We’ve been so focused on the dramatic events of the second half of the 12th century recently that we haven’t had much chance to look at the people who led the city of Venice through these dramatic times. Today, we reflect on the Doges from 1148 to 1192, to see whether any of them are likely to be in the conversation when we eventually reach the end of the century and pick our favourite overall. So please join us for the stories of Campanile Doge, Murdered Doge, the Doge of Peace, and Cookie Doge.

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

Byzantine chronicler Niketas Choniates tells a lurid tale of the chaos that engulfed the Empire between 1180 and 1185 -- the crucial period when the Venetian hostages were finally released. It's an extraordinary story, and it's hugely important as background for what the Venetians are going to do next. In a break from our normal format, we did this one as a chat rather than a fully scripted episode. So please sit back and relax with us as we try to navigate our way through the turmoil of Constantinople in the 1180s. It's going to be a wild ride.

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

A few episodes ago, we left thousands of Venetians languishing in makeshift Byzantine prisons. As the fires of history burned their way through the 1170s, those hostages could have been forgiven for feeling increasingly forgotten. Slowly but surely, though, Venice was working on ways to bring them home. In the end, after a seemingly interminable decade, the solution would come from the unlikely source of a mad Emperor, and an Empire that turns inwards and eats itself.

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

Approaching his 21st birthday, Casanova's fortunes are in the gutter, and his behaviour is in the sewer. After one criminal escapade too many he's lucky to still be a free man, and he needs to reform his behaviour quickly. Just a few weeks later, a chance encounter and an act of ordinary kindness prove to be the biggest turning point of his life. 

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

After Barbarossa’s defeat against the army of the Lombard League in May 1176, the search was on for a suitable location to hold peace talks between the Emperor and the Pope. And in 1177, Venice ended up being the host for this defining moment in Italian history. A century and a half later, though, the city’s chroniclers decided to embellish the story to that point that it was almost unrecognisable. We look at the truth and the fiction behind the legends of the Peace of Venice.

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

We're a few days late with our regular episode this week due to illness, but we needed to tell you about the Intelligent Speech conference, where we'll be joining a whole host of other history podcasters on Saturday 28 February 2026. 

There's an Early Bird Discount on tickets right now, but it ends soon, so if you'd like to join us online for a chat about all things Venice, head to intelligentspeechonline.com for a ticket, and use the discount code VENICE at the checkout for an extra 10% off.

We'll be back on track in a few days with our regularly scheduled episodes.

Our crossover trilogy concludes with the story of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa's Italian campaign of 1174-76. Once more, we are joined by our podcasting friends Mike (A History of Italy) and Dirk (History of the Germans) to explain how the Emperor took offence at the name of a new city and ended up in a fight for his life. The conclusion of the story will have huge implications for Venice and for European history in general.

More information about History of the Germans available here: History of the Germans Podcast • German History Podcast

More information about A History of Italy available here: A History of Italy – A podcast on the history of the Italian peninsula from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the present

You can Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

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

In the second of our Barbarossa 3-parter, we're joined again by Mike (A History of Italy) and Dirk (History of the Germans).

By the end of the 1150s, the plans of Western Emperor Frederick Barbarossa appear to be working perfectly. But within a few years, discontent is growing. Venice can't avoid getting involved when her territory is attacked from multiple directions. By the mid-1160s she is starting to finance the anti-imperial efforts of a growing number of Italian cities.

There's danger around every corner, not least in the new Venetian tradition of chasing bulls and pigs around the city, which derives from one of the events in today's story. The stage is set for a climactic showdown, which will determine the fate of Barbarossa's imperial ambitions and Venice's relationship with her nearby commercial markets. 

More information about History of the Germans available here: History of the Germans Podcast • German History Podcast

More information about A History of Italy available here: A History of Italy – A podcast on the history of the Italian peninsula from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the present

You can Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

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

We've been focused on Venice's explosive relations with Constantinople recently, but the situation on her doorstep in Italy is just as dramatic. So this week, we turn our focus to the new Western Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa. Our podcasting friends Mike (A History of Italy) and Dirk (History of the Germans) guide us through the first of three-part special, which will culminate in the momentous battle of Legnano. This week we look at the background of Barbarossa's first two Italian trips and his grand imperial ambitions.

More information about History of the Germans available here: History of the Germans Podcast • German History Podcast

More information about A History of Italy available here: A History of Italy – A podcast on the history of the Italian peninsula from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the present

You can Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

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

Thousands of ordinary Venetian merchants have suddenly been imprisoned and bankrupted by the Byzantine Emperor. The city’s leaders need to act quickly and decisively. Within months, a new fleet has been built and is sailing down the Adriatic, ready to confront Manuel Comnenos, just as a previous fleet had bullied his father into submission almost 50 years earlier. But will history repeat itself? Or are there more disasters in store for the Venetians? And what does all of that have to do with a strangely anomalous modernist hotel right at the heart of the city’s historic waterfront?

Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

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