Timeline of the Republic of Venice
This article presents a detailed timeline of the history of the Venetian Republic from its legendary foundation to its collapse under the efforts of Napoleon.
5th century
6th century
7th century
8th century
The Rialto Islands begin to be permanently settled, and on the island of Olivolo (now Castello), the church of Saints Bacchus and Sergius is reconsecrated as St. Peter and becomes the cathedral for Venice throughout the Republican era
9th century
- 803 – Opposition to the Galbaii family forced Doge Giovanni Galbaio, with his son Maurizio and nephew Christopher to flee to Mantua
- 804 - Obelerio degli Antenori is elected Doge and immediately associates his son, Beato to the Dogeship
- 805 – Doge Obelerio degli Antenori and his son Beato did homage to Charlemagne in Aachen on Christmas Day 805. Doge Obelerio degli Antenori chose a Frankish bride, the first Dogaressa
- 809 – A Byzantine fleet landed in the Venetian lagoon and attacked a Frankish flotilla at Comacchio but was defeated. Doge Obelerio degli Antenori and Beato then raised their other brother Valentino to the Dogeship alongside them. The people rose up and called upon King Pepin of Italy
- 810 – King Pepin of Italy besieged Venice; the siege lasted six months and Pepin's army was ravaged by the diseases of the local swamps and was forced to withdraw. A few months later Pepin died
- 811 – Agnello Participazio was elected to the Dogeship. His Rialtine house on the Campiello della Cason became the first Doge's Palace in Venetian history and he soon began expanding it in stone
- 827 - Giustiniano Participazio is elected Doge
- 828 – Relics of St. Mark arrive in Venice having been stolen from Alexandria in Egypt by the merchants Bono da Malamocco and Rustico da Torcello
- 829 - Giovanni I Participazio arrested, and tonsured (head shaved like monk)
- 837 - Pietro Gradonico assassinated, although in this case his successor arrested and executed the assassins
- 839 - Mislav of Croatia made peace treaty with Venetian doge Pietro Tradonico, which led to the growth of Croatian sea power.[1]
- 840-846 - When Pietro's military assault on the Pagania in 840 failed, the Neretvians (Croatian: Neretljani, Italian: Narentani) continued to push against him and in 846 breached Venice itself, and raided the neighbouring lagoon city of Caorle.[1]
- 841 – The Republic of Venice sent a fleet of 60 galleys (each carrying 200 men) to assist the Byzantines in driving the Arabs from Crotone, but failed
- 864 - Orso I Participazio is elected Doge
- 881 - Giovanni II Participazio resigned due to poor health
- 887 - Croats from principality of Pagania defeated Venetians near the town of Makarska, killing the Venetian doge Pietro I Candiano in open battle. Venetians start paying prince Branimir (879–892), an annual tribute for the right to travel and trade in the Adriatic Sea.[1]
- 888 - Pietro Tribuno is elected Doge
10th century
11th century
12th century
13th century
- 1202 - At 23 November, the Fourth Crusade sacked Croatian town of Zadar (Italian: Zara), a rival of Venice. Unable to raise enough funds to pay to their Venetian contractors, the crusaders agreed to sack the city despite letters from Pope Innocent III forbidding such an action and threatening excommunication. Siege of Zara was the first major Crusade's action and the first attack against a Catholic city by Catholic crusaders.
- 1203 - The Fourth Crusade is diverted towards the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, by Venice
- 1204 - Sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders and partition of the Byzantine Empire (Partitio terrarum imperii Romaniae), from which Venice emerges as the major beneficiary. Doge Enrico Dandolo obtains the title of Lord of a Quarter and Half a Quarter of the Roman Empire
- 1205 - Pietro Ziani is elected Doge
- 1205 - Republic of Venice invaded Dalmatia with the forces of the Fourth Crusade.[3] Dubrovnik/Ragusa was forced to pay a tribute and became a source of supplies for Venice, thus saved itself from being sacked like Zadar.[3]
- 1211 - The island of Candia - Crete - is annexed to Venice
- 1229 - Jacopo Tiepolo is elected Doge
- The founding of the Consiglio dei Pregadi (Senate)
- 1249 - Marino Morosini is elected Doge
- 1252 - Reniero Zeno is elected Doge
- 1256 - Outbreak of the first war against Genoa, the "War of Saint Sabas", which lasts until 1270
- 1261 - Reconquest of Constantinople by the Byzantine Greek Empire of Nicaea and re-establishment of the Byzantine Empire
- 1263 - Venetian victory against the Genoese and Byzantines at the Battle of Settepozzi
- 1266 - Venetian victory against the Genoese at the Battle of Trapani
- 1268 - Lorenzo Tiepolo is elected Doge
- 1271 - Marco Polo leave for Cathay; he returns in 1295
- 1275 - Jacopo Contarini is elected Doge
- 1280 - Giovanni Dandolo is elected Doge
- 1284 - First gold ducat is minted which was to be known as the zecchino beginning in 1554
- 1289 - Pietro Gradenigo is elected Doge
- 1294 - Renewal of hostilities with Genoa, which last until 1299
- 1295 - Return of Marco Polo
- 1297 - Admission to the Maggior Consiglio - the Great Council of Venice - is restricted for the first time on 28 February
- 1298 - Marco Polo is taken prisoner during the Battle of Curzola by Genoa
- 1299 - Pietro Gradenigo sent a fleet of 100 ships to attack the Genoese
14th century
15th century
- 1400 - Michele Steno is elected Doge
- 1404 - Venice begins to extend its rule on land. By 1405 the rule of Venice will include Vicenza, Verona, and Padua
- 1409 - Ladislaus of Naples sells his "rights" on Dalmatia to the Venetian Republic for 100,000 ducats. Dalmatia would with some interruptions remain under Venetian rule for nearly four centuries, until 1797.
- 1410 - Venice had a navy of 3,300 ships (manned by 36,000 men) and taken over most of Venetia, including such important cities as Verona and Padua
- 1413 - Tommaso Mocenigo is elected Doge
- 1423 - Francesco Foscari is elected Doge
- 1425 - War breaks out against Filippo Maria Visconti of Milan
- 1446 - The Republic fights another league, formed by Milan, Florence, Bologna and Cremona
- 1453 - May 29: Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks, but Venice managed to maintain a colony in the city and some of the former trade privileges it had had under the Byzantines
- 1454 - The Ottoman Turks granted the Venetians their ports and trading rights
- 1457 - Pasquale Malipiero is elected Doge after Doge Francesco Foscari is forced to abdicate by the Council of Ten
- 1462 - Cristoforo Moro is elected Doge
- 1463 - Outbreak of the First Ottoman–Venetian War, which lasts until 1479
- 1471 - Nicolo Tron is elected Doge
- 1473 - Nicolo Marcello is elected Doge
- 1474 - Pietro Mocenigo is elected Doge
- 1476 - Andrea Vendramin is elected Doge
- 1478 - Giovanni Mocenigo is elected Doge
- 1479 - January 24: a treaty of peace is finally signed with the Ottoman Turks. Venice had to cede Argos, Negroponte, Lemnos and Scutari, and pay an annual tribute of 10,000 gold ducats
- 1482 - Venice allied with Pope Sixtus IV in his attempt to conquer Ferrara, opposed to Florence, Naples, Milan and Ercole d'Este
- 1484 - The treaty of peace between Venice and the Ottoman Turks is confirmed by Mehmed II's successor, Bayezid II, with the pacific exchange of the islands of Zakynthos and Kefalonia between the two sides
- 1485 - Marco Barbarigo is elected Doge
- 1486 - Agostino Barbarigo is elected Doge
- 1489 - Caterina Corner, widow of the last king, James of Lusignan cedes Cyprus to Venice
- 1492 - Christopher Columbus discovers America launching further explorations that ultimately began to weaken trade in the Mediterranean
- 1499 - Venice allies itself with Louis XII of France against Milan, gaining Cremona. Outbreak of the Second Ottoman–Venetian War, when the Ottoman sultan moves to attack Lepanto. The Venetian fleet under Antonio Grimani, more a businessman and diplomat than a sailor, is defeated by the Ottoman navy in the Battle of Zonchio
16th century
- 1501 - Leonardo Loredan is elected Doge
- 1508 - Eager to take some of Venice's lands, all neighbouring powers joined in the League of Cambrai under the leadership of Pope Julius II
- 1509: Venice is engaged in various military endeavors
- 14 May: Venice was crushingly defeated at the Battle of Agnadello, in the Ghiara d'Adda, marking one of the most delicate points of Venetian history. French and imperial troops were occupying the Veneto, but Venice managed to extricate herself through diplomatic efforts
- July: Andrea Gritti recaptured Padua, successfully defending it against the besieging imperial troops. Spain and the Pope broke off their alliance with France, and Venice regained Brescia and Verona from France
- 1515 - Venice forms an alliance with France and defeats the imperial and Swiss soldiers in the battle of Marignano
- 1521 - Antonio Grimani is elected Doge
- 1523 - Andrea Gritti is elected Doge
- 1537 - Outbreak of the Third Ottoman–Venetian War, which lasts until 1540. The Ottomans unsuccessfully besiege Corfu
- 1538 - Pietro Lando is elected Doge
- 1545 - Francesco Donato is elected Doge
- 1553 - Marcantonio Trivisan is elected Doge
- 1554 - Francesco Venier is elected Doge
- 1556 - Lorenzo Priuli is elected Doge
- 1559 - Girolamo Priuli is elected Doge
- 1563 - The population of Venice has dropped to about 168,000 people
- 1567 - Pietro Loredan is elected Doge
- 1570 - Alvise I Mocenigo is elected Doge. Outbreak of the Fourth Ottoman–Venetian War, when the Ottomans attack Cyprus. Formation of the Holy League including Venice, Spain and the Papacy
- 1571 - The Christian fleet defeats the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto on 7 October, but the allies fail to take advantage of their victory
- 1573 - The loss of Cyprus is ratified in the peace of 1573
- 1575 - The population of Venice was about 175,000 people
- 1577 - Sebastiano Venier is elected Doge
- 1578 - Nicolò da Ponte is elected Doge
- 1581 - The population of Venice was down to about 124,000 people
- 1585 - Pasqual Cicogna is elected Doge
- 1588 - The first stone of the Rialto Bridge is laid on 9 June
- 1595 - Marino Grimani is elected Doge
17th century
- 1605 - Conflict between Venice and the Holy See began with the arrest of two members of the clergy who were guilty of petty crimes, and with a law restricting the Church's right to enjoy and acquire landed property. Venice is placed under interdict.
- 1606 - Leonardo Donato is elected Doge
- Papal interdict is lifted due to intercession by France
- 1609 - Galileo Galilei presents a telescope to Venice
- 1612 - Marcantonio Memmo is elected Doge
- 1615 - Giovanni Bembo is elected Doge
- 1617 - The Spanish viceroy of Naples attempted to break Venetian dominance by sending a naval squadron to the Adriatic and failed
- 1618 - Nicolò Donato is elected Doge
- 1623 - Francesco Contarini is elected Doge
- 1624 - Giovanni I Cornaro is elected Doge
- 1630 - Nicolò Contarini is elected Doge
- 1631 - Francesco Erizzo is elected Doge
- The plague ends in Venice with 50,000 dead - nearly a third of the population. As a votive offering for the city's deliverance from the pestilence, Venice builds a church to Our Lady of Health (Santa Maria della Salute)
- 1638 - While the Venetian fleet was cruising off Crete, a corsair fleet from Barbary consisting of 16 galleys from Algiers and Tunis entered the Adriatic
- 1646 - Francesco Molin is elected Doge
- 1645 - Beginning of the Cretan War between Venice and the Ottoman Turks, which lasts until 1669. Although Venice is generally superior at sea, its forces are unable to prevent the Turks from landing in and conquering much of Crete, nor of dislodging them after
- 1647 - The Ottomans lay siege to Sebenico, in today's Croatia, which was besieged in August–September but fail
- 1648 - During the Candian War (1645–1669), Venetian commander Leonardo Foscolo seized several forts in Croatia, retook Novigrad, temporarily captured the Knin Fortress, and managed to compel the garrison of Klis Fortress to surrender.
- 1655 - Carlo Contarini is elected Doge
- 1656 - Francesco Cornaro is elected Doge
- 1656 - Bertuccio Valiero is elected Doge
- 1658 - Giovanni Pesaro is elected Doge
- 1659 - Domenico II Contarini is elected Doge
- 1666 - An expedition to retake Chania fails
- 1669 - An attempt to lift the siege of Candia with joint action on land with the French contingent and by sea under Mocenigo fails. End of the Cretan War with Venice losing Crete
- 1674 - Nicolò Sagredo is elected Doge
- 1676 - Alvise Contarini is elected Doge
- 1683 - Marcantonio Giustinian is elected Doge
- 1684 - Venice, taking advance of the recent Turkish defeat in the siege of Vienna, forms an alliance with Austria against the Ottoman Turks. Beginning of the Morean War, a part of the Great Turkish War, which lasts until 1699
- 1688 - Francesco Morosini is elected Doge
- 1694 - Silvestro Valiero is elected Doge
- 1699 - The Great Turkish War ends with the Treaty of Karlowitz. Venice makes extensive territorial gains in southern Greece
18th century
- 1700 - Alvise II Mocenigo is elected Doge
- 1709 - Giovanni II Cornaro is elected Doge
- 1714 - December: the Ottoman Turks declared war on Venice, the seventh and last conflict between the two powers.
- 1715 - A huge Ottoman army under Grand Vizier Silahdar Damat Ali Pasha overruns the Morea
- 1716 - Unsuccessful Ottoman siege of Corfu. Austrian intervention takes off pressure from the Venetians, but they are unable to retake their lost possessions
- 1718 - The Treaty of Passarowitz (21 July) – Austria made large territorial gains, but Venice loses the Morea, for which her small gains in Albania and Dalmatia, where the Venetians were able to advance up to the present Bosnian/Croatian border, taking in the whole Sinjsko field and Imotski, are little compensation
- 1722 - Sebastiano Mocenigo is elected Doge
- 1732 - Carlo Ruzzini is elected Doge
- 1735 - Alvise Pisani is elected Doge
- 1741 - Pietro Grimani is elected Doge
- 1744 - Work gegins at the Lido on construction of the murazzi breakwater to protect the lagoon from sea storms
- 1752 - Francesco Loredan is elected Doge
- 1762 - Marco Foscarini is elected Doge
- 1763 - Alvise Giovanni Mocenigo is elected Doge
- 1779 - Paolo Renier is elected Doge
- 1782 - Pope Pius VI visits Venice along with several princes of Russia
- 1785 - Angelo Emo begins an expedition to northern Africa against the Barbary pirates. His expedition will en in 1786
- 1789 - Ludovico Manin is elected Doge. He will ultimately be the last Doge of the Republic of Venice
- 1796 - Prelude to the Fall of the Republic
- 1797 - The Fall of the Republic
- April 9 - Napoleon threatened Venice with war
- May 1 - Domenico Pizzamano fired on a French ship trying to force an entry from the Lido forts. Napoleon declared war
- May 12 - The Maggior Consiglio - the Great Council of Venice - sits for the last time and approves a motion to hand over power "to the system of the proposed provisional representative government", although there was not a quorum of votes: 512 voted for, ten against, and five abstained
- May 16 - The provisional municipal government met in the Hall of the Maggior Consiglio. The preliminaries of the Peace of Leoben were made even harsher in the Treaty of Campoformio, and Venice and all her possessions became Austrian.
- October 18 - The accord was signed at Passariano, forcing Ludovico Manin to abdicate and thus ending the Republic of Venice
See also
References