The Republic of Venice was a maritime state that lasted for more than a thousand years, centered on a lagoon at the head of the Adriatic. According to tradition, its first doge was elected around 697, though historians see the republic's rise as gradual, as the settlers of the lagoon distanced themselves from Byzantine control. Venice grew rich by trade between Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, and it built a great navy and a famous shipyard, the Arsenal. It took part in the Fourth Crusade, which sacked Constantinople in 1204, and acquired a colonial empire along the Adriatic and in Greece and Cyprus. Its power declined after the discovery of new sea routes, and Napoleon ended the republic in 1797.
Before and after
- c. 683 CEEruption of Rabaul
- 6 August 686 CEBattle of Khazir
- 691 CEConstruction of Dome of the Rock
- October 691 CEBattle of Maskin
- from 697 CE to 1797Republic of Venice
- 7th centuryOrigins of chaturanga
- 701 CETaihō Code
- 19 May 701 CEBirth of Li Bai
- 706 CEConstruction of Umayyad Mosque
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from 618 CE to 907 CETang dynasty
- 637 CEConstruction of Potala Palace
- from 750 CE to 1258Abbasid Caliphate
- 778 CEConstruction of Kiyomizu-dera
- 1070Construction of Windsor Castle
- 1460Construction of Topkapı Palace
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 7th century.