Origin of Venice
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Ursus Hypatos — third and first doge of Venice
Ursus Hypatos was the third doge of Venice, likely the first chosen locally, but we have almost no sources for him.
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The letters of Cassiodorus
The earliest written source related to the inhabitants of the Venetian lagoons, is a letter from Cassiodorus, written in 537.
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The demise of the Exarchate
The events around the demise of the Exarchate of Ravenna only involved the Venetians marginally. It is nevertheless important to the history of Venice.
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The Exarchate and the Papacy
Venetia existed within the Exarchate of Ravenna, as part of the Byzantine Empire, and what happened in the Exarchate mattered to Venetia.
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Marcellus — Byzantine or Venetian?
The second doge of Venice, Marcellus, might not have been a Venetian duke, but a Byzantine official.
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The Dogado and the first doges
Venice started as a Byzantine duchy, ruled by a “dux”, but at some point, they started choosing their own dux — or doge. When, or even who, is not clear.