There’s something special about the place called “The Gateway to Venice.” Buildings here seem as if they haven’t changed in hundreds of years. There’s a regal spirit in the air, maybe left over from when Venice was a force to be reckoned with in the western world.
Little Venice? A force to be reckoned with? Not only that, but one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the world. How did they do it? It happened like this…
People first settled on these islands to get away from fighting on the mainland nearby. They must have had something on the ball, because they started doing pretty well for themselves. They established their own government, ruled themselves, and their warring neighbors pretty much left them alone.
And there was Little Venice…
In those days, the western world was dominated by two huge superpowers — the Carolingians, led by Charlemagne, and the Byzantines, led by Constantine. The Carolingians ruled over much of western Europe. The Byzantines ruled over the Middle East and Mediterranean coastal lands all the way to Spain. And there was little Venice, right in the middle.
Officially, Venice belonged to the Byzantine empire, but it was essentially independent. The Venetians and the Byzantines had a pact. The Venetians would keep Charlemagne in check in exchange for a Byzantine free-trade pass. Venetians were the only people in the Mediterranean who could trade without paying taxes to Constantinople.
Venice was perfectly located for trade between Europe and the Middle East. North of Venice, the Alps made east-west travel difficult. South of Venice, the most direct water route to the East began.
But there’s more to Venice’s success story than its location and tax-free status. Venetians had a well-deserved reputation for being savvy businessmen.
Two Christianities
When Constantine, the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity, left Rome and moved east, he took his religion with him. Constantinople became the center of Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
Christians who stayed in Rome eventually formed the Catholic Church. Over time, the two versions of Christianity grew further and further apart.
Even though they had their differences, in 1095, Catholics decided to team up with their Eastern Orthodox brothers to roust Infidels out of Jerusalem. Together, they’d take back Jerusalem for all Christians.
That was the 1st Crusade. It went well for the crusaders. They captured Jerusalem and a lot of other stuff in the process.
Christians staged two more Crusades over the years, but with limited success. Apparently the Crusaders’ motivation was lacking. The thrill was gone. Then came the 4th Crusade.
Pope Innocent III announced that anyone who joined the new Crusade could keep all the silver, gold, precious gems, and anything else they could find while routing the Infidels. And just like that, the motivation returned. (Imagine that!)
By this time, Muslim forces had grown stronger than ever. Muslim armies had taken back Jerusalem. Now, the core of the Muslim world was Egypt.
The 4th Crusade
The new plan was for the Crusaders to attack Egypt, take Alexandria, then work their way east to take back Jerusalem. But to reach Alexandria, the Crusaders needed boats – lots of ’em. The pope contracted with Venice to supply them. Venice agreed to provide, after one year’s time, 50 battle-ready warships.
But the Venetians’ livelihoods depended on trade, and the Byzantine Empire was half of the trade equation. They couldn’t afford to damage that relationship, so while striking the arms contract with the Europeans, Venetians were telling their friends in Egypt not to worry.
The Venetians promised to deal with the Crusaders so they wouldn’t be a problem. Venetian envoys, conferring with their Egyptian business partners must have said something like, “We’ve got your backs, amigos — just keep the gold, spices, and cotton comin’.”
Meanwhile, in Constantinople, it wasn’t just Turkish coffee that was brewing. Trouble was a-brewin’, too. Bad trouble. What trouble? Well…
To be continued…
