Collaborazione Storica
Collaborazione per la parte storica
dell'Associazione Amici Dell'Aeroporto G. Nicelli Elaborazione testi e selezione
immagini a cura di Bruno Delisi e di Franco Briganti. Si ringraziano per la
disponibilità gli archivi Aerofan, Caproni, Briganti, Klinger, Morandi e OAN
Rondinella/Nicelli Logo
Pista Vista North-East
| Breve Storia di Venezia (ENGLISH) |
|
|
During the Roman era, the name Venice denoted the northeastern region of Italy, but after the
fall of the empire and particularly after the Lombard invasion (568) it came to refer to a smaller
area comprising the populated centres located on the islands in the lagoon between the Adige and
Piave rivers. Trade between the Near East and Northern European countries formed the economic basis
of these settlements.
After establishing a federation that was dependant on Byzantium, the relationship gradually weakened as Byzantium declined, until Venice eventually gained complete independence towards the end of the ninth century. The beginning of the ninth century saw the start of “Rivo alto’s” (Rialto’s) dominance over the other lagoon settlements, including Eraclea and Malamocco. This coincided with the Franks failed attempt to gain control of the islands. Once the Arab invasions had been repelled and the Croatian pirates in the Adriatic had been crushed in the year 1000, there was a period of political expansion to Istria and Dalmatia, led by a class of shipowners and merchants who had succeeded in thwarting attempts by a few families (Partecipazio, Candiano, Orseolo) to introduce the hereditary transfer of power.
In order to prevent the Otranto Canal, the obligatory route to the Orient, from being blocked and the alpine passes that were vital for trade with Northern European countries from being closed, Venice fought attempts by Normans, Suevi and Angevins to settle the Albanian and Epirote coasts, and joined the Lombard League to prevent the emperor from acquiring excessive power.
At the time of the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204), Venice constituted a vast colonial empire in the Balkan Peninsula and the Aegean that was strong enough to withstand the restoration of the Byzantine Empire (1261) but triggered a rivalry with Genoa that led to numerous naval battles, with victories alternating between sides. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, there were attempts (Baiamonte Tiepolo, 1310; Marin Faliero, 1355) to transform the oligarchic government (from 1297 it was limited to a small number of families) into a seignory; these attempts were supported by the lower classes (sailors, fishermen), but were unsuccessful. Venice then began to expand into the hinterland (particularly after the serious threat they experienced in 1378 with the War of Chioggia, when the lagoon was besieged by land and sea, surrounded by forces from a coalition formed by Hungary, Padua and Genoa) and, taking advantage of a favourable situation, conquered Veneto, Friuli, Brescia and Bergamo within a few years time. This expansion triggered a long series of wars, first with Milan and later with Florence and Ferrara.
Capturing territory in Puglia (1495) and Romagna (1503), and the error of having supported the French conquest of Milan in exchange for Cremona (1499) proved to be fatal mistakes for Venice – under the instigation of Pope Julius II, Venice was attacked by all the great European powers (League of Cambrai) and defeated by the French at Agnadello (1509), definitively ending Venice’s expansion in Italy. In the meantime, the eastern territories were lost to the Turks despite Venice’s resistance, and the discovery of America diverted maritime trade, the source of the city’s prosperity, from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.
This marked the beginning of the slow yet glorious decline of Venice, which fought against the Turks in Cyprus (1571-73) and in Heraklion (1644-86), reconquered the Morea (eighteenth century) and crushed the Barbary Corsairs at Tunis in (1784-86).
The Hapsburgs, eager to unify the Tyrol and Milan, also became mortal enemies of Venice. The Hapsburgs were only able to attain their objective with the help of Napoleon, who dissolved the Venetian Republic with the Treaty of Campo Formio (1797) and ceded it to Austria in exchange for the Duchy of Milan.
In 1805 Venice was annexed to the Neapolitan Kingdom of Italy, then returned to the Austrians in 1813 and following the Congress of Vienna became capital, along with Milan, of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Veneto .
After rising up against the Austrians in 1848 and after Daniele Manin’s proclamation of a new republic, Venice joined the Savoy monarchy on the eve of the Salasco Armistice. Venice became a republic once again and resisted Austrian forces until, after a long and fateful siege, it was defeated in August 1849.
With the Third War of Independence (1866), Venice finally became part of Italy.
After establishing a federation that was dependant on Byzantium, the relationship gradually weakened as Byzantium declined, until Venice eventually gained complete independence towards the end of the ninth century. The beginning of the ninth century saw the start of “Rivo alto’s” (Rialto’s) dominance over the other lagoon settlements, including Eraclea and Malamocco. This coincided with the Franks failed attempt to gain control of the islands. Once the Arab invasions had been repelled and the Croatian pirates in the Adriatic had been crushed in the year 1000, there was a period of political expansion to Istria and Dalmatia, led by a class of shipowners and merchants who had succeeded in thwarting attempts by a few families (Partecipazio, Candiano, Orseolo) to introduce the hereditary transfer of power.
In order to prevent the Otranto Canal, the obligatory route to the Orient, from being blocked and the alpine passes that were vital for trade with Northern European countries from being closed, Venice fought attempts by Normans, Suevi and Angevins to settle the Albanian and Epirote coasts, and joined the Lombard League to prevent the emperor from acquiring excessive power.
At the time of the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204), Venice constituted a vast colonial empire in the Balkan Peninsula and the Aegean that was strong enough to withstand the restoration of the Byzantine Empire (1261) but triggered a rivalry with Genoa that led to numerous naval battles, with victories alternating between sides. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, there were attempts (Baiamonte Tiepolo, 1310; Marin Faliero, 1355) to transform the oligarchic government (from 1297 it was limited to a small number of families) into a seignory; these attempts were supported by the lower classes (sailors, fishermen), but were unsuccessful. Venice then began to expand into the hinterland (particularly after the serious threat they experienced in 1378 with the War of Chioggia, when the lagoon was besieged by land and sea, surrounded by forces from a coalition formed by Hungary, Padua and Genoa) and, taking advantage of a favourable situation, conquered Veneto, Friuli, Brescia and Bergamo within a few years time. This expansion triggered a long series of wars, first with Milan and later with Florence and Ferrara.
Capturing territory in Puglia (1495) and Romagna (1503), and the error of having supported the French conquest of Milan in exchange for Cremona (1499) proved to be fatal mistakes for Venice – under the instigation of Pope Julius II, Venice was attacked by all the great European powers (League of Cambrai) and defeated by the French at Agnadello (1509), definitively ending Venice’s expansion in Italy. In the meantime, the eastern territories were lost to the Turks despite Venice’s resistance, and the discovery of America diverted maritime trade, the source of the city’s prosperity, from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.
This marked the beginning of the slow yet glorious decline of Venice, which fought against the Turks in Cyprus (1571-73) and in Heraklion (1644-86), reconquered the Morea (eighteenth century) and crushed the Barbary Corsairs at Tunis in (1784-86).
The Hapsburgs, eager to unify the Tyrol and Milan, also became mortal enemies of Venice. The Hapsburgs were only able to attain their objective with the help of Napoleon, who dissolved the Venetian Republic with the Treaty of Campo Formio (1797) and ceded it to Austria in exchange for the Duchy of Milan.
In 1805 Venice was annexed to the Neapolitan Kingdom of Italy, then returned to the Austrians in 1813 and following the Congress of Vienna became capital, along with Milan, of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Veneto .
After rising up against the Austrians in 1848 and after Daniele Manin’s proclamation of a new republic, Venice joined the Savoy monarchy on the eve of the Salasco Armistice. Venice became a republic once again and resisted Austrian forces until, after a long and fateful siege, it was defeated in August 1849.
With the Third War of Independence (1866), Venice finally became part of Italy.
