Reasons for the rise of Venice
Good leadership
Venice was fortunate to have had a number of very good and capable top leaders who took steps to make her strong and wealthy. First, there was Doge Pietro II Orseolo who brought peace by reconciling the feuding cities, negotiating treaties with major powers and subduing the pirates in Dalmatia. Next, Doge Enrico Dandolo, by directing the Fourth Crusade in the 12th century and capitalizing on circumstances, weakened the Byzantine Empire and captured Constantinople. This brought recognition from the other states and helped Venice to control some of the important territories which had once belonged to the Byzantine Empire. Finally, Doge Pietro Ziani followed an expansionist policy and extended Venice’s control over the Mediterranean Sea.
As a result, due to the work of her far-sighted leaders, Venice was systematically transformed from a small city-state into a huge, powerful and wealthy maritime empire.
Reforms in government
From the 12th century onwards changes were made to the structure of government. One change was the creation of the Great Council, made up of men from the most powerful and influential families in Venice. This council had multiple roles to perform including the election of capable members to all councils and the passing of laws. It was later reorganized, with the formation of the Senate, in the 13th century so that it could focus on the more important duties. For example, it oversaw foreign relations matters, commercial matters and the operations of the Venetian fleet. These changes were necessitated by the new challenges that were posed by Venice’s growth. To maintain a system of checks and balances on power held by the top officials, the Council of Ten was formed. It could even limit the power of the Doge and dealt with critical matters such as those concerning the internal security of the state. As a result of these governmental changes, Venice built up a system of government that was well prepared to meet the demands of the people and the growing city-state. Thus this was an important reason for the rise of Venice.
Trade developments and expansion
For instance, Venice displayed a highly positive and aggressive attitude towards trade. It was skilful at obtaining favourable terms of trade compared to its competitors, such as Genoa, and so had an edge over them. Furthermore, the Venetians showed an enterprising spirit which took them to distant unfamiliar lands in search of new routes and new items of trade as well as new markets. This helped Venice to grow in trade. Additionally, Venice made good use of advances in maritime technology (in the fields of navigation and weaponry). These gave Venetian vessels to voyage even in winter time. Venice’s superb ship-building skills led to the construction of vessels that were superior to those of their competitors. The armed Venetian great galleys were able to range further than before and so help expand its trade reach. Added to this was the state’s efficient management system for all voyages made by Venetian ships.
Venice did not shy away from the use of force to achieve its commercial ambitions. It fought and defeated its closest trade competitor, Genoa, in the late 14th century and thus effectively took control of the Mediterranean Sea. This and its strategic position enabled Venice to impose a lucrative monopoly on the trade in goods from the East, such as spices and sugar. Thus, the strong, positive and aggressive attitude that Venice took towards trade, aided by innovations in maritime technology and an efficient system of management of trade, helped push Venice ahead of its rivals and to rise to prominence and wealth.Industrial developmentThese developments were prompted by the expansion of Venice’s trade. For instance, the state’s ship-building industry, centralized at the Arsenal, kept pace with the demand for great galleys in the 13th century. The Arsenal became the backbone of Venice’s maritime industry and power. As Venetians grew wealthier, they began to demand for goods, such as glassware. This in turn led to the growth of manufacturing industries. New industries, such as the printing industry, also assisted in the rise of Venice by creating more jobs. Thus industrial development helped generate more employment which attracted even foreign talents to Venice. The industries helped create more wealth for Venice and in that way helped it to rise.Innovative practices of the VenetiansThe Venetians were innovative in trade and business. They came up with the double-entry bookkeeping system and also had Giro-banking which facilitated trade between Venice and people from various regions. As a result of these innovative practices, trade was further facilitated as traders came to Venice encouraged by the convenience and efficiency of Venice’s trade-related services
Challenges faced by Venice in the period between the 14th and 18th centuries
Maritime competition- In the 15th century of the Portuguese succeeded in pioneering a new sea trade route to the East. As a result, they destroyed Venice’s monopoly of the lucrative spice trade and greatly reduced the large profits which the Venetian traders had earned. However, Venice continued to function as a trade centre in the western Mediterranean Sea. Venice also expanded its trade to the North Sea. Further maritime challenges to Venice came from firstly, the Dutch and then the English who from the 17th century, began to venture to the East too to get their supplies, thus bypassing the Venetians. This affected Venice’s position as an entrepot port. The Dutch and British had better-designed ships than the Venetians too. As a result of these maritime challenges, Venice imposed a protectionist policy. They imposed higher duties on foreign traders. This policy drove traders away from Venetian ports. Thus Venice lost some of its trading partners.
Foreign threats
Firstly, their involvement in the mainland was brought about by their desire to protect their territories and commercial interests. This they did by taking advantage of the rivalry among the mainland states. Venice constantly switched alliances with different opposing states. This was risky (as Venice could be attacked) and so Venice had to build up a mercenary army. Another threat was from the Ottoman Empire which competed with Venice for control of the Adriatic Sea. Venice had to use its precious galleys to fight the Ottomans. This disrupted its use of galleys for trading purposes. Also, to contain the Ottomans Venice tried to strike a balance of power with the Ottomans and their European neighbours at the same time. This action caused its European neighbours to develop a deep hostility towards Venice.
Venice’s growing influence in the region made it unpopular among the various mainland states. This led them to create a military alliance against Venice. It was known as the League of Cambrai. It fought wars against Venice and had some success in taking over some of Venice’s territories. As a result of the many wars fought by Venice against its various foreign threats, Venice’s resources were weakened. This forced Venice to take the unpopular step of raising taxes to finance the employment of its mercenary armies.Political challenges
Prosperity brought with it a weakening of the government. This gradually led to Venice’s political decline. For example, the shrinking number of nobility as older families died, affected their appointment to the highest offices. Policies were created not to serve the interests of the city-state but the self interests of the nobility. From the 16th century a small group of rich nobles dominated the government. As a result, renewal of leadership became a challenge and corruption became inevitable. Due to the policy of rotation of duties, even when there were no competent officers available to take over, power was handed to incompetent officers. This led to disastrous consequences for Venice in its wars against the Ottomans fro example. There was also growing corruption in the government as poor nobles sold their votes at a high price. This meant that leadership was determined by wealth and not talent or capability. This led to incompetent leaders taking positions in government. Due to its small population and many enemies, Venice became over-dependent on mercenaries to fight its wars. This was a costly decision as the loyalty of these troops was questionable.
You might also want to read about the reasons that lead to the fall of Venice here: http://www.socyberty.com/History/Fall-of-Venice.124130
Lessons to learn for SingaporeNation building – developing sense of belonging and loyalty
Venice’s leaders and people at its peak showed determination in dealing with harsh conditions by maintaining social cohesion and developing a sense of belonging and loyalty, such as by forming guilds. This enabled the integration of foreign talent and labourers. However, during its decline, Venetians were complacent due to past success and cared more for themselves than the state. Hence, countries can learn that it is important to prepare people to make sacrifices for and remain committed to the nation in the face of challenges and not to be complacent. A committed citizen with a sense of belonging and rootedness will be willing to learn new skills and explore new opportunities in the face of changing times in order for the country to grow and prosper. A cohesive and stable society is required in order to bring about changes in the country’s development strategies.
Adapting to changes and facing future challenges
At its peak, Venetians were efficient, innovative and enterprising, for examples in maritime technology and giro-banking. These innovations attracted foreign traders and boosted its wealth. However, during its decline, Venice did not keep up with the times. For example, they were not skilled to operate new ship designs and passed unpopular trade laws that deterred foreign traders. Hence, countries can learn that it is important to adapt to changes taking place eg globalisation and Information Technology so as to make good use of opportunities to expand trade and increase prosperity.
Capable leaders such as Doge Pietro II Orseolo was able to reconcile feuding cities, negotiated treaties with major powers and subdued the pirates in Dalmatia. Peace would in turn boost trade in the region. Doge Pietro Ziani captured Constantinople which marked the beginning of Venice’s growth as a maritime empire. Venice rose because its leaders were willing to place state interests above their personal interests. In the 14th century, the Council of Ten monitored the activities of organisations and officials to ensure that there were no corrupt practices or abuse of power by the Doge or any high ranking official. The Great Council exercised its authority by limiting the power of the Doge. In the course of Venetian history, there had been Doges who were forced into exile or arrested by the Council of Ten for corrupt practices such as nepotism or attempting to become too powerful. There were effective checks on power & preventing the concentration of power. However, in the 16th century, the leaders became corrupt, neglected their responsibilities and chose to adopt lavish lifestyles. Venice fell also because of the weak process of selecting its military leaders.
Good and honest leaders can ensure a stable & competent government, which can then bring peace, stability prosperity to the country.
Maintaining good international relations
When the Ottomans attacked Venice, none of the other Italian city states came to help as Venice became arrogant and dubious in its relations with these neighbour states. It is thus important for every country to have friends in the regional and international community e.g. ASEAN and UN. There is a need to build close ties and good relations with other countries.Need for Capable and committed leadership
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