Venetian merchants were influential financiers in Europe.

Venice became home to an extremely wealthy merchant class, who patronized renowned art and architecture along the city's lagoons. Venice achieved territorial conquests along the Adriatic Sea. However, Venice perceived Rome as an enemy and maintained high levels of religious and ideological independence personified by the Patriarch of Venice and a highly developed independent publishing industry that served as a haven from Catholic censorship for many centuries. The Venetian navy was used in the Crusades, most notably in the Fourth Crusade. It dominated trade on the Mediterranean Sea, including commerce between Europe and North Africa, as well as Asia. In subsequent centuries, the city state established a thalassocracy. In its early years, it prospered on the salt trade. Citizens spoke the still-surviving Venetian language, although publishing in (Florentine) Italian became the norm during the Renaissance. The republic grew into a trading power during the Middle Ages and strengthened this position in the Renaissance. Centered on the lagoon communities of the prosperous city of Venice, it incorporated numerous overseas possessions in modern Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Greece, Albania and Cyprus.

The Republic of Venice ( Italian: Repubblica di Venezia Venetian: RepГ№blega de VenГЁsia) or Venetian Republic ( Italian: Repubblica Veneta Venetian: RepГ№blega VГЁneta), traditionally known as La Serenissima (English: Most Serene Republic of Venice Italian: Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia Venetian: SerenГ¬sima RepГ№blega de VenГЁsia), was a sovereign state and maritime republic in parts of present-day Italy (mainly northeastern Italy) which existed for 1100 years from 697 AD until 1797 AD. Traditionally, the establishment of the Republic is, thus, dated to 697 AD.

Their existence as doges is uncorroborated by any source before the 11th century, but as Norwich suggests, is probably not entirely legendary. ^ Paolo Lucio Anafesto is traditionally the first Doge of Venice, but John Julius Norwich suggests that this may be a mistake for Paul, Exarch of Ravenna, and that the traditional second doge Marcello Tegalliano may have been the similarly named magister militum to Paul.

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