Republic of Venice

Most Serene Republic of Venice
Italian: Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia Venetian: Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta
697–1797
Flag Coat of arms
The Republic of Venice in 1789
Capital		Eraclea (697–742) Malamocco (742–810) Venice (810–1797)
Languages		Latin, Venetian, Italian
Government		parliamentary merchant republic with elective monarchistic features.
Doge
•	697–717 (first)	Paolo Lucio Anafestoa
•	1789–1797 (last)	Ludovico Manin
Legislature		Great Council
•	Upper Chamber	Senate
•	Lower Chamber	Council of Ten
Historical era		Middle Ages - Early modern period
•	Established1	697
•	Golden Bull of Alexios I	1082
•	Fourth Crusade	1202-04
•	Battle of Lepanto	1571
•	Treaty of Leoben	17 April 1797
•	Treaty Campo Formio	18 October 1797
Currency		Venetian ducat Venetian lira
Preceded by Succeeded by Byzantine Empire Venetian Province Cisalpine Republic French departments of Greece
Today part of		Italy  Croatia  Greece  Albania  Cyprus  Montenegro  Slovenia  Turkey  Ukraine
a. ^ Paolo Lucio Anafesto is traditionally the first Doge of Venice, but John Julius Norwich suggests that this may be a mistake for Paul, Exarch of Ravenna, and that the traditional second doge Marcello Tegalliano may have been the similarly named magister militum to Paul. Their existence as doges is uncorroborated by any source before the 11th century, but as Norwich suggests, is probably not entirely legendary. Traditionally, the establishment of the Republic is, thus, dated to 697.

The Republic of Venice (Italian: Repubblica di Venezia; Venetian: Repùblica Vèneta), or traditionally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice (Italian: Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia; Venetian: Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta), was a state originating from the lagoon communities in the area of Venice, now northeastern Italy. It existed from the late seventh century AD until 1797. Although it had a long history of war and conquest, the republic's modern reputation is chiefly based on its status as an economic and trading power.

It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice (Italian: Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia, Venetian: Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta, or Venetian: Repùblica de Venesia) and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in reference to its title as one of the "Most Serene Republics".

The winged Lion of St. Mark, which had appeared on the Republic's flag and coat of arms, is still featured in the red-yellow flag of the city of Venice (which has six tails, one for each sestier of the city), in the coat of arms of the city and in the yellow-red-blue flag of Veneto (which has seven tails representing the seven provinces of the region).

The winged lion also appears in the naval ensign of the Italian Republic, alongside the coat of arms of three other medieval Italian maritime republics (Genoa, Pisa, and Amalfi), as well as the Golden Lion, awarded at the Venice Film Festival, and in the insignia of the Assicurazioni Generali insurance company.