Venetian Empire

Not to be confused with Venice (town)

## The Venetian Empire (Defunct)

Venice's historical flag

The Venetian Empire was the dominant power in Italy during the early days of V.4. It's capital used to lay in the town of Venice and controlled much of the central mediterranean sea.

## History

### Early history/Rise

Venice was among the first nations ever created in TEAW, and saw it's golden age in the first months of the server. Venice's history is marked by being the first true colonial empire, establishing a network of vassal states that would surrender authority to the Doge's Town and in exchange be protected from outside powers. Venice was a very diplomatic nation and tended to resort to diplomacy and schemes to resolve disputes. This managed to procure it lucrative trade deals and alliances with the fledgling Rhenish Confederation and Switzerland.

### Rhenish Crisis

(See more in the Rhenish Crisis page, WIP, this takes a venetian perspective of the conflict)

The Rhenish Crisis put the two powers of Imperial Venice and the Dutch Empire in a direct conflict over the fate of the Rhenish Confederation. Venice, attempting to safeguard their economic interests in the region against the pan-nationalistic Dutch, began attempting diplomatic plays to stop a war from starting. Eventually, a treaty barring unifications or diplomatic relations between all parties was made, and subsequently signed by almost all members of the conflict, except for gltChboy.

### Decline and Lindurian Union

After neutralizing the threat of the Dutch Empire and it's dissolution, Venice entered into a state of decline and decadence. Their subject towns began to slip away from their control and were eventually raided and looted once bankrupt. Eventually every single colony they had was reduced to rubble or had de-facto independence.

The leader of Linduria offered to take the lead in governing affairs of the city of Venice once it's empire had crumbled, the Doge Gamedragun accepted this proposal as real life encroached on him. With this, a period known as the Lindurian-Venetian Union started, the capital shifted to Linduria and most governing affairs were held in Linduria. With time, the merging of the two towns produced Linduria-Venice proper and marked the death of the Empire.

### Remnants

Modern day Venice town remains quite unchanged from what it looked like in Imperial times, though remodelling plans are boing drafted. Remnants of the Venetian Empire's colonies can be found strewn across the central mediterranean, particularly in Albania and Tunis, where ruins of imperial times remain.

## Geography

The Empire had lands in several distinct places in the mediterranean sea which made it the great naval power of it's time. Controlling key strategic chokepoints in the central mediterranean and beyond allowed the venetians to project their power far from their borders. The core of the empire, the city of Venice, is on the Po river valley and is surrounded by mountains on all sides but the west and east.

## Politics

### Foreign affairs

Venice was a town very driven to interacting with it's neighbours, forming comercial deals or colonial subjects across the mediterranean or more inland in german lands.

#### Colonial affairs

Venice was famous for being the first true colonial empire of the server, establishing settlements in key strategic locations and brokering deals with locals to expand Venetian sovereignty.

* Albania

The first true colony of the Empire, Albania was Venice's gatekeeper of the Adriatic sea, ensuring the control of passing ships and of the waters inside it.

* Tunis

An important, developed, and rich colony of Venice. Most of their mining operations happened here and it also served as a great safeguard against threats from either side of the Mediterranean.

* Sardinia

A naval base and a stronghold, this colony (while shortlived) served as a good anchorage for venetian fleets and was useful as power projection towards the western Mediterranean.

* Soviet Socialist Republic of Greenland

The Soviet Socialist Republic of Greenland [SSRG] was a shortlived protectorate state that brokered a deal with the venetians to avoid Dutch reprisals, but dissolved soon after.

* Linduria

Linduria was the largest naval base for Venice and was developed by a player known as Diablo. Being the most technically advanced colony, they witheld the right to leave the colonial system when they desired in exchange for a protectorate status within the Empire.

### Government

While nominally a republic, the Empire was ruled by a dictartorship, with the Doge as it's head.

#### GameDragun

GameDragun has been the Doge of Venice for the entire duration of it's existence.