Long-Distance Trade In Venice: 1500-1914 Essay

Introduction

Being one of the most beautiful cities in the world that attracts the attention of a number of tourists, Venice is also considered as one of the main Italian cities the development of which defines the history of the country and the idea of international relationships. The peculiar feature of Venice is that it is known as a free city and may become home for people in need. In comparison to other Italian cities as well as the cities of other countries, Venice is the place that has been never subjugated (Sanderson-Chambers, Fletcher, and Pullan 4). Such power and free will may be based on the fact that the city was built by Christians because of a burning necessity and fear but not because of the desire to create an independent city and believe in the idea of voluntary actions. Trade is one of the spheres the citizens of Venice have been really good at for a long period of time. The reasons why the success in trade is inherent to the city may be predetermined by different factors: an appropriate location, confident political and economic activities, and the ability to develop good relations with different countries like Egypt, Syria, and some representatives of Southeast Asia or Europe. The analysis of the trade period between 1500 and 1914 will show that each century was a new triumph in the sphere of Venetian trade. Its citizens did not find their success as the final destination of their possibilities, this is why merchants wanted to find new ways to develop long-distance trade and make use of each idea and possibility available to them. The results of such aspirations were evident: at the beginning of 1914, the economic base of Venice was all about tourism and trade.

The period between 1500 and 1914 shows how successful the development of one particular sphere may be in case the citizens make use of each possibility considering its geography and a number of environmental factors; Venice is the city that serves as a powerful example of how to become a flourishing trade center and unite the countries of Western Europe with the rest of the world; the location of the city is probably the main key to its success as the city was ready to defend itself and continue developing the relations with different countries, this is why some political, economic, or even religious problems were not as influential in Venice as they were in other countries.

Peculiarities of Venice Location and Its Impact on Trade

Venice is located in the Northern part of Italy and occupies the eastern coast of the region (Englekirk v-2). The peculiar feature of the city is that its bigger part is submerged in water. Such location provides the Venetians with a number of advantages over other Italian cities and one of them is to get a connection with any trading port in the world. Venice is probably one of the most famous lagoons connected to the Adriatic Sea. For some period of time, many countries did not find Venice as their main competitor in any sphere of business because it was hard to imagine how people were able to live under the conditions when water became the only ground. However, this location was that desirable key to Venice success and recognition:

This city, amidst the billowing waves of the sea, stands on the crest of the main, almost like a queen restraining its force. It is situated in saltwater and built there, because before there were just lagoons, and then, wanting to expand, the firm ground was needed for the building of places and houses. (Sanderson-Chambers, Fletcher, and Pullan 4)

Such a physical environment as lagoons provided the citizens with an amazing possibility to protect themselves from a variety of attacks with were based on the desire to get more land and subjugate more people. Venetians controlled each piece of their land and did not allow an enemy to spend much time at one place as it “already had an active fleet of over 3,500 units, an Arsenal with 16,000 specialized laborers” (Aa. Vv. Collective 10). Many conquerors couldn’t unite all cities in Italy, and the canals of Venice turned out to be the major element of the required protection.

Importance of the Historical Perspective in Venice

Until the 15^th century, Venice was known as the country that was ruled by a number of capable leaders who tried to look forward and use their talents in different spheres of life. What the leaders did was the implementation of the strategies which were based on the location of Venice. They did not find it obligatory to develop some economic or political ideas in order to achieve recognition and success on the world arena. Before the 16^th century, the main goal was to protect its own land and not allow other empires and countries to annex Venice. Though some trade battles were lost by Venice before the 16^th century (e.g. pepper trade was not as successful as Venetians thought it to be), the city did not lose hope to achieve more benefits in other types of the trade like salt or textile trades (Crouzet-Pavan and Cochrane 82).

Evaluation of the Political Situation in Venice

The beginning of the 16^th century was probably one of the most terrible periods in the history of Venice. It was the beginning of the decline; the city was not able to protect its lands, and the power of the papacy was huge indeed. Certain attacks from France as well as the attacks from Turkey were destructive for Venice. The power of merchants that were spread over Venice was not as successful as well-planned as the power of the leaders from other countries who could not stand anymore the idea of Venice’s long-distance trade in the world. Though the country couldn’t resist the powers of different countries, the leaders made decisions to sign peaceful treaties to save their territories and get more chances to develop their trade industry. The enterprising spirit of Venetians encouraged them to take the actions to prove that there were some other aspects to pay attention to. In other words, the loss of the political will of Venice did not make the city forget about the sources available for its citizens but did make it focus on trade and tourism as the two main industries which could be appreciated by many other countries.

Establishment of Long-Distance Trade by the Venetians

As it has been already mentioned, the location of the city was the key factor to success in the establishment of trade relations between Venice and other countries. Evident leading power within the Adriatic Sea promoted the development of tread relations. Despite certain political difficulties based on the 16^th-century wars for lands, Venice continued making attempts to create appropriate conditions for their trading activities. It has been already known as one of the biggest trading powers in the world; still, not all countries were confident that the conflicts with Turkey and France may decrease the level of trade quality. Still, it was the sphere of trade where Venice prospered. Venetian merchants continued developing monopolies. It is necessary to admit that unbelievable success in the manufacturing of silk and some woolen textiles. Venice saw that it still had the industries which could be developed, this is why there was a reason to establish better conditions for trade development and involve such powerful empires like the Ottomans in using Venetian services (Levy 13). The Ottoman Empire was not the only one who bothered the lands of Venice; a number of merchants from the Netherland wanted to gain the same recognition and occupied the territory during the last decades of the 16^th century (van Gelder 4).

Trade Peculiarities in Venice: 1500-1914

Without any doubt, the most recognizable feature of the Venetian trade industry is the possibility use water waves as the safest and the most successful means. There are 177 canals in the lagoon which serve as roads for merchants. Water roads seem to be an effective means to transport more goods and deliver them to any part of the world that has a connection to the Adriatic Sea.

To take the highest positions in the trade industry, Venice focuses on several productions at the same time: trades in spices, salt, silk, cotton, and a variety of woolen textiles help to enjoy the required exchange of some eastern goods which are in demand among the Italian citizens (Crouzet-Pavan and Cochrane 83). In other words, Venice got a magnificent chance to control a number of luxury goods that were obligatory for Asian and European countries. As soon as species and textiles were delivered to different parts of the world, Venetian merchants found it possible to distribute Italian fine art and some crafts like painting or sculpture. It was easy to find another new object for trade; this is why Venice wanted to use its trading skills and relations in order not to lose the already gained fame.

Different Periods Introduce Different Conditions for Venetian Trade

In a variety of sources where the history of Venice is evaluated, the researchers admit that Venice is one of the cities that demonstrated unbelievable passion for the development of the trade industry. It seemed that Venice did not want to have successful political relations or develop other spheres of business. All the Venetians wanted was their successful trade with different countries and the possibility to develop the tourism industry to promote the good among the tourists. The period between 1500 and 1914 had several significant dates and events, this is why it is better to evaluate each century separately regarding particular political and economic conditions.

The 1500s in Venetian Trade

At the beginning of the 1500s, Venice was regarded as the only independent state where religious or political influences did not perform an important role. Such independence promoted the development of the sphere of trade in a variety of ways. The main activities of Venetian merchants were trading fish and salt to other Italian cities, the towns along the coast, and several ports around the Mediterranean Sea. The idea to develop long-distance trade was predetermined by the necessity to get some eastern products for the citizens of Venice; this is why certain attention was paid to the creation of special maritime transport to deliver as many goods as possible. Unfortunately, the beginning of the 1500s was not as successful as the previous years; in addition to the constant competition with another Italian city, Genoa, Venice should consider the ultimatums which came from France and Turkey.

During this period of time, Venetian trade underwent considerable changes as certain attention had to be paid to the political conflicts of the country. As soon as the Italian League was formed by Nicholas V to balance the power between the five greatest cities of Italy (which were Milan, Florence, Naples, the Papal States, and Venice), Venice could not understand why the majority of the cities were eager to accept the control over their activities. As a result of several fights and specially developed political programs, in the middle of the 1500s Venice was the only state that contained independent power. Of course, such necessity to fight against someone to prove personal rights made Venice decrease the levels of long-distance trade and start searching for the countries as the trade with the East was not available for the citizens. However, at the same time, inabilities to continue trading resulted in the possibility to focus on other activities like painting and sculpturing which soon became beneficial goods for trade.

The 1600s in Venetian Trade

At the end of the 1500s, a 6-year patent was given to Venice by Elizabeth I that promoted free transportation of currants, vine, and even oil from Venice to the countries through the Adriatic Sea during the 1600s. However, the Venetian government tried to control trade relations developed by merchants, this is why, in 1625, new taxes on oil were introduced (Shaw 112). Such innovations change the development of trade at that period, as many ships found it cheaper to use other ports of Italy to earn still save some money on taxes. In addition to the already developed crisis in the city, the idea to set new taxes did not seem to be successful, still, it was another challenge for Venetian merchants to overcome. Within a short period, foreign ships chose Zante as the main source for transporting currant, and Venice lost a lot as well. The only appropriate way out was to create some new ideas for the goods available to merchants. What they offered was to use only olive oil in soap manufacturing. The second half of the century was based on the idea that the textile industry, as well as the soap industry, had to use oil, and Venice offered reasonable prices instead. At the same time, Venetian merchants continued selling woolen goods and introduce new aspects of their relations with Asian and European countries.

The 1700s in Venetian Trade

The beginning of the 1700s was an important period in the history of Venice as well as the whole 18^th century. Turkey declared war on Venice as a result of which several lands were lost for Venice. Trade-in Venice was influenced by the development of a new port on English lands called Livorno. Within a short period of time, this port became the center of long-distance trade in addition to the already developed free port in the Papal Town. The Adriatic Sea was not a successful place for the development of trade relations for Venice anymore. The situation was worsened as soon as the pirates appeared near the coast. The outcomes were terrible for Venice – the Republic was dead, and there was no opportunity to change the situation. The vast majority of merchants were not sure whether their trade relations could be as successful when the Republic was alive. Venetians were at loss, and they were not even able to think about ways of how to continue developing and supporting their industries. However, the citizens did not want to stop their activities, this is why despite political instability in the city, such spheres like art flourished considerably so that merchants could benefit from the numerous works of art created by the Venetians.

The 1800s in Venetian Trade

The political changes in Venice were considerable: now, this city was given to Austria under the ruling of which trade, as well as many other industries, could not be developed in a good way. The 19^th century was the period when Venetian trade was defined by the current power in the city. First, it was Austria who took control of the city, then Napoleon gained power for several years, still, his defeat turned Venice to Austria for several years more. However, in the middle of the century, the revolution took place as a result of which Venice became independent again. Finally, the Third Italian War of Independence made the city of Venice a part of the new kingdom of Italy. It was evident that such political instability and the necessity to protect personal rights slowed down the development of trade in Venice. Not many countries were eager to cooperate with the city where power was not stable. Fortunately, the quality of woolen goods was high enough, this is why Venice always had something to offer to support long-distance trade in some way. At the end of the century, when it was clear who ruled the city, Venice flourished considerably as a port and a successful manufacturing center.

The 1900s in Venetian Trade

The first decade of the 20^th century was rather successful for Venetian trade in comparison to the previous two centuries. First, there was no pressure to protect its land and focus on the political regime dictated by the foreigners. The point is that Venice proved how powerful and prospectus the city could be, this is why many countries suffered because of constant revolutions and war for lands and which needed quality products for development. Venice was ready to reorganize its long-distance trade. As a result of the Third War of Independence, the Adriatic Sea was free from pirates. Though the sources admitted that pirates could never leave the Adriatic Sea, it was proved that pirates did not find it necessary to attack the ships with products and food delivered from Venice.

The only unpleasant aspect during that period was the fact that Venice was sinking; however, the merchants admitted the possibility to develop their trading ways. The vast majority of people involved in the trade industry admitted that Venice has been one of the most successful places for the development of different industries, and the attention to trade affairs was the most beneficial decision for the Venetians. However, at the beginning of 1914, Italy was involved in the war. Being nominally allied with such countries as Germany and Austria, Italy chose the Allies in 1915.

Conclusion

In general, trade-in Venice was predetermined by a variety of economic, political, and religious factors, still, the most influential one is considered to be the geographic location of the city. A chance to create a trade monopoly in the city was used in the 9^th century and lasted until the 15^th century. The geographic location has a number of benefits for the city: first, it was possible to control any kinds of attacks for a long time; second, the access to the Adriatic Sea made it possible to develop maritime industry and deliver goods around the whole world; and finally, being the city in the northern part of Italy, Venice is regarded as the only successful economic connection between the East and the West. Though much attention is paid to the successful physical environment, it is also necessary to admit that properly organized activities of the political leaders of the city played an important role in the development of trade in Venice as well. This is why talking about Venetian trade and regarding Venice as one of the most successful trade centers in history, a number of factors and human achievements should be taken into consideration because the success of one industry is usually predetermined by the successful organization of all spheres of life in the city.

Works Cited

Aa.Vv. Collective. Art and History: Venice. Firenze, Italy: Casa Editrice Bonechi, 2007.

Crouzet-Pavan, Elisabeth and Cochrane, Lydia. Venice Triumphant: The Horizons of a Myth. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005.

Englekirk, Robert. Appreciating Italy. Carlsbad, CA: Englekirk Publishing, 2007.

Levy, Avigdor. Jews, Turks, Ottomans: A Shared History, Fifteenth through the Twentieth Century. New York: Syracuse University Press, 2002.

Sanderson-Chambers, David, Fletcher, Jennifer, and Pullan, Brian. Venice: A Documentary History, 1450-1630. Cambridge: Blackwell Publishers, 2004.

Shaw, James, E. The Justice of Venice: Authorities and Liberties in the Urban Economy, 1550-1700. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Van Gelder, Maartje. Trading Places: The Netherlandish Merchants in Early Modern Venice. Leiden: BRILL, 2009.