History of Venice Podcast

In the third part of our mini-series on our own local heroine, Margaret Marshal, we catch up with the glittering career of Walter Manny, the purveyor of relentless amounts of derring-do whom she married in 1353, after a long struggle to have her first marriage annulled. Get ready for Walter to buckle monumental quantities of swash as he cuts a dash through early stages of the Hundred Years War and...

We continue our Rabbit Hole series on the life of Margaret Marshal, England's First Duchess. Margaret and her younger sister Alice are trying to negotiate their late teens and early 20s in an environment where, behind the veneer of courtly love and chivalric culture, danger lurks around every corner. Both sisters will be the subject of scandals. For one of them, it will prove fatal.  https://histv...

In a break from our usual narrative, today we start a special Rabbit Hole mini-series. This is the first of four episodes on the life of Margaret Marshal, the 14th century owner of our own local landmark, Framlingham Castle, and a customer of the many exotic foods and luxury goods that were traded by medieval Venetian merchants. Today we're looking at her background and her childhood, as a prelude...

Wrapping up our exploration of the lives of the Doges in the 9th century, we look at the turbulent lives and times of the final four office holders, before considering which of the 9 top dogs from the 800s deserves to be hailed as the century's Top Doge. https://histvenicepod.podbean.com/ All music used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

We continue our look at the lives of the Doges and our quest to find who is worthy of the accolade of Top Doge. In the first episode of a two-parter, we look at the first five Doges of the 9th Century.  https://histvenicepod.podbean.com/ All music used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

This week we take a break from the economic and social history of the Venetians to take a closer look at the lives of the early Doges. Who were they, and what do we know about them? After a brief canter through the eight Doges of the 8th century, we consider which of them deserve the accolade of "Top Doge" of the century. https://histvenicepod.podbean.com/ All music used under Creative Commons lic...

It's Double Trouble for Venice this week. Business has been going well, but as the city navigates the dangerous 9th century, Pirates and Saracens both want a piece of the action. Find out how our protagonists cope as we follow them through the perils of the 800s.  https://histvenicepod.podbean.com/ All music used under Creative Commons licence from Musopen.org

We return to the historical narrative of the early 800s this week, with the Venetian economy on the verge of taking off. The growing city is showing the first signs of its future as a commercial powerhouse. But how did it get to that position? And how dubious were the ethics of its trading practices? We look at the origins of the city's later mercantile pre-eminence and try to understand the moral...

The four bronze horses on the balcony of St Mark's Basilica have silently witnessed the highs and lows of both Constantinople and Venice. Ancient and exquisite, they stand guard serenely over the Piazza, almost as iconic a symbol of the city as the winged lion itself. Today, we delve into their history. Visit our website at https://histvenicepod.podbean.com/ Music from Vivaldi's "Gloria" used unde...

This week we take a break from the chronological narrative and delve into the story of the city's iconic and enduring symbol, the Winged Lion of St Mark.  Visit our website at https://histvenicepod.podbean.com/ Intro and outro music from Vivaldi's "Gloria", used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

With the threat from the neighbouring Frankish kingdom still looming, the Venetians need a powerful protector. So they head off to Egypt to carry out a daring heist that will see them bring back a dead body camouflaged with pork. We look at the story behind the abduction of the body of St Mark and how he becomes the city's spiritual protector. All music used under Creative Commons licence from mus...

Stuck between two rival empires, the Venetians are divided on which way to turn. As the Frankish and Byzantine forces clash in the northern Adriatic, Venice is caught in the crossfire, setting the stage for an event that resonates down the centuries as a foundational moment for the city. Get ready for a crazy food fight and some heroic female super-spies as our friends in the lagoon fight for thei...

Venice is slowly starting to take shape. Already semi-autonomous from the Byzantine Empire, and with Doges now in place, the Venetians begin to assert themselves in international politics and trade. But when the Carolingian Empire sweeps into Italy, they have to tread a delicate diplomatic tightrope, while still working out what sort of nation they want to be. Blindings, defenestrations and behead...

The Doge's Palace is one of the most iconic buildings in Venice today. But what is a Doge, and how did the position come into being? Today we look at the stories of the first three Doges in the early 8th century, as the Venetians begin their slow journey of emerging from the shadow of their Byzantine masters to become a political and commercial force to be reckoned with in their own right. All mus...

As the Lombards sweep through the north-east of Italy, some of the inhabitants of the Byzantine province of Venetia retreat to form new permanent settlements on the islands of the long, narrow coastal lagoon. The foundation stone of the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta on the island of Torcello dates from 639AD, giving us the first evidence of permanent buildings in the scattered settlements that w...

After travelling through the foundation myths of the city in the last episode, this week we are peering into the dense fog of history to find the earliest real traces of life in the lagoon. Join us as we navigate our way through Goths and Huns, look for omens in the flight of birds, and encounter the worst decade in human history. Music used under Creative Commons licence from Musopen.org

The medieval Venetians loved to tell the story of the foundation of their city -- and everyone told the story slightly differently. This episode is an October 2025 re-recording of the original version, exploring the history of the city's foundation myth. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or search for History of Venice on  Bluesky , Facebook , and Instagram . Intro music used under Creative Com...

A short introductory episode for the History of Venice Podcast previewing what's coming up, who we are and why we chose this wonderful city and its people to tell their stories.  Intro music used under Creative Commons licence from Musopen.org