Viewing Venice
Features
Essence
Time Line
Peace & Quiet
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8th century BC The Veneti and Euganei tribes are the first to settle in the lagoon area. 3rd century BC Veneto conquered by the Romans. 402 Alaric the Goth sacks Altinium; its inhabitants flee to the lagoon, guided by a vision of the Virgin. 421 Venice traditionally founded on 25 April, St Mark's Day. 453 Attila the Hun sacks Aquileia, prompting another exodus of refugees to the lagoon. 466 Lagoon's settlements elect 'maritime tribunes' to govern. 697 Maritime tribunes appoint the first Doge (leader) of Venice - Paoluccio Anafesto. 814 First Venetian coins minted; work begins on Doges' Palace. 828 Venetian merchants steal the relics of St Mark from Alexandria. 829 Work commences on the Basilica di San Marco. 1000 'The Marriage to the Sea' ceremony is inaugurated to celebrate Doge Pietro Orseolo II's defeat of Dalmatian pirates in the Adriatic. 1094 Basilica di San Marco is consecrated. 1095 Venice provides ships for the First Crusade. 1204 Venice sacks Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade and acquires much of the former Byzantine Empire. 1271 Marco Polo leaves Venice for the Far East. 1348 The Black Death kills half the population. 1380 The Battle of Chioggia: Venice defeats the Genoese, thereby proving its unrivalled maritime supremacy in both Adriatic and Mediterranean. 1406 Venice defeats Padua and Verona to lay the foundations of a mainland empire. 1450 Venice's power reaches its height. 1453 Constantinople falls to the Turks, ending Venice's trading privileges. 1514 Fire destroys the original timber Rialto bridge. 1571 Venice loses Cyprus to the Turks but Battle of Lepanto is decisive victory for the western fleet, including Venice. 1669 Venice loses Crete to the Turks. 1718 Surrender of Morea to the Turks marks the end of the Venetian maritime empire. 1752 Completion of sea walls protecting the lagoon entrances. 1797 Napoleon invades Italy; the last doge abdicates and the Venetian Republic comes to an end. 1814 Following Napoleon's defeat Venice and the Veneto are ceded to Austria. 1846 Rail causeway links Venice to the mainland for the first time. 1848 First Italian War of Independence. Venice revolts against Austrian rule. 1866 Venice joins a united Italy. 1881 Venice becomes the second largest port in Italy after Genoa. 1895 First Biennale art exhibition. 1902 The Campanile in Piazza San Marco collapses (rebuilt by 1912). 1932 First Venice Film Festival. 1960 Venice airport opens. 1966 Floods cause devastation. UNESCO launches its 'Save Venice' appeal. 1973 Laws passed to reduce pollution, subsidence and flooding. 1978 Patriarch Luciani of Venice elected Pope John Paul I, but dies 33 days later. 1983 Venice officially stops sinking (after extraction of underground water is prohibited). 1988 Work begins on the lagoon's flood barrier. 1995 Centenary of Biennale Exhibition. 1996 La Fenice opera house is destroyed by fire.
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