StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Role of Venice in the 12th Century - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Venice in the 12th century Many historians have agreed that the city of Venice achieved prominence during the 12th century. From a small fishing village it rose to distinction as it became a commercial powerhouse and the most important link between Europe and the regions of the eastern Mediterranean, especially the Byzantine and Islamic countries (King 03)…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.7% of users find it useful
Role of Venice in the 12th Century
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Role of Venice in the 12th Century"

Download file to see previous pages

which in turn facilitated trade to Padua, Vicenza, Treviso, Belluno, Ferrara, Mantua, and Verona. These towns carried the city’s merchandise to the central and southern parts of the peninsula in caravans where there were sure and ready market (Wiel 82-83). Another source of income for Venice was rental of its boats and ships. Venice became famous throughout the known world because of its trade and textile industry. During this period Venice also traded spice, salt, grain and wine with Egypt, Syria, Southeast Asia, Iran and China.

Due to the spice trade, the city was able to expand its textile manufacturing. This type of commerce proved to be beneficial to the city; not only was it able to learn new arts to improve ship-building, Venice was also able to obtain from the countries it traded with new ways to improve the city. The skills that the Venetian sailors earned were almost unparalleled and the voyages they undertook to trade and to discover new places and things were unmatched (Wiel 85), while the wars that they engaged in (or at least their fleets) placed them in high esteem.

During the 12th century Venice also constructed a large national shipyard, now known as the Venetian Arsenal. Through the construction of these new and powerful fleets they were finally able to take control of the eastern Mediterranean. Venice also knew how to take advantage of historical circumstances. Despite the fact that it belonged to Christendom, the city still managed to retain trade with the Muslims (even establishing an agreement with the Khalif of Bagdhad). The year 1096-1172 saw the city of Venice engagement in the “Holy Crusade” the rest of the Christian world had been partaking in.

For two years the city has found various excuses not to take part in the crusade, but this time they were unable to refuse. The pope and various Christian leaders appealed to Venice to aid in the crusade by transporting the crusaders in their ships to Palestine (Wiel 85). A fleet of two hundred, or possibly more, warships were fitted for battle and sailed under the command of Giovanni (the son of the Doge) and Enrico Contarini (Bishop of Castello) (Wiel 86). During this period Venice met with a force that could rival her own.

The republic of Pisa and Genoa, had steadily been gaining strength and now proved to be a threat to Venice. The first engagement between the rivals happened at Rhodes, with the city of Venice emerging as the victor (Wiel 86). The cities of Venice and Genoa both relied heavily on trade for economic growth. The two often engaged in competition over overseas trade routes (Fratianni and Spinelli 13). The war between these two cities lasted between 1256 and 1381 and occurred in four open war fares.

After their last war which happened in 1378 to 1381, Venice dominated the trade routes to the east and left the west to the Genoese. Venice often demonstrated strength when Genoa and Pisa, often in alliance, challenged the rule over the trading route and emerged as the victor every time. Both cities have also developed extensive trade agreements in western Mediterranean. Venice has always been described to be the more politically and economically stronger city state between the two. Although both were known to be finance centers, traditional accounts on international trade gave more credit to Venice.

Later on this is to

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Role of Venice in the 12th Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
Role of Venice in the 12th Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/history/1451952-role-of-venice-in-the
(Role of Venice in the 12th Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
Role of Venice in the 12th Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words. https://studentshare.org/history/1451952-role-of-venice-in-the.
“Role of Venice in the 12th Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/history/1451952-role-of-venice-in-the.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Role of Venice in the 12th Century

Renaissance Art and Music

Although portraiture also developed as a specific genre in the mid-15th century, Renaissance painters achieved the greatest latitude with the history, or narrative, picture, in which figures located within a landscape or an architectural environment act out a specific story, taken either from Classical mythology or Judaeo-Christian tradition....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Assessment of the State of Multilingualism and Multiculturalism in Eastern Europe

hellip; Spared the larger devastation of the Black Death in the 14th century, and by curious default bypassing any substantial cultural rebirth in the 15th century Renaissance or the Reformation in the 16th century, and then rediscovered, so to speak, in all its quaintness by the rest of Europe in the 18th century Enlightenment, the Eastern European population was ruthlessly repressed through forty years of isolation under the Iron Curtain as the cultural and linguistic currents that had shaped the region largely stagnated....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

A Comparative Analysis Of The Formation Of Standard French And Standard Italian

Origin and History French dialects developped from the Vulgar Latin which was brought to Northern Gaul with the Roman conquest in the 1st century B.... This essay "A Comparative Analysis Of The Formation Of Standard French And Standard Italian" claims that in  France, Standard French is based on the pronunciation and vocabulary used in the formal registers of the French of Metropolitan France, dominated by Paris and called "Parisian French" while not taking into account the multiple other registers used daily in the nation's capital....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

Painting and Theatre in 16th century Venice and Rome

People used to crave for a spreading view of land and this was reflected in the paintings of venice.... The researcher of this essay analyzes the Venice and Rome in the 16th century, focuses on the painting and theater.... The sixteenth century, known as the higher renaissance or the later renaissance, witnessed one of the greatest explosions of creative genius in history.... … This essay analyzes Painting and Theatre in 16th century Venice and Rome....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist by Marco Palmezzano

, was an Italy Renaissance ainter near the Umbrian school, the first who practised foreshortening with much success and one of the most outstanding fresco painters of the 15th century.... Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo De Vinci were all producing amazing works at this time.... But they were of course not the only Italian artists of the period, though whether or not Forl?...
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

The Rise of Islamism and the Period Before European Hegemony

hellip; The author describes how the cities of Genoa and venice were at the forefront of socio-cultural and economic change and how they kept the barbarians in check before and did not let them conquer their lands as was evident during the dark ages.... The readings make an important point about the roles of Genoa and venice and the way in which these cities contributed to the conduct of the war.... The readings make it clear that both Genoa and venice experienced rapid surges in population thanks to the crusades and the generally heightened economic activity that accompanied this period....
5 Pages (1250 words) Report

What impact did the Counter Reformation have on religious art and architecture in Venice

‘Counter Reformation' or ‘Catholic Reformation' has always been a highly debated topic in the realms of ancient history which has greatly impacted upon the cultural, political and social life of the people living during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.... In the initial… ars when the Counter Reformation was introduced, it did not go beyond the aristocratic, educated and the bourgeois and it took decades to reach the ordinary working class Catholic people, and for them to get acculturated and identify themselves with it....
13 Pages (3250 words) Essay

Music of the 18th Century

In the 18th century composers seek to reveal the complexity of human emotions.... The importance of secular music increased: it sounded at courts, in the salons of the aristocracy, in public theaters (the first such theaters were founded in the 17th century).... Austria took the leading role in the development of musical culture in the 18th century.... , they primarily have in mind the Viennese classical school, represented by Gluck, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven in the 19th century....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us