ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author focuses on the first phase of the history of Venice, up to 1204, outlining the main historical events that allowed her to be transformed from a former Byzantine province into an independent social formation and, despite being a 'late bloomer', to "reign supreme" as a political, economic and colonial power. By the end of the tenth century, Venice had gained political autonomy as an independent city state and her naval power had significantly increased. She was acting as an ally of Byzantium in the Adriatic and beyond, and her merchants had expanded their business all over the Mediterranean, benefitting from the alliance with the empire and the naval strength of their own city. The tension between the Italian maritime states intensified over the decades and centuries to come. The Venetian strategy became rather ambiguous, however, in the aftermath of the First Crusade, which had led to the creation of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
