Early Venice
Venice didn’t appear out of nothing – there was something before which led to the Venice we know as the Serenissima.
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The Medieval Landscape
There were more lagoons on the coast of Venetia than what exists today, and even the lagoon landscapes were different. In fact, had it been left to nature, there would have been no lagoons today.
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Exarchs of Ravenna
An incomplete list of the Byzantine exarchs (vice-emperors) of the Exarchate of Ravenna.
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Venetian refugees
Following the Lombard invasion and conquest of Venetia, a part of the Venetian population of the mainland cities fled or left for the settlements in the nearby lagoons.
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The conquest of Venetia
The invasion of the Lombards in 568 was only the first part of the Lombard conquest of the Byzantine province of Venetia.
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The “Istoria Veneticorum” by John the Deacon
The “Istoria Veneticorum” from around the year 1000, is the first work in the historiography of Venice.
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Chronology of the Lombard invasion
A list of some of the main events of the Lombard conquest of Byzantine Venetia and other parts of Italy.
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The “Chronicon Altinate”
The “Chronicon Altinate” is one of the central medieval sources to early Venetian history, used extensively since it was written.
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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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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.