The fabulous city Venice emerged in 421. Many people could doubt it but you should agree that it’s not nice to begin the chronology of one of the greatest cities of the world with words “approximately” and “about” – not as nice as to an exact date of birth. So let us, people not having any direct relation to history, accept this date, sacred for every lover of everything beautiful, as the year of Venice’s birth. Historians say that the first data about settlements on the swampy islands of the lagoon (Rivoalto, Malamocco, Chioggia etc.), hardly suitable for conscious being, are dated by 452. Well, let us accept these figures too.

At this very time the exhausted Roman Empire was raided repeatedly by bloodthirsty and merciless barbarians – Huns and other vermin under the command of the rigorous warrior Atilla. That made the inhabitants of North Italy seek refuge on savage islands of the Adriatic. It turned out to be a fairly good place to live and, as we find out later, even more than just good.

New settlers began to fish, keep household and by 466 they came to an agreement to establish first Venetian government – a council of representatives from each of the 12 villages. Two more centuries later the perilous situation in the lagoon forced the inhabitants to elect the supreme ruler, - doge in Venetian (doge from the Latin dux – leader, duce), duca in Italian. At the same time Venice stayed formally dependent on the Roman Empire - not the Western that had been ravaged in the end of the 5th century but the Eastern, that is Byzantium.

Byzantine influence on Italy began to lessen and when in 810 Venice was unsuccessfully attacked by the army of Franks, the islanders morally rallied and began to actively separate themselves from Byzantium.

The administration centre of the lagoon was transferred to the safest group of islands – Rivoalto. In 829 two Venetian merchants went to Alexandria, stole St. Mark’s relics from there and brought them to the islands and the natives had pleasure to barter Byzantine-imposed patron St. Theodore for the freshly-stolen, but now their own St. Mark. What is more, they began to build the first Doge’s Palace and coin their own money.

When in 991 celebrated Pietro II Oseolo was elected the doge, the inhabitants of the lagoon began to successfully apply force methods. After nine years of his reign, on Ascension Day, the great doge went out into the sea with the most powerful fleet ever seen by the Adriatic and fully cleared the sea from Dalmatian pirates capturing cities that came across the campaign. This is how the territorial expansion of Venice started. The city broadened its influence on the sea and gained a foothold as the centre of world-trade.

Exotic goods from the East, fruit from the Caucasus were brought here. They sold perfumes, cosmetics, carpets, gold, slaves – resourceful Venetian merchants brought treasures and reliquiae from all over the world. Venice turned to an amazing place: a variegated crowd in the streets spoke hundreds of languages and dialects, palazzos were reigned by luxury. To the richest city suited the greatest artists and authors. Venice ordered its adorning to the supreme painters and architects. New basilicas and cathedrals were erected, typography was developed, and I the beginning of the 12th century the largest dockyard of the time – Arsenal – was raised.

The flourishing republic was ruled by a limited number of oligarchs whose names were written down into the so-called “Golden Book” – only members of their families had the right to sit at Maggior Consiglio (Grand Council), the legislating organ. The Grand Council was headed by the doge. Though his post was lifelong, it stayed elective in all centuries of the republic’s existence. Only… In 1355 doge Marine Falier tried to make his power hereditary like royal power but for that he was beheaded by his homagers.

The relations of the city with church were, so to say, not that cordial. However hard tried the Roman Popes to influence Venice’s policies, they gained nothing. Venice had self-esteem and was always resisting Vatican. The city was not once unchurched, was imposed with lists of forbidden books, was threatened with unchurching of the whole Venetian Senate but these decisions were invariably ignored and the city went on living a calm and flourishing life.

In all these years Venetian government lead a successful political play capturing more and more lucrative territories and taking advantage of the most insoluble situations and international conflicts. In the 15th century the republic already owned lands from the Alps to the Po river and to Bergamo in the West. Even Cyprus was under the reign of Venice.

But in the 15th century the Mediterranean began to come within the Turks’ occupation… Having subdued many countries The Ottoman Empire started to conquer the continental territories of Venice one after another. The republic tried to oppose, but bloody battles brought nothing but devastation and once profitable lands proceeded to the Turks.

To make things even worth, at this time adventurers livened up – in 1499 Vasco da Gama found the way to India through the Horn of Africa bypassing the trade routs traditionally forming the basis of the republic’s prosperity. The Portuguese’s discovery stroke a hard blow on the whole Venetian economics. Venice saw the years of slow decay…

In 1575 and then in 1630 the city was laid down by plague, one third of the inhabitance (including the great painter Titian) perished and all the rest people’s and monetary resources were continually pumped out by the conflict with the Turks. By 1720 the republic was practically bankrupted. It is significant that at this time the city experienced another period of the bloom of arts. Tiepollo, Canaletto, Guardi lived and worked in the city, plays of Goldoni and Gozzi were staged, “Florian” cafe opened in San Marco square.

That’s how the 18th century and the history of Venice’s independence came to an end. The bloodless city fell an easy pray of Napoleon. The invasion of French troops commemorated the end of the republic. The last doge Ludovico Manin taking off his cap worn under the crown said to his servant: “Take this away, I won’t need it anymore”.

When Napoleon saw San Marco, he said: “This square is indeed the most elegant salon of Europe”, - after which he plundered the city and ruined about forty ancient palazzos. When Napoleon’s Empire also failed Venice proceeded to Austria.

In 1828 Venice was declared the free harbor and now merchants were replaced by tourists. After Byron’s visit (who, if you please, was the main European tourist) the romance and poetry of Venetian decay came into fashion. Bohemia came to Venetian canals and bridges to find inspiration, prosperous Europeans spent summer at fashionable Lido’s beaches. The city became the place of pilgrimage for every self-respective aesthete.

Meanwhile the Venetians had a hard time being dependent on Austria and together with the whole rest Italy rebelled against the Austrian invaders. In 1866 the city became the province of the Italian kingdom.

During the II World War Venice avoided serious destructions from bombs of the allies only by a miracle. Actor Marcello Mastroianni was seized to a German labor camp, escaped from it and hid in Venice till the end of the war.

Nowadays the beautiful and poetic Venetian fairy-tale turned to a long list of historical places for an endless stream of tourists, but the number of citizens has reduced three times in the latest 50 years. Today a Venetian is a rare species: each year 1500 people leave the city because for the young hosts of the city it becomes harder and harder to find a place among the countless numbers of guests.

The history of Venice doesn’t stop here, it will last some more time but pessimistic scientists strictly limit this time saying that because of the raise of water-level in the lagoon Venice can become “Atlantis of the new millennium”.