History UsefulNotes / Venice

* Amarganth (aka Silver City) in ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'' is inspired by Venice, as it's a city built on a lake with canals. The [[Film/TheNeverendingStory second film]] features it, and its inhabitants seem to be all dressed for carnival all the time, with colored robes and masks.

Venice grew until it became a small [[TheEmpire empire]] manipulating UsefulNotes/TheCrusades to its benefit, most famously when it particpated in the sack of [[UsefulNotes/{{Istanbul}} Constantinople]] during the Fourth Crusade. This brought Venice to its height. It was about then that Creator/MarcoPolo made his famous expedition.

In later times the growth of gigantic [[TheEmpire Empires]] like the Ottomans and the Habsburgs forced Venice into a decline, and the discovery of the New World hurt its trade. Venice was able to survive by its cunning and its Navy, which was still feared. However, it slowly declined and developed a reputation more in keeping with modern associations than with war galleys and [[IntrepidMerchant intrepid merchants]]. Its final end as an independent state was something of an anticlimax, when UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte, while campaigning in Italy, extinguished it as sort of an afterthought, unilaterally bargaining it away to the Austrians in exchange for an armistice at Campo Formio. At that time the state of Venice had something of a reputation as a DecadentCourt, though it is hard to tell how much of that was propaganda. What is definitely true is that it had lost its ability to exert much in the way of military power, and had largely devoted its economy to tourism surrounding its beautiful art, its lively musical culture, and its hedonistic party scene (especially the Venetian Carnival, still the highlight of the Grand Tour for young aristocrats from across Europe).

After UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, Venice became part of the Habsburg Austrian Empire, united with the old dominions of Milan as part of the new Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia (of which the Austrian Emperor was King). During the UsefulNotes/RevolutionsOf1848, the Venetians revolted against Habsburg rule and held out for over a year, but were unable to keep going and returned to the Habsburg fold. But after the UsefulNotes/AustroPrussianWar of 1866--in which the "Kingdom of UsefulNotes/{{Italy}}" (really just the old Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia with Lombardy and a few Central Italian territories attached) had allied itself to Prussia--UsefulNotes/OttoVonBismarck forced Austria to cede Venice to "Italy" to hold up his end of his bargain with the "Italian" government. Venice has been a part of Italy ever since.

* ''Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoningPartOne''

* The general background of Venice (as founded by refugees from a fallen empire) is taken by Creator/GeorgeRRMartin as a prototype for the free city-state of Braavos in ''Litetature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', where its founders are runaway slaves of the fallen Valyrian Freehold. The city itself ultimately became infamous in-store for being essentially a Renaissance world in the middle of the MedievalStasis of the known world, run by the Iron Bank who has practically every major political faction or government in its pocket.

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind''

* ''Film/DontLookNow''

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'': [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance Renaissance]] Venice is the second main location of the game after UsefulNotes/{{Florence}}. The Assassin Ezio Auditore follows Leonardo da Vinci in the ''Serenissima'' and wages a war against local Templars with the help of the city's thieves guild. In a memorable level, Ezio gets to use Leonardo's flying machine to reach a target at the Doge's Palace. He also meets local {{Historical Domain Character}}s like doges Giovanni Mocenigo and Marco Barbarigo, and several missions take place, of course, during the Carnival.

* Venice is the city Film/JamesBond visited the most on film after London (tied with UsefulNotes/{{Istanbul}} and UsefulNotes/HongKong), making three appearances: the end of ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'', the middle section of ''Film/{{Moonraker}}'' (in which he infamously uses a gondola hovercraft during a chase on the canals) and the climax of ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'' (which includes a set piece with a sinking house).

* ''VideoGame/TombRaiderII''.
* [=Deck13=] Interactive's ''Venetica''.
* [=PopCap=] Games' ''Venice''.

[[folder:Films]]
* ''Film/DontLookNow''.
* ''Film/EveryoneSaysILoveYou''.
* ''Film/GialloInVenice''.

* ''Film/{{Munchhausen}}''.

* ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome''.
* ''Film/TheTourist''.
* ''Film/WitchWayLove''.

For a more general overview of the history and culture of Italy, see UsefulNotes/CultureOfItaly.\\\

For a more general overview of the history and culture of Italy, see UsefulNotes/CultureOfItaly.

These same disadvantages were turned into advantages in the 1970s. After Italy's postwar economic boom had petered out and the "Years of Lead" had set in ("Anni di Piombo") northeastern workshops began supplying well-made niche goods at cutthroat prices. In grey towns where the only thing of beauty might be the villa of an absentee landlord, the northeasterners had nothing to do but work. And work they did, slowly becoming the most powerful force in Italian industry. [[note]] In 2003, the provinces of Padova, Treviso and Venezia had a GDP greater than that of Argentina. [[/note]] Now, every square mile of land east of Milan is packed with small family run firms. Oftentimes the CEO is the father, the CFO is the mother, the product designer is the daughter and the chief salesman is the son.[[note]]The actual factory work has been taken over by North African immigrants[[/note]]

For a more general overview of the history and culture of Italy, see UsefulNotes/CultureOfItaly

Most cities in northeastern Italy had spontaneously given themselves over to Venice’s protection during one of Milan’s periodic late-medieval conquering sprees. Their ruling classes were welcomed into Venice’s ruling nobility (eventually swelling the “great council,” whose membership was hereditary, to outrageous size). Thus, the holders of capital who in other Italian states would invest in their home city instead invested them in Venice. Despite this, the people of the lands Venice ruled never rebelled [[note]] (although some disgruntled nobles did stage some coup attempts) [[/note]], mainly because all the nobles were invested in business on the mainland in some way or other, and had an interest to keep the economy stable and the people happy.

These same disadvantages were turned into advantages in the 1970’s. After Italy’s postwar economic boom had petered out and the “Years of Lead” had set in (“Anni di Piombo”) northeastern workshops began supplying well-made niche goods at cutthroat prices. In grey towns where the only thing of beauty might be the villa of an absentee landlord, the northeasterners had nothing to do but work. And work they did, slowly becoming the most powerful force in Italian industry. [[note]] In 2003, the provinces of Padova, Treviso and Venezia had a GDP greater than that of Argentina. [[/note]] Now, every square mile of land east of Milan is packed with small family run firms. Oftentimes the CEO is the father, the CFO is the mother, the product designer is the daughter and the chief salesman is the son. [[note]] (The actual factory work has been taken over by North African immigrants) [[/note]]

Sadly, Venice itself, once the chief city of the region, is now reduced to a sort of historical Disneyland. From a population high of 250,000 in the 1950’s [[note]] (and over a half million in the Renaissance) [[/note]] today the city only counts some 20,000 inhabitants (the official population is much higher, as suburban towns keep getting annexed to the city’s jurisdiction so tax revenue can stay stable).

->ONCE did she hold the gorgeous East in fee;\\

Of that which once was great is pass'd away.
-->-- '''Creator/WilliamWordsworth''', ''On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic.''

[[folder: Venetian Terraferma (Padua, Verona, et al)]]

The stereotype in the Italian consciousness for northeasterners is that they are uneducated workaholics who bring along their wielding tools when they go on vacation one week a year (usually to the Caribbean or Maldives, but always in the wrong season). Typically, a northeastern entrepreneur as represented in the media will continuously vote for the Northern League, (“Lega Nord”) denouncing southerners and immigrants as lazy good-for-nothings, oblivious to the fact that he exclusively employs immigrants and southerners in his factory.

Venice grew until it became a small [[TheEmpire empire]] manipulating UsefulNotes/TheCrusades to its benefit, most famously when it particpated the sack of [[UsefulNotes/{{Istanbul}} Constantinople]] during the Fourth Crusade. This brought Venice to its height. It was about then that Creator/MarcoPolo made his famous expedition.

By the end of the 10th century, Venice was renowned far and wide for their acumen as [[ProudMerchantRace merchants]] and their expertise in the fields of navigation, ship construction, and naval warfare. It was also known for its mastery of the the medieval version of cutting edge technology, most famously its glass manufacturing, and for "the Arsenal" - a navy yard which could, on word from the Senate, make ''hundreds'' of galleys ready for battle in a few weeks.

In later times the growth of gigantic [[TheEmpire Empires]] like the Ottomans and the Habsburgs forced Venice into a decline, and the discovery of the New World hurt its trade. Venice was able to survive by its cunning and its Navy, which was still feared. However, it slowly declined and developed a reputation more in keeping with modern associations than with war galleys and [[IntrepidMerchant intrepid merchants]]. Its final end as an independent state was something of an anticlimax, when UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte, while campaigning in Italy, extinguished it as sort of an afterthought. At that time the state of Venice had something of a reputation as a DecadentCourt, though it is hard to tell how much of that was propaganda.

After UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, Venice became part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Later, in 1866, it became joined with UsefulNotes/{{Italy}}, where it remains to this day. Nowadays it is a popular tourist destination, famous around the world for its masks and the splendor of Carnival. During the UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic in 2020, with no more cruise ships or motor boating operating on the lagoon, the quarantine rendered the waters of the city's canals clear again for the first time in ages.

Ah, ''Venezia'', the famed CityOfCanals, the haunt of lovers, and of beauty. The ''Serenissima'', the Jewel of the Adriatic. Well, that's not all it was. The fact is that Venice was one of the most successful states in Europe, with a history of independence spanning over a thousand years. In its heyday, it was powerful enough to stand up to empires much larger than itself, thanks to its centuries-long dominance of trade in the Mediterranean as well as cunning and diplomacy.