Venetian Maritime Republic

Timeline

1. c. 697–1000Venetian Lagoon · ItalyMainland residents moved into the lagoon islands to escape the Lombards, building the city on pile foundations and a canal network, establishing a doge, and gradually developing into an autonomous commercial community.
2. 1100–1170Venice · Adriatic SeaDuring the First through Third Crusades, Venetian fleets handled transport and supply, gaining trade privileges and port bases; the rudiments of the Arsenale shipyard appeared, and the city-state's wealth grew rapidly.
3. c. 1180–1190Venice · Adriatic SeaIn the 1180s Venice controlled the Adriatic-to-Levant routes, trading frequently with Byzantium and the Crusader states; families led by Doge Enrico Dandolo dominated foreign policy, laying the groundwork for the Fourth Crusade's later diversion to Constantinople.
4. 1204–1797Venice · ItalyAfter participating in the partition of Byzantium in 1204, Venice gained Crete and other territories, forming a maritime empire; it later declined due to Ottoman expansion and the shift of the great sea routes, and in 1797 Napoleon ended the republic.