History of Venice Podcast

Doge Ranieri Zen had an action-packed career. His life story traces the course of Venice’s rise and rise during the turbulent 13th century. As a diplomat and a national leader, he navigated some turbulent waters at home and abroad. Find out more as we delve deeper into the career of one of the most accomplished politicians of his age.

Background reading for this episode

“Il Doge di Venezia” by Giorgio Ravegnani

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This week we talk to writer Kathleen Gonzalez, who has written books about contemporary and historical Venice, including a compilation of short biographies of many of the city's most notable women, all of whom should be better known than they are, as well as volumes that trace the footsteps of Casanova though both Venice and Rome. 

You can find more of her work on her blog and her YouTube channel. You may have noticed that we'...

Doge Marino Morosini (1249-53) hasn’t made much of a dent on the history books. Contemporary chronicler Martin da Canal gives him a good write-up: “Throughout his time as Doge, Venice was abundantly supplied with provisions – twice as much as the city needed. The Venetians had all the goods that they needed, and they were full of joy and happiness”

Other historians have less to say about him. This week, we i...

Venice had won a crushing naval victory against Genoa in the summer of 1258. But that just meant that the Genoese needed to look for new allies. And Genoa’s new best friend is an old friend of our story: one of our former protagonists, who has been in the background of our narrative for the past half a century, is about to take centre stage again. But even when faced with a potential disaster, Venice will find a way to turn i...

War. What is it good for? Well, in Venice’s case, it’s good for expanding your commercial networks and, just as importantly, keeping your rivals out of the best ports and trade routes. After the death of Frederick II in 1250, the Republic’s uneasy alliance with Genoa frays dramatically at the edges. The arena of the conflict is Acre – the most significant trading port in the remnants of the Crusader state of...

It's two years today since we released our four-minute introduction episode into the world of podcasts. Today we try to recap the whole of Venetian history (up to 1250, where our narrative has reached) in about half an hour. Just in case you feel as though you've forgotten some of the key stuff from the past two years. We also pick our favourite episode from the past 12 months, and answer a few questions about both the past and the...

After an enjoyable but ultimately financially draining two years in Paris, and a brief visit to his mother in Dresden, Casanova is making his way back home. But en route, he stops off in Vienna, the glittering home of the Hapsburg monarchy, headed by Empress Maria Teresa. What life lessons will he learn and what stories will he tell in the Austrian capital?

Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and I...

“The great Doge of Venice, Giacomo Tiepolo, was brave, wise and energetic. He was a winner. Before he became Doge, he had obtained victories over his enemies everywhere he went. And once he was the Doge, whenever and wherever there was a war he came out victorious”. That’s quite a write-up from our hype-man chronicler Martin da Canal. Does Doge Giacomo Tiepolo live up to it? Today, we consider his life and works, ...

Ezzelino da Romano is remembered in the mythology of north-eastern Italy as a cruel and vicious ruler who inflicted inhuman punishments on his enemies. And maybe he was. But the more that you look at the surrounding situation, the harder it becomes to separate fact from fiction, and heroes from villains. As the wars between the Pope and the Western Emperor heat up again, Venice’s interests require her to pick a side. Things a...

In 1232, Venice received a visit from a short, ginger-haired man in his late 30s. But this was no ordinary visitor. This was the most powerful man in the known world; the convenor of the most brilliant court in Europe; the man who was referred to by an English chronicler as “Stupor Mundi” – the Wonder, or Astonishment, of the World. It's Emperor Frederick II's world, and we're all just living in it.

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In the autumn of 1260, a new fashion arrived in Venice from the continental European mainland. It had started just a few months earlier in the central Italian city of Perugia, and somehow it had caught the mood of a worried, uncertain population, concerned about the capricious nature of human existence and eager to atone for the evils of a fallen society. The flagellants were in town. Seemingly out of nowhere, ordinary people were ...

We're joined by Monica Cesarato this week to discuss the artisan tradition in the city of Venice. In our main narrative, we're reaching the mid-13th century, when dozens of professional guilds start to appear in the city, defining the working landscape for ordinary Venetians. Monica talks to us about the background to some of those crafts, and how that artisan legacy still persists in the city today. 

You can find Monica's web...

Today we’re looking at the life of Doge Pietro Ziani – the man who picked up the baton after the death of Enrico Dandolo and presided over the chaotic situation that we’ve been narrating over the past few episodes. Contemporary Venetian writers praise his wisdom, his fairness, and his desire for peace. Are they right, or are they just blowing smoke in our eyes? Join us as we examine the life of the wealthiest man ...

This week we're looking around the Mediterranean at the international political events that provide the wider context to the stories that we’ve been telling lately. We’ll be travelling to Genoa, Sicily, Nicaea, Epirus, Outremer, and, very briefly indeed, introducing a new threat from the East that’s about to burst into our story.

Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Easter 1214. In Treviso, about 20 miles north of Venice, the city’s governors have decided to set up a week-long “court of solace and mirth”. There will be dancing and jousting, feasting and fine fooling. And the symbolic heart of the celebrations will be the splendid Castle of Love, which the area’s finest ladies, wearing their most ostentatious hats, will be defending against the symbolic assaults of teams...

1205. Venice wasn’t the only mercantile vulture who was looking at the carcass of the Eastern Roman Empire and realising that if she didn’t take advantage of this mess, someone else would. And if that someone else – most likely Genoa – turned out to be more effective at seizing the opportunities, then Venice’s hopes of commercial dominance would be severely dented. The Crusade had shaken the kaleidosco...

1750. The dream is over. The love of his life has gone. Casanova picks up the pieces and, after a pause to reflect, heads for Paris. But in sophisticated French high society, our smooth-tongued, charming Venetian will soon find out that he’s little more than a bumbling ingénue. Will he make a name for himself, or will he continue to flounder out of his depth in the capital of European culture? 

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It’s an unexpected change of direction for us this week. We’ll explain why in the episode. Stand by for a Venetian story of music, spectacle, and poor decision-making, as we explain what on earth “Pin Floi” is and why it's an indelible memory for anyone who was there.

You can listen to Pitura Freska’s “Pin Floi” here, with the lyrics on screen in Venetian. Sing along with the chorus when yo...

Today we want to try to understand what kind of place Venice was as the 13th century dawned; how much it had changed in the hundred years since we last took a close look at it, back in Episode 31; and how the arrival of fresh artworks and spoils of war from the east would fuel both its own ongoing beautification and the historical narratives and myths that the city’s public appearance was aiming to promote.

Email us at histve...