Lecture 2 – ‘Where our wares are, there is our house’

Wordsworth wrote that Venice “held the gorgeous east in fee’. Pride and profit drove the Venetian’s patriotic duty to expand its trade across the seas, connecting Venice both to the Orient and the lucrative markets of northern Europe. From the ninth to the twelfth century Venice developed into a maritime republic defeating its Italian maritime competitors - Pisa, Amalfi and Genoa. It fought and overcame any obstacle in its twin defense of its trading interests, while seeking to secure its independence from outside interference. Her coastal and island possessions varied in size from Pirano near Venice to Famagusta on Cyprus. Some were isolated fortresses, busy naval centres or large settled colonies. The decline of Byzantium, the city’s involvement in the Fourth Crusade, the rise of the Ottomans and Venice’s political relationships with its Italian neighbours were all catalysts in the city’s rise and fall. Yet, the enlightened stewardship of its mainland possessions can still be seen in the cities of Padua, Verona, Brescia and Bergamo.