed by the authorities from Ravenna, then the islanders themselves began to choose them. Here, on the island of Heraclea, there were political and military centers. Religious - on Grando, shopping - on Torcello. Subsequently, for the sake of security, the political center was moved to Malamocco, a more protected island in the lagoon.

At the beginning of the 9th century, the government residence was moved to the group of islands of Rivoalto, or Rialto, where the city began to develop, which later received the name Venice. The first Doge to settle on the Rialto was Agnellus Parteciac (811–827). At the same time, the Bishopric of Olivolo was formed here.

From now on it begins thousand-year history The Republic of Venice under the auspices of St. Mark, who at that time was proclaimed its heavenly patron.

Venice's path to future wealth and power was not easy. But already in the middle of the 9th century, the Venetians were able to prove that they were able to turn their city into a flourishing land, benefiting from literally nothing.

Thus, in 869, the Doge of Venice, Justinian Partecipazio, left among his other property 1,200 pounds of silver - a considerable amount at that time. Venice, with its sixty islands and islets, was a special world, a refuge, but inconvenient: no fresh water, no food resources, and salt, too much salt! They said about the Venetian back then: “He doesn’t plow, doesn’t sow, doesn’t harvest grapes.”

Even several centuries later, Doge Giovanni Soranzo described his town as follows: “Built in the sea, completely devoid of vineyards and cultivated fields.”

From the very beginning, Venice was forced to demand everything in exchange for the sake of survival: wheat or millet, rye or cattle, cheeses or vegetables, wine or butter, timber or stone, and even drinking water.

Venice developed its activity in industry, trade, and services, that is, where the profitability of labor was higher than in rural activities. This meant that she had to leave less profitable occupations to others, but from the first steps all cities without real territory, including Venice, were condemned to live in this way. They had no other choice. The luck of Venice, perhaps, lay in the fact that it did not need, like Genoa and Pisa, to resort to violence and piracy in order to gain a place in the sun.

For several centuries, Venice was closely linked with Byzantium in political and economic relations.

Venice, as ties between East and West developed, successfully took advantage of its unique economic and geographical position and gradually turned into a powerful maritime republic.

In the 9th–10th centuries, Venice was part of Byzantium and managed to benefit from this, remaining practically independent. In the 10th century it gained complete independence.

Under the rule of the Greek Empire, Venice penetrated the huge and poorly defended Byzantine market, provided numerous services to the empire and even helped its defense. In exchange, she received great privileges, for example, from 1082 she was exempt from any payments.

The geographical location and historical conditions of the development of Venice influenced the formation of the unique appearance of the city. Venice is built up very densely, its streets are narrow, its squares are small, its numerous canals do not have embankments, and the facades of the houses seem to have grown out of the water. For a long time yet main square St. Mark's was cramped by vineyards, buildings, and cut in two by a canal. The streets were unpaved, the bridges were wooden, as were the houses.

The entrances to the buildings are located right next to the water, and you can enter via the steps and land directly on the gondola. There is no greenery in the city center; there are gardens only on the outskirts, on the neighboring islands.

In the 10th century, Venice became a major city conducting intermediary trade, and for the first time took measures to regulate the slave trade, one of the most important sources of income. The city had its own nobility - mainly wealthy owners of merchant ships, saltworks and various workshops. The sea ensured the economic homogeneity of the Venetian patriciate, and this, in turn, ensured the internal political stability of the city.

Unlike other states of Italy, in Venice there were never serious disputes between the propertied, which would have a detrimental effect on the position of the city. Venice also found itself free from the civil strife that tormented the rest of Italy. The workshops organized here did not acquire political significance, as in Florence, but remained purely production associations. 142 Venetian workshops were under the strict control of the nobility.

The Venetians also engaged in agriculture within the limited limits provided by stingy fortune. For example, it is known that the island of Cuja at the turn of the 9th–10th centuries was obliged to supply 60 chickens and two ships loaded with hay to the Doge’s court.

In the 11th–12th centuries, Venice received huge profits from the campaign of the Crusaders, to whom it provided a fleet.

The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) occupies a special place in the history of Venice. It was started at the call of Pope Innocent III. Initially, its participants intended to sail to the East to liberate the Holy Sepulcher from the power of Muslims, and then move to Egypt, take possession of it, and only then go to Jerusalem. However, the campaign ended with the capture of Constantinople and the defeat of the Byzantine Empire.

The decisive role in changing the direction of the campaign was played by Venice, to which, not having its own fleet, the crusaders turned. The merchant elite, who stood at the head of the Venetian Republic, decided to take advantage of this to strengthen their own positions in Byzantium.

The Venetian Doge Enrico Dandolo, by that time a ninety-year-old man, who had almost lost his sight due to an old wound to the head, but in politics saw everything through and through no worse than a sighted person, demanded a huge sum for services at that time - 85 thousand marks in silver for transporting 4500 knights to Egypt with horses, 9,000 shield-bearers and 20,000 infantry.

The crusaders unexpectedly quickly agreed to these conditions. Then the insightful doge brought everyone to one island, took the ships aside and demanded payment in advance. But it soon became clear that the crusaders were not able to contribute the entire amount. The crusade army did not have the required amount of money (34,000 was missing).

Then Dandolo, wanting to prevent a campaign against Egypt, with which the Venetians carried out regular trade, offered the crusaders, as compensation for unpaid money, to help Venice conquer the Dalmatian city of Zadar - a large trading center on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, which competed with Venetian merchants.

In 1202, Zadar was captured by hordes of crusaders, inspired by the far-sighted Doge, who, despite his age, was distinguished by great physical strength and himself led the fleet. For the capture of Zadar, Pope Innocent III, the inspirer of the Crusade, excommunicated the Venetians and the Crusaders, who shamefully forgot their high goals. But the anger of the “vicar of God on earth” did not have the desired effect on Enrique Dandolo, a sane and courageous man.

And the latter, having entered into an agreement with the leader of the crusaders - the Italian Marquis Boniface of Montferrat - sent troops and a fleet to Constantinople. The pretext for the attack on the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire was the appeal to the pope and the German king of Tsarevich Alexei Angel, the son of the Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angel, overthrown from the throne by his brother, blinded and imprisoned back in 1195.

Boniface of Montferrat was secretly supported by the French king Philip II Augustus and some magnates of France and the German Empire, who hoped to benefit from the war in Byzantium. Pope Innocent III, having received a promise from Tsarevich Alexei that if the enterprise was successful, the Greek Church would be subordinated to the “apostolic throne,” in fact assisted the leaders of the crusaders in the implementation of their plans, although he officially forbade them to cause damage to Christian lands.

But the crusaders did not heed the requests of Tsarevich Alexei, especially since the most influential forces in Europe at that time were pushing them to capture Byzantium. The Venetian Doge Enrique Dandolo also planned to receive considerable benefits from the campaign to the East.

Having besieged Constantinople in the summer of 1203, the crusaders achieved the restoration of Emperor Isaac II to the throne. But when he was unable to pay them the full amount promised for help, the crusaders took the city by storm in April 1204 and subjected it to a brutal defeat. Entire neighborhoods were set on fire, and the Church of Hagia Sophia was mercilessly plundered.

After the fall of Constantinople, half of the Byzantine Empire was captured. The Venetians received their benefits after Eastern Rome suffered significant damage. The Venetians founded colonies in a number of places that had once belonged to the weakened empire, stretching from the Ionian to the Black Seas.

These territories were called Latin Romagna (since in Western Europe Byzantium was often called Romania). Latin Romagnia included the Latin Empire with its capital in Constantinople and the Frankish state in the Balkans, as well as the possessions of the Venetian Republic, which it received from the crusaders who owed it.

Clever and greedy Venice captured an entire quarter in Constantinople, a significant part of the former Byzantine possessions on the coast of Southern and Eastern Greece with Crete and several islands in addition. The Doge of Venice began to be called “the ruler of a quarter and half a quarter of the Roman (that is, Byzantine) Empire.” Enrique Dandolo died in 1205 and was buried in the Church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.

Came under Venetian rule large areas Adriatic and Mediterranean, trade routes with Persia and India, Syria and Egypt; connections were established with Novgorod. Venice was even compared to this city in Rus' in terms of the number of trade operations and the dominance of the merchant people.

Venice truly became a trading empire. In the 13th century, one priest spoke of the energetic islanders as follows: “The Venetians are greedy, stubborn and superstitious people; they would like to take over the whole world if they could."

Many trade centers in those years became centers of crafts and arts. Examples of this are Bukhara, Samarkand and both Novgorods. But it is unlikely that anywhere it was possible to create such a concentration of arts as in Venice, when every house is a spectacle, every street is a sketch, every canal is a mood.

In 1155, Frederick I, the German emperor, called Barbarossa (Redbeard) by the Italians, undertook the first campaign in Italy to receive the imperial crown in Rome and subjugate the free Italian communes to the feudal power of the emperor. From this moment began a twenty-year period of struggle of Italian cities - communes - for their independence from the feudal enslaver. In the lands of Verona and Venice, German feudal lords disrupted the movement of goods to markets, which dealt a heavy blow to the trade and industry of these cities.

Venice suffered especially great losses not only along the line of communication with the East, but with the whole of Northern Italy, since mountain crossings and trade routes were in the hands of the German feudal authorities. The freedom-loving Republic of St. Mark, which lived by trade, could not put up with this. And Venice organized a military league, which included Verona, Padua, and Vincenza. Thanks to joint efforts, it was possible to defeat Barbarossa's army.

In the 13th century, the long-standing rivalry between Venice and Genoa, as well as the large Slavic city-republic of Dubrovnik, intensified. Displacing Genoa from the Northern Black Sea region, Venice conducted brisk trade with the ports of the Crimean coast, and through Tana (now Azov) with the entire south of Russia.

In 1278, Genoa defeated the Venetian fleet off the island of Korcula. In August 1379, she took possession of Chiuge, a small fishing harbor that commanded one of the outlets from the Venetian lagoon to the Adriatic. It seemed that the proud city of St. Mark was dying, but with incredible effort he turned the situation around.

In June 1380, Vettor Pisani retook Chiugia and defeated the Genoese fleet. Thus, in the 14th century, Venice crushed its longtime rival in eastern trade - Genoa - and became the strongest maritime and colonial power with the largest fleet in Europe, huge wealth accumulated over centuries, a unique state organization, which was based on the concentration of power in the hands of trade -merchant oligarchy.

At this time, the famous French politician Philippe de Commines called Venice “the most victorious city” he had ever seen.

One of Venice's advantages in its confrontation with Genoa was that it acted more prudently, took fewer risks, and geographical position it was quite obviously in her favour. Leaving the lagoon, you can get to the Adriatic, and for the Venetian this meant still staying at home. For a Genoese, leaving his city meant going out into the Tyrrhenian Sea, which belonged to everyone. And while the East was considered the main source of wealth, the advantage was with Venice with its convenient sea routes.

At the end of the 14th century, the primacy of Venice was no longer in doubt. In 1383, she occupied the island of Corfu, the key to the shipping routes to and from the Adriatic. Without difficulty, although at great expense, she took possession of the cities of her mainland lands (the so-called terrafermas): Padua, Verona, Brescia, Bergamo.

Venice was able, much earlier than other cities, to create an empire, modest in size, but of amazing strategic importance due to its location along the routes to the Levant.

In 1388, Venice entered into an alliance with Milan against Padua, and after its fall the following year, with the consent of Milan, it gained power over the northern Italian city of Treviso. Having achieved its goal, Venice showed concern about the strengthening of Milan, radically changed its policy and began to help the former ruler of Padua return it. As a result of the new war, not only Padua, but also Ferrara found themselves in the sphere of Venetian influence.

The picturesque crowds of merchants, diplomats, and travelers who flooded the Piazza San Marco and the embankments of Venice, the beauty and luxury of its canals and palaces, so vividly depicted in the paintings of the Venetian and Italian artists Canaletto and Guardi, reflected the heyday and power of the Venetian Republic, located in that place where the paths of West and East crossed then.

Close ties with Byzantium also left their mark on the appearance of the city. Churches and palaces were built according to the Byzantine model, Byzantine craftsmen introduced the Venetians to the art of mosaics and artistic processing of precious metals and precious stones. “I was in Torcello, and my heart stirred joyfully - dear, as it is, Byzantium,” wrote Vrubel.

The splendor and pomp of the Constantinople court attracted the Venetian nobility. The patricians send their sons to study in Byzantium.

The Venetians were also in contact with the Arab world. The influence of Arab-Moorish art was manifested in the use of polychrome marble and openwork stone ornaments in window decoration.

Participation in the Crusades brought Venice closer to Northern Europe. In the 13th–14th centuries, Western influence penetrated Venice. The Venetians became acquainted with the Gothic and successfully mastered this style.

The 14th–15th centuries were a period of intensive construction. The city changes its face and takes on a look that remains to this day. Unpaved streets are paved with stone slabs, wooden bridges and canal embankments are replaced by stone bridges and sidewalks. Other urban planning operations were also carried out: digging wells and cleaning city canals began to be carried out regularly.

The government of Venice was well aware of the need to decorate the city, “without skimping on any expenses, as befits its beauty.” But to build in the city of St. Mark - on thousands of oak trunks driven into the sand or silt of the lagoon as piles, from stone brought from Istria - this required truly colossal costs.

The first half of the 15th century was the period of the greatest prosperity of the Venetian Republic. In her hands are many lands in the Mediterranean and a number of regions of Northern Italy. The republic's navy dominates the Adriatic, and more and more ships are coming off the stocks.

Signor de Villamon believed in 1590 that in all of Italy “there is no place where life would be more free... for, firstly, the Signoria is reluctant to condemn a person to death, secondly, weapons are by no means prohibited there, thirdly, there there is no persecution at all for faith and, finally, everyone lives there as he pleases, in conditions of freedom of conscience...”

Venice's acquisitions grew rapidly in the first half of the 15th century, both in Italy and abroad. Columns with a winged lion appear in the squares of the northern Italian cities of Vicenza, Belduno, Feltre, Rovigo, Verona, Udine, Brescia, Bergamo, Crema and others; The Venetian lion walks along the entire coast of Dalmatia, Albania and penetrates into Argos, Athens, Patras, Mystras, Thessaloniki and other cities (as well as islands) of Greece. Venice manages to achieve success even in relations with the Turks and gain the right to trade in their possessions.

In the 15th century, prosperous Venice had a formidable rival in the East - the Turks.

Initially, Venice underestimated the Turkish threat: the Turks for her were a land people, little dangerous at sea. However, Turkish (or supposedly Turkish) pirates appeared very early in the seas of the Levant, and the Ottoman conquests on land little by little surrounded the sea, ensuring in advance their dominance over it.

The capture of Constantinople in 1453, sounding like a thunderclap, unexpectedly placed the Turks in the very center of the sea routes, in a city created to command the sea. Very soon Constantinople, renamed Istanbul by the Turks, becomes largest city world, sea shopping center, as Venice was able to verify very quickly.

Could Venice have prevented the conquest of Constantinople? She thought about it, but it was too late. Despite the fact that the Senate decision of February 18, 1453 stated that “out of reverence for God, for the honor of good Christians, our possessions and for the convenience and benefit of our merchants and citizens, we should come to the aid of Constantinople, this city about which we can say that it is considered part of our state and should not fall into the hands of infidels,” Venice decides to come to an agreement with the Turkish Sultan.

On January 15, 1454, the Doge, admonishing the Venetian ambassador to Turkey Bartolomeo Marcello, said: “Our desire is to have good peace and friendship with the sovereign of the Emperor of the Turks.”

The Venetians counted on a good peace as a condition for successful business. They believed that for the sake of mutual benefit, the Turkish emperor would agree to cooperate with them. There was something to be afraid of.

In 1475, the Turks took the city of Cafu in the Crimea, which signaled the almost complete closure of the Black Sea to Genoese and Venetian trade. In 1516 and 1517, the occupation of Syria and Egypt gave the Turks the opportunity to close the doors to traditional trade with the Levant. However, this did not happen immediately; the Turks benefited from transit through their territory, from which they derived considerable benefit.

Venice and Turkey had to exist together. But this coexistence was interrupted by terrible storms. The first great Venetian-Turkish war (1463–1479) showed that the bear in the form of Turkey was opposed by a wasp. But this wasp was tireless.

Venice, armed with advanced European technology at that time, had one more advantage: relying on its wealth, it could recruit troops throughout Europe (up to Scotland during the Candian War of 1645–1669), resisted and behaved defiantly towards the enemy .

But Venice was exhausting its strength, even if the other side could hardly catch its breath.

Venice did everything possible ways weakening of Turkey. In Istanbul, its agents deliberately introduced corruption, and when war raged, the Venetians found ways to maintain part of their trade through Ragusa and Ancona. And besides, she skillfully used the empire of Charles V, the Spain of Philip II, the “Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation,” the Russia of Peter the Great and Catherine II, the Austria of Eugene of Savoy and even the France of Louis XIV against the Ottomans.

And also to attack the Ottoman positions from the rear - distant Safavid Iran, the cradle of Shiaism, hostile to the Sunni Turks. It was a resistance worthy of admiration, since Venice fought against the Turks until 1718, the date of the Peace of Pozarevac, which marked the end of her efforts. This battle between the bear and the wasp lasted more than two and a half centuries.

For the sake of victory, at an early stage of the war with the Turks, Venice enters into negotiations with the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III, hoping to find in him an ally against a serious enemy.

The Venetian ambassador A. Contarini visited Moscow in 1476, where he was well received. Russia was interested in expanding ties with Venice, and the ambassador from Ivan III, Semyon Tolbuzin, visited there.

The established diplomatic relations contributed to the arrival of construction and cannon masters from Venice to Russia.

Under Ivan the Terrible, Venetian merchants enjoyed the right to trade not only in Moscow, but also in many other cities (Pskov, Novgorod, Smolensk, Kazan, Astrakhan).

In the 17th century, the political situation was so unfavorable for Venice that it sent its ambassadors to Russia for help. In 1655, they arrived in Moscow led by Alberto Vimina da Cheneda and turned to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich with a request that he order the Don Cossacks to attack Turkey, with which Venice was waging a difficult war.

In addition, its merchants wanted to obtain the right to free trade in Arkhangelsk. Russia did not start a war with Turkey to save distant Venice, but willingly granted its merchants the right to trade and decided to equip an embassy itself in order to try to borrow money from the “pearl of the Adriatic,” famous for its wealth.

In May 1656, an order was given to send the steward and Pereslavl governor Ivan Chemodanov, together with clerk Alexei Postnikov, to “sovereign service in the Germans in the Vinitsa land to Francyshkus, Prince Molin, as envoys.”

The ambassadors left Moscow in July and arrived in Venice at the beginning of January of the following year, where they were met by Alberto Vimina da Ceneda and reported that “the former Prince Francyskus, by the will of God, passed away, and after him the current prince is already the third.”

The Russian ambassadors stayed in Venice until March 1, but were never able to receive the desired money, because the officials, after much deliberation, gave the following answer: “It’s been the thirteenth year since we’ve been fighting the Turks; Our intelligence and desire do not weaken, but the loss to the treasury is large, and therefore with regret we must refuse the royal majesty; We hope that, having recognized our poverty, he will not be angry with us.”

Ivan Chemodanov was sincerely amazed when the Venetians told him that their doge “does no business and knows nothing.”

In a conversation with Alberto Vimina, Chemodanov said: “If your prince does nothing, and you rule your state, you should describe your names together with the prince in the sheet to the Tsar’s Majesty, otherwise your names are not written on the sheet.”

Western part of the Venetian harbor

So the ambassadors returned to Moscow with nothing. However, attempts to establish close trade relations with Venice still continued.

The 15th century is the peak of the economic and political prosperity of Venice, the number of inhabitants of which reached almost one hundred thousand. From the text of the will drawn up in 1423 by Doge Tommaso Mocenigo, it is known that the republic invested ten million ducats in business operations, which brought a profit of four million. The state has 3,345 ships, 6,000 shipbuilders work in shipyards and another 16,000 people are employed in the production of silk, wool and cotton fabrics.

Venice was a huge city. In the 16th–17th centuries, its population reached a huge figure for those times - 140–160 thousand people. But, with the exception of a few thousand privileged nobles (nobili), full citizens of the city (cittadini), ministers of the church, and the poor or vagabonds, this huge population earned its living by the labor of its hands.

Already at that time there were two worlds of work in Venice. On the one hand, unskilled workers who were not covered or protected by any organization (it included drivers, loaders, sailors, and galley rowers). On the other hand, in Venice there were workshops that united artisans of different specialties.

In the first of the worlds there were porters on the Grand Canal - on the Vinnaya, Zheleznaya, Ugolnaya embankments, thousands of gondoliers, servants of important persons, or those poor people who were recruited into ship crews in front of the Doge's Palace - on the real labor market.

Everyone who signed up received a bonus. If he did not appear on the specified day, he was sought out, arrested, sentenced to a fine of double the amount of the premium, and escorted under custody on board the ship, where his salary was subsequently used to pay off his debt.

Another significant group of unorganized workers were the men and women who performed menial work for the silk and wool production workshops. But it is surprising that the aquaroli (“water carriers”), who delivered directly on their boat fresh water from Brenta, and scow skippers, traveling tinkers, and even door-to-door milkmen were duly organized into craft guilds.

In 1586, when the city had approximately 150 thousand inhabitants, the labor force was slightly more than 34 thousand people.

Nevertheless, Venice lacked a sufficient number of workers. The need for sailors was especially acute, because the city not only stood on the water, but was also one of the great maritime powers.

Venice was looking for labor in Dalmatia and greek islands, galleys were often equipped for Candia (Crete), and later for Cyprus.

It should be noted that the state was very picky about the existence of various types of craft workshops. Neither the leather crafts of Giudecca, nor the glassworks of the island of Murano, nor the silk weaving workshop, which arose even before workers from Lucca entered it in 1314, nor the cloth production escaped his strict supervision.

Shop regulations very persistently imposed strict quality standards that fixed the size of pieces of fabric, the choice of raw materials, the number of warp and weft threads, and the materials used for dyeing.

All crafts, new and old, have been organized in Venice into corporations and brotherhoods since the 13th century. In the city on the water, the entire industrial and merchant world was kept in obedience by money and state power.

The government had four supervisory and arbitration bodies: the Old Court, the Five Trade Wise Men, the City Chief Inspectors and the College of Crafts. Thanks to this supervision, Venice differed from many other Italian cities in its amazing social tranquility. There were almost no riots, spontaneous protests or strikes.

Even the huge Arsenal - a state-owned manufactory with at least 3 thousand workers, who were summoned to work every morning by the bell of St. Mark's Cathedral - was strictly controlled. As soon as there was a suspicion about the possibility of unrest there, one or two of the instigators were hanged, and order reigned again.

Mint and port warehouses of Venice

Wages in Venice were relatively high, and it was not so easy to reduce them.

Each year Venice minted 1,200,000 gold ducats and various silver coins totaling 800,000 ducats.

But in order to preserve all these riches, a lasting peace was necessary, as Doge Mocenigo warned about in his will. Just before his death, the old Doge made desperate efforts to block the path of the military supporter Francesco Foscari, who would become his successor in 1423 and would control the destinies of Venice until his removal in 1457.

“If you elect Foscari, you will soon find yourself in a state of war,” said Mocenigo, “he who has 10 thousand ducats will find himself with only one thousand, he who has 10 houses will be left with only one.” On the contrary, if peace continues, “if you follow my advice, you will see that you will be lords of the gold of Christians.”

However, the Venetians did not heed the advice of the old Doge. The city became embroiled in a protracted conflict.

In the 16th century, difficult times came for Italy. She entered a new era - the dramatic and turbulent world of the Cinquecento. Having become the birthplace of early capitalist relations and a new secular culture at the turn of the 13th–14th centuries, the country is entering a new period of social upheaval.

Italy, which by this time had lost its former power, became a bone of contention between the two major monarchs of Europe - the French king and the Habsburgs, who simultaneously owned the German and Spanish thrones. Hordes of enemies fell upon Italy, ruining the once blooming cities; The surviving feudal nobility began to raise their heads again.

The strengthening of the feudal reaction and the threat of loss of independence caused a decisive rebuff in Italy and a rise in patriotic feelings, as well as a powerful wave of anti-feudal sentiment. The first two decades of the 16th century are the story of the heroic struggle of cities and towns against foreign invaders, the years when the best minds dreamed of a united and great Italy.

In this difficult era for the whole country, new trends are also capturing Venice. The Republic of St. Mark entered the heroic period in 1508, when the troops of Emperor Maximilian burst into its possessions, and in 1509, a powerful alliance of European and Italian states came out against Venice - the so-called League of Cambrai, whose military forces defeated the enemy the following year. Venice, having lost part of its possessions, nevertheless survived, although the enemy army was only five kilometers from it.

Italy's struggle for independence, in which Venice also contributed bright pages, brought its people many trials - the occupying troops several times captured all the mainland possessions of the republic and reached the very lagoon. But they also committed many heroic deeds - the famous victory at Cadore (1509), the eleven-month defense of Padua, as a result of which the Venetian Republic won in the early twenties.

It must be said that Venice has always relied on the piety and prudence of its subjects. Thus, during the War of the League of Cambrai, she freed people from the oath of allegiance and provided everyone with the opportunity to compare the conditions of enemy occupation with the mild rule of the republic. Since the Venetians did not have to betray St. Mark and did not face any punishment for it, they returned to the usual rule of their republic. Thus, Venice emerged from this war, not without damage, but with dignity.

The city was saved not only by water, but also by the diplomatic skill of its government, which managed to drive a wedge into relations between members of the league. The Pope, satisfied with some weakening of Venice, now entered into an alliance with her against France.

The new League, the Holy League, created by the Pope in 1511, expelled the French from Italy. The strengthening of papal power was not to the liking of Venice, which, again changing policy, entered into an agreement with France in 1513. Foreigners took possession of Milan, and the clever island republic regained those northern Italian cities that had belonged to it before coming under the rule of the League of Cambrai.

As a result of the peace treaty of 1517, all of Northeastern Italy came under the influence of the Venetians.

And already at the end of the 16th century, Venice completely controlled the trade routes of the Adriatic Sea and called it “its bay.” The Signoria took control of all trade: the oil of Apulia, the ship timber of Monte Gargano, the stone of Istria, the salt that people needed on both banks. She also collected traveling merchants, hundreds of boats and sailing ships - all of which she then adapted to her own needs and included in her economy.

After the conquest of the terraferma (the cities of the mainland - Padua, Verona, Bergamo and others), the ties of Venice with continental Italy and, first of all, with the most developed and advanced Florence in those years were strengthened.

Art of Venice

The Renaissance arose as a cultural process based on individualism. The culture of the Republic of St. Mark was vibrant, original, and in many ways unlike the culture of the Florentine-Roman Renaissance. Venice lived an intense and active life, but entered the Renaissance later than the leading centers of Italian culture in the 14th century.

Only in the middle of the 15th century did the Venetians begin to be attracted to new realistic art and the teachings of humanists. A century later, Renaissance culture began to develop in Venice. In that richest city marble palaces and gondolas, whose very life seemed to be an eternal holiday, the Renaissance came spontaneously, without a revolution in culture, without theoretical justification for a new worldview.

First, the Renaissance manifests itself in architecture and sculpture, later in painting. However, at the end of the 15th century, the culture of the Renaissance was fully established in architecture and plastic arts. At the same time, the Venetian school of painting began to take shape, which in the next century would give the world the greatest masters, whose works would serve as models for many generations of artists.

Already the medieval art of Venice is imbued with decorative colorfulness and secularism, the architecture of palaces and churches - with sophisticated ornamentation, fanciful picturesqueness and festive appearance.

When in the 15th century Venetian artists began to decisively address the theme of the surrounding world, they were less concerned than the Florentines with mastering theoretical foundations art. But the masters of this city, whose life was vibrant and festive, truly discover colorful splendor, permeated with the naive and clear joy of being. Their paintings captivate with decorative patterns or light harmony, shining with colors.

But the new secular culture from the very beginning took on a different appearance than in Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. The Venetians lived in another world. Almost from the first years of the city’s existence, they felt like free people, almost never knew the power of feudal lords, and for a long time were occupied with other interests - expanding trade relations, conquering colonies, setting up trading posts, and fighting their rivals - Pisa and Genoa.

Humanism, which quickly flourished in democratic Florence, slowly conquered the aristocratic “pearl of the Adriatic.”

The Venetians, being practical people, quickly realized the importance of printing. In 1490, Aldo Manucci (Aldus Manutius) founded a printing house that began publishing not only ancient Roman but also Greek authors.

Venice, thanks to its commercial calculations and their practical application (and Venice is rightly considered the birthplace of statistics), early achieved perfection in one of the aspects government system, but in the area of ​​​​culture that then covered Italy, she lagged behind.

Thus, in the 14th century, according to the famous book of Francesco Sansovino, theological, legal and medical works are mainly found in Venice along with historical chronicles. Venice's contribution to Italian poetry remained very insignificant until it was rewarded for lost time in the 16th century.

It was during these years that the Republic of St. Mark experienced a period of calm, a seeming deceptive calm. During these years, a poetic dream is born about a world of cloudless happiness and thoughtful silence, far from the noisy and disturbing life of cities, about enjoying the beauty of nature, giving a person peace of mind.

In Venice, people begin to read Sannazzaro’s poem “Arcadia”, written at the end of the 15th century, glorifying the serene life of shepherds in the lap of nature, and are carried away by the poetry of Virgil and Horace. The celebration of nature becomes a favorite theme of the young Venetian humanist writer Pietro Bembo and others.

The theme of a quiet, happy existence in nature fills Venetian art, pushing traditional religious themes into the background.

In the second half of the 16th century, when Italy entered a period of feudal reaction and the church began to especially actively pursue free thought, the culture of the Renaissance lasted the longest in Venice for the reason that the Roman church never had much power here.

Venice... Even in my distant childhood, it excited me with its unearthly life, its extraordinary islands located in the Adriatic Sea. The fact is that the house contains beautiful engravings with views of this charming corner of Europe. And it was these engravings that touched my heart deeply. I really wanted to go there and see for myself the unearthly beauty that so much has been and continues to be talked about. I couldn’t believe that people could create this fabulous city spread over 400 islands. And I couldn’t believe even more that I would ever visit here myself.

Of course, when we talk about a country, we are always interested in the history of this state. The history of Venice is very interesting.

The fabulous city of Venice arose in 421, although many will argue with this, but you must agree, it is not nice to begin the chronology of one of the greatest cities in the world with the words “approximately” and “about”. So we, people who are not directly related to history, will accept this sacred date for every lover of beauty for the year of the birth of Venice.

Historians will still say that the first information about the settlement of the marshy islands of the lagoon (Rivo Alto, Malomocco, Chioggia, etc.) of little use for meaningful existence dates back to 452. Okay, let’s take this connection of numbers into account.

Just at this time, the exhausted Roman Empire was subjected to another attack by bloodthirsty and merciless barbarians, Huns and all other evil spirits, led by the cruel warrior Attila. So the residents of Northern Italy had to flee to a lagoon on the wild islands of the Adriatic. It turned out that you can also live here and, as we find out later, it’s very good.

The new settlers began fishing, farming, and by 466 they agreed to found the first Venetian government - a council of representatives from each of the twelve villages. And after another two centuries, the turbulent situation in the lagoon forced the inhabitants to elect their supreme ruler, in Venetian - the Doge (Doge from the Latin Dux (King), in Italian Duca).

At the same time, on paper, Venice was still subordinate to the Roman Empire, only not to the Western Empire, which was devastated at the end of the 5th century, but to the Eastern Empire, that is, Byzantium.

Byzantine influence in Italy soon began to decline, and when in 810 Venice was unsuccessfully attacked by the Frankish army, the islanders morally rallied and began to actively distance themselves from Byzantium.

The administrative center of the lagoon was moved to the safest island of Rivo Alto (where the Rialto district is now located). And in 829, two Venetian merchants went to Alexandria, stole the relics of St. Mark there, brought them to the islands, and local residents with pleasure they exchanged the Byzantine heavenly patron Theodore for the freshly stolen, but their own, Mark. In addition, they began to build the Doge's Palace and mint their own coins.

The Republic of Saint Mark built its economic prosperity on maritime trade. Geographically, the lagoon city was a meeting point between East and West, and the islanders, being talented merchants, knew how to capitalize on this. Venetian ships set sail and returned full hot commodity, and if problems arose with local corsairs who interfered with normal shipping in the Adriatic, the Venetians simply bought off their obsessive attention.

When the famous Pietro II Orseolo was elected Doge in 991, the inhabitants of the lagoon began to successfully use force. Nine years into his reign, on the Feast of the Ascension, the Great Doge went to sea with the most powerful fleet that the waters of the Adriatic had ever seen, and a moment later he completely cleared the sea of ​​Dalmatian pirates, capturing cities along the way. Thus began the territorial expansion of Venice. The city expanded its influence on the sea and established itself as a center of maritime trade.

Exotic goods from the East, fruits from the Caucasus were brought here, perfumes, cosmetics, carpets, gold, slaves were traded here; resourceful Venetian merchants brought treasures and relics from all over the world. Venice has become amazing world: the motley crowd on the streets spoke hundreds of languages ​​and dialects,
and in the palazzo (palaces) luxury reigned. The growing city needed artists and creators. Venice gave orders to the greatest painters and architects. Churches and cathedrals were built in the city, book printing developed, and at the beginning of the 12th century the largest shipyard of that time, the Arsenal, was built.

The flourishing republic was ruled by a limited number of oligarchs, whose names were recorded in the so-called. "Golden Book" - only members of their families had the right to sit on the Grand Council, the legislative body. At the head of the Great Council was the Doge. Although his position was for life, throughout the centuries of the republic’s existence it remained elective. True... Doge Marino Falier in 1355 tried to make his power hereditary, like royalty, but was beheaded by his subjects for this.

The city's relations with the Catholic Church were cool. No matter how hard the popes tried to influence his policies, they failed. Venice had a sense of self-respect and always resisted the Vatican. The city was excommunicated from the church more than once, they tried to impose a list of prohibited books, they threatened to excommunicate the entire Venetian Senate, but each time these decisions were ignored, and the city continued to live and prosper peacefully.

All these years, the Venetian government played a successful political game, seizing more and more profitable territories and benefiting from the most intractable situations and international conflicts. In the 15th century, the republic already ruled from the Alps to the Po River and to Bergamo in the west. Even Cyprus came under the rule of Venice.

But in the 15th century, the Turks began to gain a foothold in the Mediterranean... Having conquered many lands Ottoman Empire began to conquer the mainland territories of Venice one after another. The Republic resisted, but bloody battles brought only ruin, and the once profitable lands consistently passed to the Turks.
And then, as luck would have it, travelers became more active - in 1499 Vasco da Gama found a way to India through the cape Good Hope, bypassing the trade routes that traditionally formed the basis of the republic’s well-being. The discovery of the Portuguese dealt a severe blow to the entire Venetian economy. Years of slow decline began...

In 1575, and then in 1630, the city was devastated by the plague, a third of the population (including the great artist Titian) died, and all remaining human and financial resources continued to be siphoned off by the ongoing conflict with the Turks. By 1720, the republic was practically bankrupt. It is characteristic that it was at this time that she experienced another period of flowering of the arts - Tiepollo, Canaletto, Guardi lived and worked in the city, plays by Goldoni and Gozzi were staged on the stage, and the Florian cafe opened in Piazza San Marco.

Thus the 18th century came to an end, and with it the history of Venetian independence. The bloodless city became easy prey for Napoleon. The invasion of French troops marked the end of the republic. The last Doge Ludovico Manin, taking off the cap he wore under his crown, said to the servant: “Take it away, I won’t need it anymore.”
Napoleon came out to San Marco and said: “But this square is the most elegant living room in Europe,” after which he plundered the city and destroyed about forty ancient palazzos. When his empire fell, Venice passed to Austria.

In 1826, Venice was declared a free harbor, and now tourists replaced businessmen in the city. After the visit of Byron, the main European tourist, excuse me, romance, the poetry of Venetian decadence came into fashion. Bohemians came to the Venetian canals and bridges for inspiration, wealthy Europeans spent the summer on the fashionable beaches of the Lido. The city has become a place of pilgrimage for every self-respecting esthete.

Meanwhile, the Venetians had a hard time experiencing their dependence on Austria and, together with the rest of Italy, rebelled against the Austrian occupiers, and in 1866 the city became a province of the Italian kingdom.

During World War II, Venice narrowly escaped serious damage from Allied bombs. Actor Marcello Mastroianni ended up in a German labor camp, escaped and hid in Venice until the end of the war.

Now the beautiful and poetic Venetian fairy tale has turned into something like Disneyland for an endless stream of tourists, and the number of citizens has decreased three times over the past half century. Every year, 1,500 people leave the city because the city's young owners find it increasingly difficult to find a place among the countless number of guests.

The history of Venice does not end here, and will continue for some time, but pessimistic scientists greatly limit the period and say that due to the rise in the water level in the lagoon, Venice may become the “Atlantis of the new millennium.”

I am grateful to Katya Degot, without whom this text would not have been possible.