Venice

Venice (Italian: Venezia) is a city and major seaport in Veneto in Nothern Italy. It is famous for its canals, and for its role as a republic and a major trade hub in medieval Europe.

History

The history of Venice begins with the Langobard invasion in the sixth century, where numerous Italians were driven onto the islands of the Adriatic. Venice got its first doge, Orso, in 727, and got its de facto independence from the Byzantine Empire in the early ninth century. After a period of turbulence, Venice transformed into a republic between 1140 and 1160.

After the sacking of Constantinople in 1204, the Venetians filled the power vacuum by creating their own commercial empire in the eastern Mediterranean. The Venetian empire included many Greek islands, such as Crete and later Cyprus.