Why did Venice become a naval superpower? Venice became a naval superpower because of its position, its shipbuilding industry, and its control of trade between Europe and Asia.
When we think of Venice these days, we think of a city floating on stilts in the Venetian Lagoon. We think of tourists reclining in gondolas on the canals, and we think of the havoc caused by giant cruise ships and the millions of tourists who visit every year. We do not think about how powerful Venice once was. However, between the 12th and the 15th centuries, Venice was one of the most powerful maritime nations in the world and extremely wealthy. How did that happen?
Venice traditionally dates the beginning of its republic to 697, when the first doge is said to have come to power. Venice was unusual in having an elected ruler, and this probably goes some way toward explaining how it became so powerful. From its early days, Venice was a trading nation, and the merchants understood that they would have more control if they elected their own leader. Several different rulers attempted to dominate the city, so Venice turned more and more of its attention to shipbuilding and defense.
Venice’s approach to shipbuilding was very pragmatic. When most countries wanted to add ships to their navy, they turned to private contractors. These contractors would produce the ship, but quality could differ greatly and all of the ships were slightly different. When Venice began to build ships on a much larger scale, it set up a state-run shipyard called the Venetian Arsenal. This gave it the ability to allocate resources and to standardize its ships. They were built on an early assembly-line system, with different parts of the ships being made in different places before being assembled. This standardization allowed for interchangeable parts, which meant the ships could be repaired more quickly if they were damaged. At its peak, the Venetian Arsenal may have been able to turn out ships at an astonishing speed in times of emergency. Venice also innovated and changed the designs of its ships. It built vessels that could both sail and row so that they could be used in different types of weather and water. By 1450, Venice had thousands of vessels in its wider fleet.
The second thing that helped Venice was its location on a lagoon. Venice is built on islands in the Venetian Lagoon, which connects to the Adriatic Sea. That gave the city both protection and direct access to maritime trade. From the Adriatic, Venetian ships could sail south into the Mediterranean, then through the Dardanelles and the Bosporus to reach the Black Sea. Being so closely tied to the sea made it natural for Venice to become a shipbuilding and trading power.
The third reason that Venice became a naval superpower is tied to trade. In the 13th century, when Venice was becoming more powerful, one of the great routes by which Asian goods reached Europe passed through Constantinople and the straits. The Bosporus is a natural strait that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles then lead out into the Mediterranean. A huge amount of trade came out of Asia along the Silk Road, where goods could be loaded onto ships in the Black Sea and sailed on to Europe, often more efficiently than by land alone. Whoever controlled the seas controlled the trade, and whoever controlled Constantinople had enormous influence over this route. Constantinople was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and in 1204 Venice and its allies captured it during the Fourth Crusade. They only held it for about 60 years, but that gave Venice extraordinary influence over eastern trade, which brought in an enormous amount of money. To protect that trade and keep the sea lanes open, Venice needed better ships. And when it had armed, highly maneuverable ships that could sail from the Black Sea to the Adriatic, it could keep the trade flowing. More trade meant more money, which meant more ships, and more ships meant more trade. Venice became one of the most powerful seafaring nations and one of the most powerful trading nations in Europe.
Venice kept its navy and its position as one of the gatekeepers of eastern trade until Portuguese sailors showed that it was possible to reach India by sailing around the bottom of Africa. Going by sea opened up a new route for spices and luxury goods, and ships could carry far more than caravans over land. As the old overland and eastern Mediterranean trade routes lost some of their importance, Venice’s power faded with them. And this is what I learned today.
Sources
https://www.visit-venice-italy.com/history/navy-venice-italy.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_the_Republic_of_Venice
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice
https://warhistory.org/@msw/article/navy-of-venice
Photo by Bianka Bécsi: https://www.pexels.com/photo/picturesque-venetian-canal-with-gondola-and-colorful-buildings-33573528/