Venetian Senate

Timeline

1. c. 1172–1400Venice · ItalyThe Senate was composed of noble members elected by the Great Council and, together with the Doge and the Council of Ten, formed the core power structure of the republic, dominating decisions on Mediterranean trade and colonial expansion.
2. 1508–1516Venice · ItalyFrance, the Holy Roman Empire, the Papal States, and others formed the League of Cambrai to besiege Venice; the Senate mobilized finances and diplomacy during the war, and although it retained its core territories, its continental expansion was checked and the republic's hegemony declined from its peak.
3. 1797Venice · ItalyAfter Napoleon's troops occupied Venice, the Senate was abolished along with the Venetian Republic, ending a tradition of noble republican governance that had lasted more than six centuries.