Venice
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Main sources for early Venice
A summary of the main primary sources for the early history of Venice, and where to find them.
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Liber Pontificalis — John III
The “Liber Pontificalis” on how a Byzantine general invited the Lombards to come and possess Italy, if they pleased.
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Did Narses invite the Lombards?
Why did the Lombards decide to invade Byzantine Italy in 568? A popular story was the Byzantine general Narses, who had just retaken Italy for the empire, invited them. Was Narses a traitor to the empire?
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The Lombard Invasion
The Lombard invasion of Byzantine Italy in 568 was a pivotal event in Venetian history, as it kicked off the movement towards a distinct Venetian society, culture and, ultimately, state.
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Pliny the Elder on Venetia
Excerpts related to “Venetia” and the “Veneti” from the “Naturalis Historia” by Pliny the Elder (1st century)
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The invasion of Venetia — Paul the Deacon
The Lombard invasion of Venetia in 568 — from “Historia Langobardorum” by Paul the Deacon.
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Alboin and Rosamund — Paul the Deacon
A royal marriage and its tragic end, between Alboin, king of the Lombards, and Rosamund, a Gepid princess.
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Gentildonne — Noblewomen — Grevembroch 1-136
“Gentildonne” (Noblewomen) from the Gli abiti de veneziani (1754) by Giovanni Grevembroch, translated by René Seindal.
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The Justinian plague — Paul the Deacon
An account of the bubonic plague in Italy — also called the Justinian plague — from “Historia Langobardorum” by Paul the Deacon.
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The “Historia Langobardorum” by Paul the Deacon
The “Historia Langobardorum” is the oldest chronicle relevant to the history of Venice. It probably dates to the 780s or 790s.