Now when this king Attila had devastated all the country of the mainland and had advanced as far as Rome and Calabria and had left Venice far behind, those who had fled for refuge to the islands of Venice, having obtained a breathing-space and, as it were, shaken off their faintness of heart, took counsel jointly to settle there, which they did, and have been settled there till this day.īut again, many years after the withdrawal of Attila, king Pippin arrived, who at that time was ruling over Papia and other kingdoms. Those who are now called Venetians were Franks from Aquileia and from the other places in Francia, and they used to dwell on the mainland opposite Venice.īut when Attila, the king of the Avars, came and utterly devastated and depopulated all the parts of Francia, all the Franks from Aquileia and from the other cities of Francia began to take to flight, and to go to the uninhabited islands of Venice and to built huts there, out of their dread of king Attila. Of old, Venice was a desert place, uninhabited and swampy. Story of the settlement of what is now called Venice There are also trading stations and forts.Ģ8. On the mainland, also, in the land of Italy, there are cities of the Venetians, as follows: the city of Capre, the city of Neokastron, the city of Phines, the city of Aikylon, the city of Aeimanas, the great trading station of Torcello, the city of Mouran, the city of Rivalto, which means ‘highest point’, where the doge of Venice has his seat the city of Caverzenzis. And upon these same islands also they who are now called Venetians built cities: the city of Cogradon, in which is a great metropolitan church with many relics of saints laid up in it the city of Rivalensis, the city of Lulianon, the city of Apsanon, the city of Romatina, the city of Licenzia, the city of Pinetai, which is called Strobilos, the city of Biniola, the city of Boes, in which is a church of the holy apostle Peter, the city of Ilitoualba, the city of Litoumangersis, the city of Bronion, the city of Madaucon, the city of Ebola, the city of Pristinai, the city of Clugia, the city of Brundon, the city of Phosaon, the city of Lauriton.There are other islands also in the same country of Venice. There are other islands also to the east of this same city. When those who are now called Venetians, but were originally called Enetikoi, crossed over, they began by constructing a strongly fortified city, in which the doge of Venice still has his seat to-day, a city surrounded by some six miles of sea, into which 27 rivers also debouch. Ĭlick to expand.We know the Roman ('byzantine') view of the subject (=the view of Venetians via), from the De Administrando Imperio of Roman emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus ĭe Administrando Imperio (end of 27 chapter, and chapter 28 in JENKINS translation)īefore the Venetians crossed over and settled in the islands in which they live now, they were called Enetikoi, and used to dwell on the mainland in these cities: the city of Concordia, the city of Justiniana, the city of Nonum and very many other cities. The disengagement from Constantinople was more due to the fall of the Eastern Roman power than to will of total autonomy of the Venetians. So, we can say that Venetians fell to be Romans as for social organization and culture and they were Eastern Roman. Constantinople was the reference of the high class of Venice and while the city acquired more and more importance at military level, the connection become even more strict. Rich venetian families sent their sons to the Eastern Capital, while at Rialto it was common to see Eastern masons and architects for the construction of the Venetian churches and palaces. Venice was so Byzantine that some historians have invented the term “Venetian byzantinism”. It was the IX century to show the result of this evolution. We should remind that Venice didn’t exist when Rome still dominated, the city had created in the Byzantine period, so that Venetians were well more Eastern Romans. In any case the Venetian society was well connected with the Byzantine one.