Factors that led to the rise of Venice

Venetian society

Economic activities

Piracy

The urban planning system created a

sense of belonging and
neighbourliness among the
Venetians, creating social stability.

Venetians established trade agreements with the

communities along the Po River to gain access to
the mainland and obtain their source of wood for
trading and shipbuilding

Venice did not have a strong army and

decided to pay annual gifts to pirates in the
Adriatic Sea so that they could have safe
passage.

Good leadership
Maintaining diplomatic relations
Venice established good terms with the Germanic tribes, Byzantine
empire and mainland states and negotiated for favourable trading
terms to expand its trade

Reforms in govt
Meeting the challenges of a growing city state
Creation of the Great council
The Great Council was expanded so that more nobles had the
opportunity to decide on Venices future

Building the venetian empire

Doge directed the fourth crusade and captured Constantinople,
helping Venice gain recognition from other states and control some
important territories which had belonged to the byzantine empire

Specialisation of duties
More committees were created to handle the affairs of state. The
council of forty handled matters of law, finances and coinage

Expanding the venetian empire in the Mediterranean sea

Doge expanded trade through conquests and sure that Venice
gained control of important routes in the Mediterranean Sea

Maintaining checks and balances

Effective checks on power
The council of ten monitored the activities of organisations and
officials to ensure that there were no corrupt practices or abuse of
power.
Preventing the concentration of power
The nominating committee identified male candidates for elected
positions through balloting to prevent any individual or family from
dominating the govt and no one could be appointed as a result of
personal favour.

Trade developments and expansion

Attitude towards trade
They explored new trade routes, supplies and markets by travelling
to unknown lands.
Thus they managed to stay ahead of the competition from trade.

Industrial development
Trade-related industry
The shipbuilding industry benefited from the expansion of trade.
All shipbuilders were centralized at a new location, known as the
Arsenal to facilitate production.

Innovations in maritime technology

In the areas of navigation and weaponry used on ships. Travels
became possible in winter, enabling Venice to continue to dominate
the trade in the Mediterranean Sea throughout the year.
Venetians designed and built superior vessels to meet their sailing
needs. Their fleets were able to travel further, thus facilitating the
expansion of trade and territorial control.
The great galley was a combination of a merchant and war vessel. It
was formidable enough to discourage most pirates from launching
an attack on Venetian trading ships and could transport more goods

Manufacturing industries
An increase in the demand for goods promoted the growth of
manufacturing industries like glassmaking and printing.
More jobs were created for the people and Venice continued to
prosper. This attracted skilled craftsmen to settle down and work in
Venice

Efficiency in managing voyages

The Senate organized and monitored the schedule of trade voyages
and ordered them to travel in convoys as it was more profitable to
trade in larger quantities. The efficiency of the system meant that
Venice was able to expand its trade into many regions

Innovative practices
Double entry bookkeeping was a useful system to record business
transactions. With giro-banking, traders made or received payments
by making the request at the bank and did not have to worry about
carrying large sums of money or carrying different currencies.
Many traders came to Venice because they enjoyed the
convenience and efficiency of Venices trade-related services

Overcoming trade competition

with Genoa. After a series of wars, Venice defeated Genoa and was
able to control the MS and this brought them more international
trade.
Trade monopoly
Central and Southern Europe relied on the Venetians for goods from
the East. These goods were sold at a very high price, enabling the
Venetian traders to reap large profits.

Without a stable government with far sighted leaders, Venice would not have been able to govern its people well

Without proper guidance, the people would not have been able to be successful with their trade expansions or their efforts to
promote new industries

Factors that led to the decline and fall of Venice

Weakening govt, loss of important overseas territories, discovery of new sea routes and the rise of bigger and more powerful European
nations
Foreign threats
Involvement in the mainland
Venice tried to protect its territories and commercial interest by switching alliances
with different opposing states when the occasion suited its interest. Venice could
come under attack should negotiations fail.
The rivalry among the mainland states also made the overland trade route unsafe
as constant battles were fought in the region. The venetians depended on these
commercial crossroads for trade and wealth.
The Ottoman Empire
Began expanding its influence from the Middle East into Europe. Venice was forced
to give up some of its less important territories to avoid further losses.
Venice had to use its galleys to fight off attacks by the Ottomans. This disrupted its
use of galleys for trading purposes.
Wars with the Ottomans drained Venices resources and manpower and disrupted
trade.
The League of Cambrai
aimed to reduce the power of Venice and divide its territories amongst the larger
states. Many of Venices territories fell to members of the league.
The cost of the wars drained and weakened Venices resources.

Maritime competition
Discovery of new sea routes
The Portuguese discovered a new sea route and the
Portuguese were able to buy their spices directly
from India. This new sea route destroyed Venices
monopoly of the lucrative spice trade and greatly
reduced the large profits Venice traders earned.
New trade rivals
Dutch East India and English East India Company
had better-designed ships. Venetians imitated the
designs but sailors lacked the skills to operate them.
Large states like England were more successful in
negotiating for favourable trading rights in new
ports.
Venetians adopted a protectionist policy and
imposed higher duties on foreign traders. Venice loss
some of its trading partners as it proved to be too
costly to trade with the Venetians

Political challenges
Incapable leadership
The rotation of duties meant that competent officers would have to leave office after one term and
sometimes incompetent ones were selected in their places.
Many nobles served as naval commanders in wars against the Ottomans even though they did not
have adequate naval expertise or military experience. Venice suffered heavy losses in battles
Corruption in the govt
A small group of rich nobles dominated the govt, thus making renewal of leadership a challenge.
With power in the hands of few, corruption was inevitable in the higher offices.
To finance the cost of wars with the Ottomans and neighbouring states, the Venetian govt
suspended the salaries of civil servants. Many poor nobles were willing to sell their votes at a high
price. Leadership was now determined by how much the nobles could afford to pay to be elected.
These corrupt practices resulted in incompetent leaders taking positions in the govt. The govt was
becoming increasingly inefficient as decisions made were not in the interest of Venice.

Social challenges
As nobles became more affluent,
they became less involved in
important matters such as the
administration and development of
the city-state and the gap between
the rich and poor widened.
Many wealthy nobles indulged in
lavish parties and celebrations and
some rich nobles who were
addicted to gambling lost their
fortunes.

Over-dependence on mercenaries
With its small population reduced significantly from the outbreaks of the deadly plague, it was
necessary for Venice to maintain a large mercenary army to protect its territories and fight its wars.
Some of these paid soldiers did not remain loyal to Venice as they could always be offered better
salaries from other states.

Corruption in the government led to incompetent leaders taking over high posts. Without capable leadership, Venice was doomed
to fail
Incapable leaders would not be able to plan ahead and bring about good developments to the country
Even after the discovery of the new sea route, Venice continued to act as a trade centre in the western Mediterranean Sea

Lessons for nations

Nation-building
The Venetians
maintained social
cohesion and developed
a sense of belonging
and loyalty through
organisations like guilds

Governance
The venetians made
constant improvements
to their system of govt
and were able to
respond to threats and
challenges by ensuring
strong political
leadership

Relations with other states

The venetians combined tactful diplomacy with
military capability to obtain favourable trading
terms with other states. Venice ensured
maritime security which benefited trade.
Venice participated in the power struggles of
mainland states and was unwilling to forge
positive relations with rising nations.

Sustaining economic development

Venice took advantage of the
opportunities in maritime
technology. Its people were highly
innovative as seen in the
introduction of giro-banking and
the expansion of manufacturing
industries