The economic history of the Republic of Venice and the lagoon surrounding the city extends to the Etruscan period back. At the far end of the Adriatic area, the city benefited from its location in the middle Ages close to the markets in Central Europe and of belonging to Byzantium.

They won with increasing autonomy trade privileges both in Byzantium and in the Holy Roman Empire. With the fourth Crusade, the doge in 1204 nominal master of three-eighths of the Byzantine Empire, and a colonial empire was born. It was the logistical backbone of the UNSC and free trade, and the welfare of Venice with the staple wheat.

Neptune offers gifts Venice, Giambattista Tiepolo, 1748-50, oil on canvas, 135 x 275 cm, Doge’s Palace

The commercial revolution with their new organization, food and cultural forms has led to a previously unprecedented dominance of the economic, the calculator-like and the control mechanisms. Venice’s trading techniques, social forms and methods of funding, but also a means of economic development, are often far ahead of European development.

Crusades and the conquest of Constantinople opened for several centuries’ at once direct trade deep into Asia, but required these trade trips, as well as the regular equipment of the ship convoys, capital amounts, primarily as the loans were made available. It had only the nobility on the right, the long-distance trade to operate – known pepper trade is the quasi-monopoly in-, the same nobility, also monopolized the political leadership.

Despite the dominance of middlemen was shipbuilding, the outstanding “industry “and the distance largest” employer “. This came in the late middle Ages, the production of cloth, of silk and glass. Of greatest importance were also monopolized the salt trade and the grain trade, which contributed less to the wealth of the nobility not, than the entire rest of the trade.

From the beginning, Venice had to defend them against fierce competition, and provided itself with Genoa four comprehensive wars. In the early modern Venice gradually lost its colonies to the Ottoman Empire and lost monopoly position in the Adriatic, an. In addition, displaced Dutchmen and Englishmen, the Venetian spice trade competition and the Portuguese moved such. In addition, the more difficult protectionism in the countries of Europe and the Ottoman Empire into the market.

Sun based the regional power at the end mainly on the production of luxury goods and agricultural production of the northern Italian mainland.

By 9 Century

The Cathedral on the now almost deserted Torcello, Michael Johanning 1985

In ancient times, sea level was the number of meters lower than today. Greek and Etruscan traces indicate earlier settlement date up to, as long assumed Chioggia (Clodia) was a Roman military settlement and in Fontego dei Turchi on Canal Grande coin was one of the time of Emperor Trajan to light.

No later than the 6th Century play fishing, especially salt and grain co-star To 750 prohibited, however, the Lombard Aistulf any trade in the Byzantine subjects, probably also with the locations of the lagoon.

But by 780 can be dealers in Pavia take the oriental goods sale offered to as purple stuffs from Tyre. Before 785 resided already also Venetian traders in Ravenna and in the Pentapolis, the Franks 787/791 “sold” to have been of. Even before they had time to Pope Zacharias (741-52) in the slave trade with the Saracens work.

Venetian denarii from the time of Louis the Pious, 1.13 g. On the front HLVDOVVICVS IMP to a cross on the back VINICIAS

The trade was there still mostly barter. Although we knew coins and we even coined their own by the Imperial, for example, the Emperor Louis the Pious, and took over on the back “Vinicias” impressed. But we preferred the coins Verona. Its own mint, the Zecca (Arabic coin), can be the beginning of the 9th Century grasp.

The early phase of “feudalism “with the acquisition of large estates brought first, larger amounts of capital in the hands of individual families. The Testament of the Doge Giustiniano Participazio 829 shows from that besides the economic and housing market goods, jewelry, and especially Cash and loans were part of his fortune – and finally, significant sums, the time of his death still stuck to trading companies. The ruling class was almost from the start very strongly in trading, in contrast to their peers on the mainland.

Venetian possessions in the year 1000

With the destruction Comacchios (854 or 946), which controlled the mouth of the Po, was the trade to Pavia and Piacenza free – in the following areas behind it had an agreement with Charles III. The trade routes open. Similar objectives are pursued in Venice, Istria. Much more difficult was the relationship with the Narentanern, the pirates of Dalmatia. It was only in 1000 succeeded to the Doge Pietro II Orseolo, the northern and central Dalmatia to subject its rule.

The privilege of trade in the kingdom in combination with the mastery of the Adriatic presented the Western equivalent of a first gold bull of the Byzantine emperor from 992 represents, the other trade privileges followed. As in the West, Venice was now privileged in the East too. In return for military aid against the Arabs of southern Italy Emperor Basil II, the tax per merchant ship almost halved. At the same Venetian increased trade contacts as far as Tunis on. There, and to Alexandria, they provided wood, weapons and metals, and Slavic slaves – even if this trade was banned 960^th.

The breakthrough came in 1082 with the privilege of Emperor Alexius I., which guaranteed free trade, and large parts of the kingdom only opened at all. Own merchant colonies, trading houses and docks came to the Venetian. The gap was largest colony here at the Golden Horn in Constantinople.

Also in the Holy Land, which from 1098 by the Crusaders conquered, Venice received the right to free trade because it 1100 Godfrey of Bouillon, supports, and especially of Tyre, the trade center in Syriahad captured. The colonies presented almost self-sufficient city within a city is a mostly even walled, from Syria and Armenia from the trade they conducted deep into Asia. Even Alexandria and the Maghreb was frequent target of their trade.

The counterpart of the privilege of 1082 placed the privilege Emperor Henry IV is he in 1084 for the Holy Roman Empire issued. Deeply involved in the investiture controversy, he allowed Venice to trade throughout the kingdom, the kingdom of residents but only trade up to Venice. This city had monopolized the trade of the Adriatic Sea, for there were only goods are brought to Venice, that is, the city put the staple right through. Stack and cover forced the distributor of outside help in trading houses, with a “German” designated merchants from the empire in the trading house of the German had to live.

In 1130 succeeded the dominant families, the influence of the clergy “to restrict significantly, and in the second half of the century, a significant proportion of the goods to acquire the approximately 100 church bodies. Now trying the old families to restrict the sale of church property by certain, had to accept that as in the case of possession of the monastery abbot and chapter of the bishop and a secular advocate. As a result, urged the new wealth came to families who have been here, access denied to property acquisition on the mainland.

The Venetian privileges were a threat to the Byzantine trade and revenue of the state. Although the resulting hostility has been evident for decades, was the arrest of all the (allegedly) 10,000 Venetians in the Byzantine Empire, 12 March 1171 and the following trade ban entirely surprising. The dealer at the Golden Horn district was practically abolished. The military retaliation failed despite the deployment of 120 galleys. In Venice, there was rioting and the Doge Vitale Michiel II was killed on the street. Venice lost all privileges and was only 14 years later, a little gain a foothold again. The IV Crusade offered the Doge Enrico Dandolo an opportunity for revenge on the hated empire.

Sudden wealth and feudal lifestyle

The oldest city palace, the later trading house of the Turks (Fontego dei Turchi), H.-J. Hubner 2007

The conquest of Constantinople and the establishment of a colonial empire made Venice, against the increasing resistance of Genoa, for supremacy in the eastern Mediterranean. This colonial empire and the Latin Empire (1204-1261) formed the framework for the massive expansion of trade. In addition, the dealer participated in the exchange of goods with the Holy Land, where to 1291 Acre formed a major trading hub.

Trade was initially not able amounts of capital to include such so many nobles, but also “nouveau riche” Populares, the popularization grassy “, land on the Terra ferma bought – despite massive opposition from the affected cities.

The contrast between the two groups of the nobility and the respective phase is gradually replaced by the two groups to the new, dominant state of Magni merged. These shared the political power and the profits of foreign trade. They also closed the coveted lifestyle, to the increasingly estate was one, other climbers. This was in 1226 the land price fixed by the state from, and so it fell rapidly with a higher degree of relationship. The Doge of Venice’s sphere of power was no reason to purchase outside. in 1297 was finally determined exactly who belonged to the circle of the nobility (Serrata).

Furthermore, both originated in Venice and in the colonial empire in many places new positions of power, the almost exclusively aristocratic owners an income secured the. This population was the newly formed nobility to the rest of privileged significantly. Some nobles also conquered all in the Aegean island kingdom.

Through the intensified trade and the war effort needs rose strongly to ships’ crews, which offered a number of men employment. In addition, we reduced the explosive social force that brought about the changes by three to four thousand men, together with their families; the population of Crete in 1211 took off. They were given feudal estates and been involved in the possibilities of social advancement.

Colonial empire and trade colonies

The colonial empire stretched from the lagoon to Crete. The center of the colonial empire was the first merchant at the Golden Horn. Although Venice not been able, during the siege of Constantinople as their share of the agreed three eighths of the Byzantine Empire to take possession, it secured but the main points at which warehouses, accommodation, cereal and biscuit storage, private fleets and also messaging systems have been set up to trade the highly promoted and secured.

In addition, sat in Bari and Syracuse, in Tripoli and Tunis, on the Balearic Islands and Valencia, Seville and Barcelona, in Montpellier, Nimes and Aigues-Mortes, in Southampton and London, but especially in Bruges – small, financially, trained groups of men who formed the backbone of the local trade. To this was added a solid courier system, Bruges and Venice combined within eight days. Finally, traders could Stations in Augsburg, Ulm, Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Cologne and Vienna use. In addition, countless dealer’s letters show that one with each letter on price fluctuations, tariff changes and exchange rates, to rumors of political upheaval kept up to date.

Immigration

Venice, perhaps the 1300 85000-100000 inhabitants had to could, through colonization and population losses incurred by commercial establishments, only cope with, because while many people migrated in the metropolis. Venice promoted it, especially after the plague from 1348, the immigration of specialists, such as Lucca silk weavers, or bakers, farmers and mill from the Roman Empire. The city grew it mainly inward, that is, from gardens and swamps dominated districts have been increasingly cultivated.

Similar colonies such as the craftsmen were the foreign merchants who, like the Milanese, an alley near the Rialto in with clenched. From 14 Century were all in the cloth trade Tuscans make out before, the banking industry played an important role in, especially the Florentines? Came mainly from Southern Italy Puglia, to Slavs, Greeks and French, although in lesser number from about 1250 people came out of the realm – be it German, Hungary, or Bohemia, “” Tedeschi was named overall – in the “trading house Germans “(Fondaco dei Tedeschi) as. Personal Visdomini del Fondaco monitored the activities of the residents; brokers gave the trade, but also watched him. Finally, settled a group of immigrants, the Jews, mainly in Mestre on. There they were, for example, worked in the credit and offered – to the annoyance of the usurer-established – considerably cheaper credit. Only with the establishment of the ghetto from 1516 lived the majority of them in a closed quarters.

VENICE AS A WORLD TRADING POWER (13TH-15TH CENTURY)

Route of Marco Polo

With the final fall of Jerusalem (1244) shifted the basis of trade in the direction of Baghdad and Tabriz and from Armenia. But with the expansion of the Egyptian Mamelukes to Syria – 1291 was the last city of Acre – the East, the Venetians was ousted from the Middle. They crowded into the trade on the Black Sea towards Armenia, Persia, and Turkestan. After tough negotiations, they were re-admitted to trading in the Byzantine Empire. That was more important than the passage through the Bosporus most important condition for the trade represented the Central. Not by chance traveled Marco Polo from 1278 to 1291 by Asia. A second path led from Trebizond on the Persian Gulf as far as India, and a third led by Tana at the mouth of the Don on the Volga and Caspian Sea to India.