Early Medieval Venice: Cultural Memory and History (Studies in Medieval History and Culture)

__Early Medieval Venice__ examines the significant changes that Venice underwent between the late-sixth and the early-eleventh centuries. From the periphery of the Byzantine Empire, Venice acquired complete independence and emerged as the major power in the Adriatic area. It also avoided absorption by neighbouring rulers, prevented serious destruction by raiders, and achieved a stable state organization, all the while progressively extending its trading activities to most of northern Italy and the eastern Mediterranean. This was not a linear process, but the Venetians obtained and defended these results with great tenacity, creating the foundations for the remarkable developments of the following centuries. This book presents the most relevant themes that characterized Venice during this epoch, including war, violence, and the manner in which ‘others’ were perceived. It examines how early medieval authors and modern scholars have portrayed this period, and how they were sometimes influenced by their own ‘present’ in their reconstruction of the past. "Early Medieval Venice examines the significant changes that Venice underwent between the late-sixth and the early-eleventh centuries. From the periphery of the Byzantine Empire, Venice acquired complete independence and emerged as the major power in the Adriatic Sea. It also avoided absorption by neighbouring rulers, prevented serious destruction by raiders, and achieved a stable state organization, all the while progressively extending its trading activities to most of northern Italy and the eastern Mediterranean. This was not a linear process, but the Venetians obtained and defended these results with great tenacity, creating the foundations for the remarkable developments of the following centuries. This book presents the most relevant themes that characterized Venice during this epoch, including war, violence, and the manner in which 'others' were perceived. It examines how early medieval authors and modern scholars have portrayed this period, and how they were sometimes influenced by their own 'present' in their reconstruction of the past"-- Provided by publisher List of maps vi Acknowledgments vii Abbreviations viii Introduction 1 1. War and violence in early medieval Venice: perceptions and mentality 5 2. Peter IV Candiano: a Duke deposed because he was too virtuous or too authoritarian? 40 3. Under the ‘Romans’ or under the Franks? Venice between two empires 46 4. Rumors of wars and deeds of emperors: circulation of news and ‘stories’ about non-Venetians in early medieval Venice 60 5. Emperor Otto III in Venice 84 6. All is well on the western front? The image of the early medieval Venetian frontier between the second and the third millennium 92 7. Remaining Roman on the Frontier? The Latin and Greek onomastics of eighth-century Lombard Treviso and its relationship with early medieval Venice 101 8. ‘As an angel revealed to her’: miracles, visions, predictions, and supernatural phenomena and the politics of memory in early medieval Venice 127 Bibliography 151 Index 161 This book examines the significant changes that Venice underwent between the late-sixth and the early-eleventh centuries. It is addressed to scholars and students interested in medieval Italy and the Mediterranean, as well as general readers.