Between the late sixth and the early thirteenth centuries, Venice underwent huge changes. From the periphery of the Byzantine Empire, Venice acquired complete independence and emerged as one of the major powers in the Mediterranean. In the early Middle Ages, the Venetians avoided absorption by neighboring rulers, all the while progressively extending their trading activities to most of the Mediterranean. The twelfth and early thirteenth centuries were a crucial period for this process. Taking advantage of the conquest of the Holy Land and the weakening of the Byzantines, the Venetians’ policy in the eastern Mediterranean aimed both at strengthening their position in that area and acquiring new markets. Using a chronological and topical approach, this volume presents the annotated English translation and Latin text of all the references to the Venetian rulers in early- and high-medieval Venetians historical texts.

Luigi Andrea Berto is professor of Medieval History at Western Michigan University, USA. His research focuses on Medieval Italy and the Mediterranean, with a special interest in the use of the past in the medieval and modern periods, and the relationships between Christians and Muslims. His main book publications include: Ethnic Identity, Memory, and Use of the Past in Italy’s ‘Dark Ages’ (2022); The ‘Other’, Identity, and Memory in Early Medieval Italy (2022); Ethnic Identity, Memory, and Use of the Past in Italy’s ‘Dark Ages’ (2022); Old Stories and Contemporary Issues in Films about Antiquity and the Middle Ages: Idealistic Thinking, Sex, Lies, and Video Political Agendas (2022); Christians under the Crescent and Muslims under the Cross c. 630–1923 (2021); Christians and Muslims in Early Medieval Italy: Perceptions, Encounters, and Clashes (2020); Early Medieval Venice: Cultural Memory and History (2020); In Search of the First Venetians: Prosopography of Early Medieval Venice (2014); The Political and Social Vocabulary of John the Deacon’s ‘Istoria Veneticorum’ (2013).