Venice - The Timeline
- 400 ad The Goths led by Alaric invaded Northern Italy, forcing the population of the hinterland of Veneto to shelter on the lagoon islands and to settle there.
- 421 ad [21 st of March] alleged date of the foundation of Venice .
- 697 ad First Doge of Venice .
- 811 ad First foundation of Palazzo Ducale .
- 829 ad Translation of the relics of Saint Mark from a church in Alexandria ( Egypt ) by two Venetian merchants: Bono and Rustico. The dream of St. Mark is conceived in order to justify the furt pius (holy theft.)
- 832 ad The first Basilica of St. Mark was completed.
- 944 ad Rape of twelve Venetian brides by some Istrian pirates. Their rescue gave birth to a traditional celebration called Festa delle Marie (Feast of the Marie), still held today on 2 nd of February, the day of the purification of the Virgin Mary.
- 999 ad Pietro Orseolo, the Doge of Venice , begins the traditional celebration of Sposalizio del mare (Marriage of the Sea) as a mystical union with the sea.
- 1099 ad Venetians take part in the First Crusade.
- 1162 ad first celebrations for Thursday before Lent in order to celebrate the victory over the patriarch of Aquileia, who shall send to the Signoria – every year - a bull, twelve pigs and twelve breads to commemorate his defeat.
- 1172 ad Establishment of the Maggior Consiglio (Great Council.)
- 1173 ad First Rialto Bridge in wood.
- 1180 ad First Sensa Feast on the Ascension Day.
- 1202 ad the Fourth Crusade sailed from Venice .
- 1204 ad Constantinople was conquered by the crusaders, who plundered the ancient city.
- 1205 ad Precious art objects arrived in Venice , such as the four bronze horses which are now preserved at the Basilica of St. Mark.
- 1251 ad Birth of Marco Polo.
- 1268 ad the electoral system to choose the Doge was changed: the new system, in force until the fall of the Republic in 1797, was composed of 9 scrutinies It is the first time carnival masks are mentioned.
- 1271-1295 ad Voyage of Marco Polo to the East.
- 1297 ad Serrata del Maggior Consiglio (Closing of the Great Council): official position of the Republic are no longer available to the population. From now on, the names of the Venetian nobility were registered in the Libro d'oro (Golden Book.)
- 1310 ad Institution of the Consiglio dei Dieci (Council of Ten) in order to prevent and repress possible attacks againts the Republic.
- 1348 ad A terrible plague decimated the population of Venice .
- 1355 ad Decapitation of Doge Marin Falier on 16 th of April.
- 1362 ad Petrarca donated his books to the Republic; foundation of the Biblioteca Marciana .
- 1453 ad Constantinople is conquered by the Turks.
- 1489 ad Caterina Cornaro, queen of Cyprus , ceded her kingdom to the Republic.
- 1492 ad The discovery of America gives places to a long process leading to the shift of commercial centres out of the Mediterranean basin.
- 1527 ad Pietro Aretino (1492-1557) - writer, poet and playwright - moved to Venice .
- 1570 ad The Turks conquered Cyprus .
- 1571 ad On the 7 th of October, the army of the Holy League, led by John of Austria, won against the Turks the famous Battle of Lepanto, in which the Venetian captain Sebastiano Venier stood out. The victory was celebrated in the city with candles and carnival extravagances.
- 1575 ad A terrible plague broke out and lasted about two years, claiming more than 50,000 victims.
- 1577 ad Foundation of the votive Chiesa del Redentore (Church of the Redeemer) in thanksgiving for deliverance from the plague.
- 1588 ad Construction of Rialto Bridge .
- 1604 ad William Shakespeare wrote Othello ( The Merchant of Venice was written in 1594.)
- 1606 ad For the first time, on the Ascension Day, the Bucentaur sailed from the Arsenale .
- 1630 ad A terribile plague claimed more than 100,000 victims. Foundation of the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute ( Church of St. Mary of Salvation) as a votive offering.
- 1706 ad Birth of Carlo Goldoni, famous playwright.
- MANCA DATA Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741 ad ), called il Prete Rosso (the Red Priest), started his artistic sodality with the Church and with the Convent of the Pietà .
- 1718 ad Treaty of Passarowitz: from now on the Republic of Venice has no further conquests and its territory will be the same until the fall of the Republic.
- 1755 ad Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798 ad ) escaped from Piombi prison.
- 1762 ad Baldassare Galuppi (1706-1785 ad ) is kapellmeister of St. Mark Chapel.
- 1797 ad Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Veneto . On the 16 th of May, the Republic of Venice fell. Ludovico Manin was the last Doge .
- 1818 ad Byron sojourned in Venice .
- 1824 ad The violinist Nicolò Paganini (1782-1840 ad ) composed his Variations on “The Carnival of Venice” and performed them in the cemetery of the Lido at night.
- 1883 ad Richard Wagner (b. 1813 ad ) died on the second floor of Palazzo Vendramin – Calergi . The composer had already written a large part of his opera Tristan und Isolde during a previous stay in the city.
- 1889 ad The poet Robert Browning (b. 1812 ad ) died in Ca' Rezzonico . His A Toccata of Galuppi's was published in 1855.
- 1913 ad Marchioness Luisa Casati (1881-1957 ad ) organized one of the most extravagant fancy dress parties in Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square): Il Gran Ballo Pietro Longhi .
