Venice: Great City State of its time

Lets Talk
1. What do you know about Venice? 2. What do you want to find out about Venice? 3. Why should you know about Venice? 4. What can you do about your knowledge about Venice?

By the end of this chapter, you will learn:

(1) An Introduction to the City-State, Venice
(2) Reasons for the rise of Venice

(3) Reasons for the fall of Venice

Before we begin, do you know where Venice is?

Venice was made up of many small islands with numerous canals in between

LETS STOP FOR A SBQ PRACTICE

What do you when you receive the paper?

Alvin name, read qns identify type of qns, (a) inference, (b) comparison, utility, (d) proving/ assertion, look for evidence and answer questions Samuel circle keywords (c) useful about decline, (d) decline due to govt policies

What does this poem tell you about Venice? [5]

Poem Once did She hold the gorgeous East in fee; And was the safeguard of the West; the worth Of Venice did not fall below her birth, Venice the eldest Child of Liberty. And what if she had seen those glories fade, Those titles vanish, and that strength decay; Yet shall some tribute of regret be paid When her long life hath reached its final day; Men are we, and must grieve when the shade Of that which once was great, is passed away

Adapted Version Once Venice was the market place to buy Eastern products. Venice safeguarded Europe from the Turks. Venice was highly regarded and respected. Venice was the place where freedom and liberty thrived. And now Venice seen its glory days passed. Venice great honour will vanish away, Venice strength will soon weaken. There will be regrets till the final fall of Venice. People will feel sorry when the great has passed away.

What does this poem tell you about Venice? [5]

I: Venice was successful economically and politically. S: Once Venice was the market place to buy Eastern products. and Venice safeguarded Europe. E: It was a rich trading port. And it was able to protect itself and even Europe against threats.

What does this poem tell you about Venice? [5]

I: Venice later declined/ fell from its success. S: And now Venice seen its glory days passedtill the final fall of Venice E: Venice did not enjoy the same success it used to.

Purpose of the poem is raise awareness in readers about the rise and fall of Venice.

Brief History of Venice

In 476 AD, the Western Roman Empire collapsed and split into smaller kingdoms and territories. There was frequent warfare. The Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) survived because of its favourable geographic position but it came under attacks by the Germanic tribes in the west and the Muslim kingdoms in the east.

How Venice emerged

In 600 AD, a group of people moved onto swampy islands in a shallow lagoon in Northern Italy to escape from wars on the Italian mainland.

This made the ground strong enough for them to build their houses upon.

Together, these 120 islands became known as Venice.

Venice:

th 5

th 9

Century

Venetians made their living from the sea that surrounded them. They traded salt and monopolised the salt trade by capturing the areas that produced salt along the Adriatic Sea.

The Rise of Venice: 9th 15th Century

Venice rose from a humble beginning to become one of the most powerful states in Europe. How? Occupations of Venetians carried out due to necessity. They overcome water constraints by building communal wells. They created an urban planning system. What can you tell from these egs?

This illustration shows a typical islet in the Venetian lagoon What could you observe from this layout of the settlements about the relationship between the rich and poor?

Factors for the rise of Venice

Political Good leadership Reforms in the government Economic Trade developments & expansion Industrial development Innovative practices Social Attracting & Respecting Foreign Talent Loyalty/ sense of identity

Political: Good Leadership

Eg. Doge Pietro II Orseolo (911 to 1009) P: he econciled feuding states/ cities, negotiated treaties with major powers. E/E: For eg. he maintained friendship with the Byzantine emperor in the East and the Germanic kings in the West to protect Venices independence and to obtain favourable terms. L: This ensured Venice continued to prosper despite political tension. P: He subdued pirates. E/ E: as he disallowed trade between Venice & cities controlled by the pirates. This cut off the supply of salt and other necessities. L: Pirates did not interfer with Venices trading business, allowing Venice to continue prospering.

Political: Good Leadership

Another was Doge Enrico Dandolo who directed the 4th Crusade to free Jerusalem from Muslim control

Practical Policies
that reflected good leadership: Relationship with Pirates
In the 9th Century, when the Venetian navy was weak, Venice paid pirates to stop harassing its trading ships.

Practical Policies that reflected good leadership:

Relationship with Muslim Traders
Even when the Christian Europe at war with the Middle East, Venice did not cut off its trading contacts with the Muslim traders.

Venice continued to trade and to establish friendly relations with the Muslim traders.

Practical Policies that reflected good leadership:Domination of Trade

Venice asserted its power against the weaker traders. It captured important trading ports in the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea, and forced all trading ships to stop and trade at its port.

The government earned from the imposing of taxes on the good traded. It extended its supremacy as far as the eastern Mediterranean Sea, capturing important ports like Cyprus and Crete.

Political: Reforms in the govt

Practiced Feudalism (a system in which the people received land and protection from the Lord they worked for) Venice was what is now known as a Aristocratic Republic no one power or family dominated the government Well-structured government (page 95) these changes introduced in 12th Century

Reforms included:
1. Creation of the Great Council - So that the needs of all councils can be taken care of by elected capable members 2. Specialisation of duties - The Council of Forty was created to handle the affairs of the states, such as matter of law finances & coinage.

Reforms included:
3. Maintaining checks & balances - The 6 Ducal councilors and the 3 Heads of the Council of Forty formed the Council of 10 that monitored the activities of organisations and officials to ensure that there were no corrupt or abuse of power by the Doge or any high ranking official. 4. Preventing concentration of power - The Nominating Committee was added to the election process to identify suitable male candidates for all elected positions through the process of balloting.

1. Trade developments & expansion 2. Industrial development 3. Innovative practices

ECONOMIC FACTORS OF SUCCESS

1. Trade developments & expansion

1.1 Attitude towards trade - Skilled diplomats who were able to obtain favourable trading terms - Besides attracting traders from other states, Venetians also ventured to seek fortune and fame. They had an enterprising spirit - Eg. Marco Polo and his adventure to the Far East - Places ventured into included the Middle East, the Far East, Greenland, east to the Indian Ocean and south to Africa.

Strategic location of Venice

Main goods from the East were the spices. Others included fragrant woods, sugar ad diamonds. Venice was also shipping essential goods like wheat and salt between European cities. Venetians acted as middlemen.

1. Trade Developments & Expansion

1.2 Innovations in Maritime Technologies
- Introduction of the Nautical chart and Mariners compass that made travelling even in winter season possible
- This allowed Venice to continue to dominate trade in the Mediterranean Sea throughout the year

- Building of superior vessels/ galleys propelled by oars & sails to meet their sailing needs
- This allowed Venice vessels/ galleys to travel further & not be dependent only on wind energy.

- Vessels/ Galleys doubled up as war vessels - This discouraged pirates from attacking Venetian fleets

With its needle swinging according to the earths magnetic field, the compass ensured that the ships stayed on course.

The nautical chart presented information collected from known voyages such as distance and important landmarks and ports. With this chart, traders could more accurately plan their journey to their intended destination.

2. Industrial Development
2.1 Trade-related industry The shipbuilding industry benefited immensely from the expansion of trade.

All the shipbuilders were centralised at a new location, known as the Arsenal.
Eventually, the Arsenal became the backbone of Venices maritime industry & power.

The Arsenal
The Arsenal referred to Venices state-owned shipyard. Skilled carpenters built all of Venices ship. This shipyard was the most advanced in Europe at the time. The Venetian government forbade the workers in the Arsenal from leaving the city-state

The Arsenal

Did You Know? By the 1400s, the design of the Venetians great galleys was replicated by other states

2. Industrial Development
2.2 Manufacturing Industries Printing industry Glassmaking industry

2.2 Manufacturing industries

(Diversifying

into Manufacturing

from entrepot trade and finance, Venetians set up factories to manufacture goods for export.
Skilled craftsmen produced high quality goods that were eagerly sought by foreign markets. Due to increasing economic importance, many foreigners soon came to Venice in search of jobs.

Glass, soap, textiles and metal parts became renown Venetian products.

3. Innovative Practices
Provision of innovative Trade Services - Venetians kept up with the times and were always looking at different ways to improve themselves. - Services offered included banking, insurance and money-exchange.
Financial Services, including credit banking facilities for businesses and the use of cheques. Hassle-free/ more convenient business environment
Businessmen no longer need to carry large sums of money. They were also able to collect their goods first and pay later. Giro system meant there were cashless business transactions.

Provision of Trade Services

Social Factors of Success 1. Active citizenry

Citizens Involvement in Ensuring Public Peace - Venice divided into 60 70 districts - Each district headed by a District Head - 3 District Heads served the Council of Ten for a month at a time. - Every district had a police chief called the Lord of Nightwatch, who hired about 100 120 men to act as policemen.
- Opportunity to serve provided them with a sense of belonging to the district and to Venice.

Social Factors of Success

Loyalty to Venice - They were committed to seeing their city-state survive - They were willing to make personal sacrifices for the sake of the city-state. - They were also willing to sacrifice money, effort and even their lives to protect their state.
- For eg. a government effort to raise funds for defence were supplemented by voluntary contributions by the Venetians. - They also rallied to their states defence in the late 14th Century when Genoa, a long-time trade competitor, threatened the existence of Venice.

Social Factors of Success: 2. Openness to Foreign Talents

Due to trade opportunities Different communities & included the Greeks, Jews and Turks. Venetian leaders allowed these various communities to practice their faith. Respect for one another resulted in Venice becoming a Cosmopolitan city of various races, religions and origins

Social Factors of Success

(3) Respect for different practices Venice welcomed all traders, even competitors from other Italian states. Artisans and craftsmen were treated with respect and dignity for their skills. They formed guilds or vocational clubs. Venice attracted skilled artisans and craftsmen from other states by giving them privileged memberships to these guilds.

Social Factors of Success: 3. Respect for other practices

Another prominent group of people in Venice were the scholars. These scholars were attracted to Venice because of the thriving book-printing industry in Venice. They were impressed by the good governance and equal opportunities given to foreigners, and they decided to settle down in Venice.

In summary for Rise of Venice

For political factors of success
Meritocracy Non-corruption stance Transparency Talent-driven

For economic factors of success

Forward-looking Practical

For social factors of success bonding and as one, inclusiveness

Factors for the Rise of Venice

Political
1. Good Leadership (i) Doge Pietro Orseolo (ii) Doge Enrico Dandolo (iii) Doge Pietro Ziani 2. Reforms in the Govt (i) Meeting challenges of growing city-state (ii) Specialisation of duties (iii) Maintaining checks & Balances (iv) Preventing the concentration of power

Economic
1. Trade Developments & Expansion (i) Attitudes towards trade (ii) Innovations in maritime technology

Social
1. Activity Citizenry & Loyalty

2. Openness to foreign talent

2. Industrial development 3. Respect for other (i) Trade-related industry practices (The Arsenal) (ii) Manufacturing Industries printing & glass-making 3. Innovative Trade Services Practice

Factors for the Fall of Venice

Political Economic Social

(b) Does Source B support Source C? EYA. [6]

Source B: A view on the Venetian society expressed by a social historian.

widespread poverty went largely unaddressed by the state. Poverty was indeed expanding at an incredible speed: by 1790, two-thirds of the population of Venice lived in very poor conditions. The number of those defined as poor and living off the state grew from a mere 445 in 1586 to 17,956 in 1760, to 23,015 in 1787 when fully one-sixth of the city was living on officially administered charity. Instead of attempting to address this overwhelming reality, the Republic became obsessed with petty rules governing conduct, especially that of the nobility.

Source C: An excerpt on the buildings in Venice from an article published by a renowned Venetian architect. The state and religious communities of Venice sponsored massive amounts of building and decorating, not to mention public statuary*. Many public residences (palaces), by law, had to have grand facades on at least two sides, so that they can be seen from the water as well as land.
Definition: *statuary refers to all the statues and sculptures in a place.