With the collapse of the Western Roman Empire Venice was left a culturally Roman outpost in a war-torn Italy. This made it naturally lean towards the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire for protection, and Emperor Justinian used this opportunity to place Venice firmly under Byzantine control, integrating it into the region known as the “Exarchate of Ravenna”. It is worth noting that at this point, what we refer to as “Venice” is still a group of settlements in the Venetian Lagoon - in fact, the settlement of Torcello was likely the Lagoon’s most influential earlier settlement only to be replaced by Venice in the 6th century. As the city of Venice’s power grew, the Republic of Venice was properly born at the turn of the 8th century, with their first Doge Orso Ipato being elected in 726. They were still Byzantine, although over the years the independence of Venice grew until it became a de-facto independent republic (in federation with all lagoon settlements). This independence does not have an exact date, as it was a very gradual process. 

During this time, Italy was however no less a battlefield. The Exarchate of Ravenna was largely conquered by the Lombards in 751, but owing in large part to the protection of the lagoon Venice remained a Byzantine stronghold in a largely Lombard Italy. 

The Lombards, too, were replaced by the Franks as Charlemagne defeated them at the request of the Pope - even though they failed to take Venice, they would be used by Doge Oblerio to free Venice from Byzantine control. What ensued was more or less independence as Venice asserted itself, and said independence was reflected in the Venetian political system. 

The democratic system of Venice is indeed interesting, and very unique in medieval Europe. The populace elected a leader, known as the Doge (the official title in the 11th century was “Dux Venitecorum”), who was overseen by tribunes with veto power and aided by various citizen councils. 

One would expect the geopolitical situation of an independent Venice to make a stable government exceedingly difficult, seeing as Venice was then a quasi-independent state in the center of the Franks and Byzantines. Three factions emerged, each supporting either independence or integration into one of these empires. However, this split actually had the opposite effect as each faction sought to prevent the other from gaining more influence, leading to a surprisingly secure government focused on stability. 

This stability is in fact the reason Venice was sometimes referred to as “La Serenissima”, or “Most Serene”. The electoral system for the Doge, too, was designed to produce stable leaders by subjecting them to repeated scrutiny by many different councils and tribunals. 

Threats to this serenity were certainly present: one came in 804, when Venetian independence had to be asserted against the Francs by Doge Agnello. A rare crack in Venice’s political stability had formed as a Pro-Frankish faction gained power. With the aid of the Franks, independence was asserted against the Byzantines and after popular indignation the Venetians separated themselves from the Franks as well after a military altercation. 

Generally, this is when Venice can really be seen as “independent”. It is around this time that construction on Venice began to drastically increase and expand as Venice turned into the major maritime trade city that would propel it through the middle ages. 

Trade is one of, if not the major defining characteristic of the Republic of Venice, and certainly what the Republic is most known for. Its geographical position allowed it to access European markets and eastern resources (such as from the Levant), their historically good relations with the Byzantines aiding significantly in this. As the power of Venice grew, it initially built a sphere of influence encompassing the entire Adriatic by colonizing a large part of the Dalmatian Coast and asserting itself against its rivals Ancona and Ragusa. It had declared itself a “Stato De Mar”, a thalassocracy. 

This period also gives us insight into the Venetian trade mindset - for example, their mercantile opportunism was highlighted during the first Crusades where they were willing to trade with even the Muslim sultanates in the Levant. The state, too, matured into a completely mercantile republic where merchant-run councils governed every aspect of Venetian trade and the Treasury functioned as a bank which could give insurance or loans. Venetian shipbuilding also became renowned for its ability to produce high quantities of quality ships. In this respect, it wouldn’t be hyperbole to describe the entirety of Venice as an extremely efficient, well-oiled machine. 

During around 1200 AD, relations between the Venetians and Byzantines soured considerably as the Byzantines sought to stop the Venetians from taking advantage of Byzantine ports with negligible taxation. The way they sought to fix this? Imprisoning all Venetian merchants. Coincidentally, the Pope was preparing for the Fourth Crusade but struggled to amass the navy necessary to transport the crusaders. Venice saw an opportunity for revenge here, and provided their navy in exchange for a Crusader attack on Constantinople to reinstate a friendlier deposed Byzantine prince. 

Unfortunately, this prince was deposed again and the Venetians did not see the trade concessions they had set out for. What ensued is the Sacking of Constantinople, where European forces brutally pillaged, burned, and (particularly in the case of Venice) stole from Constantinople. This invasion is also what gave Venice Aegean colonies.

In the coming centuries, Venetian naval power was indeed challenged. Particularly by another Merchant Republic, Genoa. The Venetian-Genoese wars were a series of four wars which nearly culminated in a takeover of Venice in 1381. However, despite the ensuing peace both republics were economically exhausted by the war and took a while to recover. In Genoa’s case, this recovery was not fast enough to prevent France from gaining significant influence. 

This brings us to the fifteenth century, where Venice began to expand on the mainland and the City itself began to flourish in keeping with the Renaissance. A unique architectural blend of various influences ranging from Byzantine to Baroque, quite literally built on the sea.

In 1444, it is safe to say that Venice was at, or at least near, the zenith of its power. But it was not to last, as the Ottomans proved a massive threat to Venetian possessions in the east as well as exerting a large degree of control over eastern trade. Trade agreements were harsher, and Venice lost their Aegean possessions at the hands of the Ottomans.

Vasco de Gama’s discovery of a sea route to India also made a significant part of Venice’s trade system redundant. So Venice faded from the world stage quietly, but it still remains a cultural heavyweight as a city to this day.