Top Venice Resources

The Congress of Vienna combined the territories of Lombardy (ruled by Austria in 1713-96) and Venetia (under Austrian rule since 1797) under the Austrian Habsburg dynasty. The Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia was was held by Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, who ruled from 1815 to 1835. Ferdinand I of Austria ruled from 1835 to 1848.

The Venetian governmental structure was a mix of Byzantine and Islamic systems, but the social order was entirely feudal. Church and various private properties were tied to military service, though there was no knight tenure within the city itself. The Cavalieri di San Marco was the only order of chivalry ever instituted in Venice, and no citizen could accept or join a foreign order without the government’s consent. Venice remained a republic throughout its independent period and politics and the military were kept completely separate. War was regarded as a continuation of commerce by other means (hence, the city's early production of large numbers of mercenaries for service elsewhere).

Its banks are lined with some of the most beautiful buildings of the city, amongst the many palazzos and churches are the Ca' Rezzonico, Ca d'Oro, Ca' Foscari, Palazzo Barbarigo and the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, housing the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia (Italian: Regno Lombardo-Veneto) was established after the defeat of Napoleon, according to the decisions of the Congress of Vienna (9 June 1815). The Kingdom was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy, in 1866.

In the 14th century, many young Venetian men began wearing tight-fitting multicolored hose, the designs on which indicated the Compagnie della Calza ("Trouser Club") to which they belonged. The Senate passed sumptuary laws, but these merely resulted in changes in fashion in order to circumvent the law. Dull garments were worn over colorful ones, which then were cut to show the hidden colors -- which resulted in the wide spread of men's "slashed" fashions in the 15th century.