The decline of Venice was influenced by several interrelated factors, including foreign threats from the Ottoman Empire, maritime competition due to new trade routes discovered by explorers like Vasco da Gama, and political and social challenges such as corrupt leadership and reliance on mercenaries. Venice faced military defeats and lost territories, ultimately surrendering to Napoleon Bonaparte without resistance. The combination of economic decline, ineffective governance, and social complacency contributed to Venice's eventual fall.

2. Factors
for the
Fall of
Venice
Foreign Threats
Maritime Competition
Political Challenges
Social Challenges

3. Eventual fall of Venice by surrendering to the French
under Napoleon Bonaparte.

4. Which of these factors was the most important
reason for the decline of Venice?

5. • Involvement
in Mainland
• The Ottoman
Empire
• The League
of Cambrai
Foreign Threats Maritime Competition Political Challenges Social Challenges

7. Venice created
alliances with
larger and more
powerful states in
Mainland Europe
against other rival
states
• to protect her
territories and
commercial
interests
These mainland
states were Venice’s
source of water
and food for her
growing population
and expanding
industries.

8. Venice tried to take advantage of rivalry among the
mainland states by taking sides.

9. the only way was to build own strong army by
recruiting mercenaries to fight the wars.
To overcome the possibility that negotiations could put
Venetians at risk,

10. By switching
alliances with
different opposing
states, Venice was
creating fragile
relations with larger
states – putting
Venice at risk.
Venice could be
attacked should
negotiations fail.
The rivalry among
the mainland states
also made the
overland trade route
unsafe as constant
battles were fought
in the region.

11. Expanding power of
the Ottoman
Empire (Turkey)
saw constant wars
with Venice
especially over the
control of the
Adriatic Sea.
The Ottomans
attacked
Venetian
territories from
their own
territories along
the coast of the
Adriatic Sea.

12. Venice fought a
7-year war
against the sea
campaigns
started by
Ottoman to
wrestle for the
control of the
Aegean Sea and
the Adriatic Sea.

13. The Venetians tried to strike a balance of power with
the Ottomans and their European neighbours.

14. In 1463, the European states
launched a military
campaign against the
Ottomans.
Due to resentment, Venice
fought the Ottomans on
their own and lost
Negroponte, an important
Eastern trade outpost.
Conflicting actions such
as concessions made to the
Ottomans, and military aid
sent to European states to
fight the Ottomans in
defence of their territories
led to a deep hostility for
Venice.

15. The wars with Venice and
expansion of the Ottoman
empire resulted in Venice
losing some territories.
Venice’s poor relations with
other European states left
Venice to defend against the
Ottoman Empire alone.

16. This severely weakened Venice, and trade in the Adriatic
Sea was disrupted.

17. Venice was forced to give up some of the mainland
territories to avoid being involved in mainland wars.

18. The galleys were used to fight off attacks by the
Ottomans in the 7-year sea-campaigns.
This disrupted its use of galleys for trading purposes.

19. The League of
Cambrai was
formed by
Mainland states
to reduce
power of
Venice and
divide the
territories
amongst the
larger states.
In one of the battles of
Agnadello, the Venetian
mercenary army was
defeated and Venice lost
many of its territories.
The defeat at Agnadello
stretched Venice’s political
and military capabilities. By
forming new alliances, she
managed to recapture
some of its territories.

20. Venice lost
more territories.
She had to raise
taxes to finance
the employment
of its mercenary
armies as well as
to replenish
supply of
weaponry.
Renewed campaigns results
in Venice weakened due to
the high cost of wars and the
drain of resources

21. Foreign Threats
• Discovery
of new sea
routes
• New trade
rivals
Maritime Competition Political Challenges Social Challenges

22. Vasco da
Gama
(Portuguese
explorer)
discovered a new
sea route to
India.

23. This broke Venice’s
monopoly in spice trade.
This also made Portuguese
stronger and more powerful.

24. They were now able to buy
spices directly from India
and greatly reduced the
large profits of the Venetian
traders.

25. Venice lost monopoly
in spice trade and suffered losses
in their economy.

26. Portuguese become stronger
which provided strong
competition to Venice’s
trade.
Although Venice’s
traditional route to the East
by the Mediterranean was
shorter, it was time-
consuming.
The overland route to Hormuz
was also considered risky
because of robbers and
plunderers.

27. Despite losing its middleman role, Venice continued to function
as a trade centre in western Mediterranean Sea for Persian
silk, Mediterranean wine, glassware.

28. Venice also expanded its trade to the North Sea region and
maintained trade links with England.

29. More European
countries began
to trade
directly with
the East instead
of going through
Venice as
middleman and
her entreport
trade
Dutch EIC & English
EIC with better
designed ships

30. Larger states such as England and Holland were more
successful in negotiating for favourable trading
rights in new ports.

31. Venice lost
trade as a
middleman
as European
countries no
longer use
Venice a source
of goods from
the East
Venice became
economically
irrelevant.
Venetians
responded by
imposing
protectionist
policy on
foreign traders.
This made it
costly to trade
with Venetians.

32. Foreign Threats Maritime Competition
• Incapable
leadership
• Corruption in
government
• Over-
dependence on
mercenaries
Political Challenges Social Challenges

33. From 16th
century
, many of the
military leaders
were not
competent.
The shrinking
number of the
nobility as older
families died;
decline in the
nobility was
worsened by the
17th
century
plague.

35. Most of the policies focused
on preserving power,
prestige and wealth of
nobles rather than for the
good of the city-state.
Rotation of duties led to
incompetent officers
taking up positions by
default, even in leading the
naval warfare against the
Ottomans.

36. With a shrinking pool of
nobility to select leaders from,
the choice of able leaders was
thus limited
With weak military
leaders, Venice could not
compete with enemies led by
capable and qualified leaders,
this led to many losses and
the decline of Venice.
Nobles sought to retain their
family wealth, property and
power, resulting in
domination of a small group
of rich nobles in the
government.

37. With power in the hands of a few, corruption was
inevitable in the higher offices.

38. Due to the wars
with Ottoman
Empire and the
large European
states and the
disruption of
trade, civil
servants’
salaries were
suspended.
Some members
of the nobility
lost their source
of income.

39. Nobles bought votes to gain
position.
Nobles also sold positions
to raise funds.

40. 100, 000 ducats
(S$15 million)

41. Because of loss of wealth, nobles sold their votes to those
who wanted to gain position and also sold positions to
raise funds

42. This led to corruption in
the government.

43. This also led to the rise of a group of nobles in the
Venetians who made policies to serve their own
nobility interests more than for the interests of the
city- state.

44. Venice employed
French and
Dutch
mercenaries to
fight battles.
Mercenaries are
well-paid
during strong
economic
growth.

45. Venice was greatly dependent on mercenaries more after
population declined following the plague.

46. In 1615, Venice hired mercenaries of many nationalities
to fight the War of Gradisca. Instead, the French
mercenaries plotted to seize the Ducal Palace and the
Senate members.
This showed that they could no longer fully trust the
mercenary army.

47. Mercenaries turned
against Venice and fought
for the larger and richer
states.
Venice became weaker
when the mercenaries left
or turned against them,
leading to easy defeats
of Venice

48. Foreign Threats Maritime Competition Political Challenges
• Complacency
• Over-
indulgence in
affluent
lifestyle
Social Challenges

49. Nobles became richer and less interested and prepared for
war and security matters.

50. When Venice is
strong in
economic
growth,
lifestyles of
nobles become
better.
Nobles also
became more
distant from
commoners.

51. They pursued entertainment and pleasures, with lavish
parties and celebrations.

52. Nobles who were entrusted with the affairs of the
state became complacent about territorial issues.
It was only a matter of time that they would be
proven to have outdated fortresses and army.
Nobles were not alert to changes in the political
scene in the region eg. France’s growing power
under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte.
There were no capable nobles to lead and
organise an army to defeat Napolean.

53. Instead, a small number of Venetians, aided by the
French, plotted to overthrow Venetian ruling
government.

54. When Napoleon confronted
Venice, Doge Ludovico
Manin surrendered the city-
state without a single shot fired.

55. The decline of Venice was
COMPLETE.

56. Goh Bang Rui
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