Venice’s neighbours on all sides were in various stages of turmoil by the early 1070s. To understand the impact of all this on our little independent maritime Republic, we need to pull the camera back a little and examine this sea of troubles that all of her neighbours seemed resolutely determined to stir up or swim in. The century is boiling up towards a dramatic climax and Venice needs to be ready for anything. This week, we map out the nexus of forces that are shifting the tectonic plates of Mediterranean power.

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

For a deeper dive into the various strands of international politics that we examine this week, we recommend listening to some other independent history podcasts which have covered this era from different perspectives:

History of Byzantium: https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/

A History of Italy: https://ahistoryofitaly.com/

History of the Germans: https://historyofthegermans.com/

British History Podcast: https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/

In the spring of 1071, Venice celebrated the appointment of a new Doxe*. And for the first time we have a surviving eye witness account of the event. Today we look at how that election of 1071 went down, and what Domenico Tino’s account tells us about the society that his namesake, new Doxe Domenico Selvo, was now in charge of.

*For the time being we’ve adopted an old Venetian spelling, since the more standard “Doge” currently has other unfortunate connotations.

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

After a quick recap of Venice’s ups and downs in the 1020s and early 1030s, we watch the city continue to navigate a delicate diplomatic route between her powerful neighbours. With peace and stability returning to the city, renewed trading wealth brings an outburst of church building, including the jewel in the crown, the Basilica of San Marco, which begins to take its final shape under Doxe Domenico Contarini starting in 1061. There may be ominous signs of trouble ahead in the wider world, but for now the city is making money while the sun shines.

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All music is used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

18-year-old Casanova has a job offer as an assistant Bishop (Assistant to the Bishop, that is). But before he can take his first step on this road to the fame, fortune and social prestige that surely await him in a glittering church career, he is desperate to take revenge on his enemy, Antonio Razzetta. Once that is accomplished, he faces a lengthy journey to the south of Italy, which will involve poor decision-making, a couple of bouts of venereal disease, some very dubious company, and a steep learning curve in how to navigate his way through a world of tricksters and charlatans. But at the end of it all, his new life awaits him. Find out how he copes as we conclude this two-parter on his transition from teenager to adult.

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All music used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org.

At the age of 17, Casanova suddenly lost his grandmother, his house, and his chief patron / stand-in father figure. Feeling rootless, he started to lash out and ended up being sent to a seminary in an attempt to keep him on the straight and narrow. This was a predictably terrible idea. But help was on the way, in the unlikely shape of a Bishop who would soon take Casanova away and set him on the road to a brilliant career in the Church. Young Giacomo even dreamt of becoming Pope one day. Don't hold your breath on that one, though. Join us as we follow the ups and downs of one of the 18th century's great adventurers.

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All music used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org.

A slighty different episode this week, as we do an outside broadcast from Venice. We look at the sights and sounds of Campo San Barnaba, in Dorsoduro. Like almost anywhere in Venice, you don't have to look very far beneath the surface to discover a rich tapestry of historical stories.

To find Campo San Barnaba when you're in Venice, take the Vaporetto No. 1 to Ca Rezzonico, then walk one minute down the Calle del Traghetto.

To see whereabouts it is relative to other sights, try this link on Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8obEPfETxZzuTz2k6

For more information, look for History of Venice Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.

All music used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

St Theodore, or Tòdaro, stands on a crocodile-dragon at the top of one of the two huge columns on the picture-postcard San Marco waterfront. He’s usually described as the original patron saint of Venice, before the arrival of St Mark. But what’s the story behind the man himself, his very unusual statue, and his connection with a city that he never went anywhere near in life? This week we investigate the crocodile-slaying saint.

https://histvenicepod.podbean.com/

All music used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

After last week's adventures with Patriarch Poppo, we go back to look at what was happening inside Venice. Neither a fully fledged hereditary state nor a recognisable Republic, the city's future political structures could go in either direction. But as internal divisions abound and external pressures multiply, the city emerges from the crucible of the 1020s with a clearer view of her future political direction, and the stage is set for the trailblazing Republic that she will become.

https://histvenicepod.podbean.com/

All music used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

Venice was moving confidently into the new millennium when we last checked in on her. But with a powerful and resurgent Holy Roman Empire on her doorstep, danger lurks around every corner. When the ambitious and amusingly named Patriarch Poppo turns up just across the border in Friuli, the city's ongoing independence hangs by a thread, as the unresolved conflict between the rival Archbishoprics of Aquileia and Grado descends into murder, rape, and pillage.

https://histvenicepod.podbean.com/

All music used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org 

Casanova's reputation is often more of a hindrance than a help in understanding the character of the man himself. In the third part of our series marking the 300th anniversary of the birth of Venice's most notorious son, we look at his formative teenage years. Giacomo is back in his home city, with minimal parental supervision. The highs and lows of his experiences, and the habits and attitudes that he picks up from the people he interacts with, will be crucial influences on the adult that he later becomes. 

https://histvenicepod.podbean.com/

All music is used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org