The maelstrom of Mediterranean chaos that we described last week comes crashing into Venice, with the Investiture Controversy raging on her doorstep and the terrifying Robert Guiscard threatening to destroy the city’s oldest and most stable ally, the Eastern Roman Empire. The city will need wisdom, skill, and some well timed good fortune, but in the end Venice will emerge from this moment of peril stronger than ever, laying the foundations for a future golden age of commerce and prosperity.

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Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org