Venice (Italy) - geography.

« Italian states, its power faded, and the discovery of a sea route to the Indies around the Cape of Good Hope by the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama in 1497-1498accelerated the decline.

In 1508 the Holy Roman Empire, the pope, France, and Spain combined against Venice in the League of Cambrai and divided the Venetianpossessions among themselves, and although Venice reacquired its Italian dominions through astute diplomacy in 1516, it never regained its political power. In 1797 the Venetian Republic was conquered and ended by Napoleon Bonaparte, who turned the territory over to Austria.

In 1805 Austria was compelled to yield Venice tothe French-controlled kingdom of Italy but regained it in 1814.

A year later Venice and Lombardy (Lombardia) were combined to form the Lombardo-Venetia Kingdom.

TheVenetians, under the Italian statesman Daniele Manin, revolted against Austrian rule in 1848, and a new republic was established.

Austria, however, reestablished control ayear later.

In 1866, after the Seven Weeks’ War, Venice became part of the newly established kingdom of Italy. Population (2007 estimate) 268,934. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.

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