Venetia rules the Rivers. La geo-strategia fluviale veneziana (1431-1509)

Abstract

The control of Terraferma by road and riverine communication it was a geopolitical imperative for Venetian strategy. Especially the need to command the rivers was imposed by the same It was imposed by the geographic nature of the Lagoon City as well as of the Stato di Terra for assuring the Republic’s security and prosperity. The Lagoon, indeed, is commanded by the many (and often navigable, particularly at the time of the Serenissima) rivers of the Po Valley, as the interruption or dryness of the Padani rivers could even cause the lagoon to disappear, thereafter needing an efficient defense and maintenance. At the same time, they were essential to fuel the wealth of the maritime state built by the Venetians. In fact, the rivers constituted the interconnection of the long-distance sea routes, on which international trading flowed. The state and the maritime power of Venice can only be understood by taking into serious consideration the importance of the rivers, which influenced the Republic’s decisions in every phase of its existence, but particularly during the great expansion into the mainland in the fifteenth century.