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The traditional date of Venice's birth is given as 25 March 421 although there is no proof. History records that the islands of the Venetian lagoon were first settled during the barbarian invasions of the 5th and 6th centuries AD, when the people of the Veneto fled the mainland to seek refuge in the marshy region. Settlement became focused on the Rivo Alto ( Rialto) as it was the highest point in the lagoon and Venice slowly evolved into a republic with the forming of a naval federation. The first of Venice's doges (chief magistrates) was elected in 697. Venice's name became inextricably linked with that of St Mark when the apostle's earthly remains were brought to Venice in 829 and laid to rest in the purpose-built St Mark's Basilica, which was consecrated in 1094. The young state prospered as the main channel for trade and the so called 100 years war with Genova was decided by the naval vistory at Chioggia in 1380 and in the 15th century the republic reached the peak of its power. In the 16th century Venice achieved its finest cultural moment. However, the Turks began making inroads into La Serenissima's Mediterranean empire, taking Cyprus in 1570 and Crete in 1669. The arrival of Napoleon in 1797 caused ther city's eventual lost to the Austrians until the city was united with the Kingdom of Italy in 1866. The city was a hive of activity during the last decades of the 19th century and under Mussolini, a road bridge was built parallel to a previous built railway bridge that united it to the mainland. |