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St Marks Basillica was built with Venice’s incredible shipping wealth
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St Marks Basillica was built with Venice’s incredible shipping wealth
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View Reddit by hhyyerr – View Source
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In the dark days during the collapsing of authority in the Roman Empire, Barbarians from Northern Europe plundered and looted their way across Italy itself. Countrysides were pillages, towns sacked and houses burned. The name Atilla the Hun is forever etched in history as a terrifying destroyer of Roman cities.
Those who could packed up anything they had and fled the marauding armies. The Roman Army was all but gone. If your family had any money you could possibly find a boat to a nearby Island to avoid the war-ravaged land. The founding families of this new enclave named themselves Doges, the island was called Venice.
Today it is surprising to think back on Venice’s violent past. Now it is a place of pleasure and day trips, gondola rides and aperol spritz. But Venice was once the last refuge of a fleeing population and a dying way of life.
Still part of the “Roman” Empire that we now call the Byzantines, Venice was a trading outpost that allowed Constantinople to connect to Italy, however small a portion they held. As the Byzantine Empire shrank and faded in power Venice grew more and more autonomous. No longer tied politically to the East, it was still a major hub for shipping, trade and culture. This allowed the wealth of the island to swell.
During the early medieval ages Venice grew from an island of refugees to a small but powerful maritime empire. Conquering land across the sea in places like Croatia and Greece, Venice expanded along prime shipping routes and came to dominate trade in the Eastern Mediterranean. They competed with places such as Genoa and Dubrovnik but ultimately I would say Venice was the most successful. Beautiful and opulent constructions like St Mark’s Basilica, pictured here, were made with this ever-growing wealth. Due to Venice’s many connections we can see many influences in this building. From Islamic to Romanesque and of course the over-the-top Gothic elements as well. It is colorful and stunning to see in person.
Venice grew enough to rival and then overshadow its former master, the Byzantine Empire. By this time the Byzantines were struggling even more, having lost land in the East to expanding Muslim states including Jerulsam and parts of Turkey. The legendary Battle of Manzikert in 1071 went horribly for the Byzantiones. Not only did the Seljuks destroy their army, they also captured the Emperor.
Byzantium called for help, and so began the centuries long process of complex wars we call the Crusades. In the ultimate twist of fate, it was not the Seljuks that sacked Byzantium but an army backed and paid for by Venice. In 1204 after a bizarre twist of events mainly due to lack of payment, Crusaders took over Byzantium. This entrenched Venice as the dominant power and wealthiest place in Europe for generations to come.
Venice’s slow decline began when shipping routes were discovered connecting Western Europe to the rest of the globe: India, Africa and eventually the Americas. The shift in wealth from East to West meant Venice no longer sat upon the most luxurious trade routes. Goods could circumvent Venice entirely, and often for cheaper. Ultimately the rise of the Atlantic Empires of Spain, Portugal, the Dutch and others led to the decline in importance of Venice.
Today Venice is one of the most highly visited spots in the world. For damn good reason. It is romantic, charming and historical. We would strongly recommend not coming here in the height of tourist season. It gets very crowded. Come on a weekday if possible and stay somewhere off the beaten path. We had a small room rented to us from a local who had a wonderful display of classic and modern violins on the wall. We have more photos of some of our favorite spots [here at my website ](http://www.nowweexplore.com)