In 1453, Ottoman ruler Mehmet the Conqueror captured Constantinople and Venice suffered plunder as a result, including the symbolic Winged Lion of St Mark. Venetian sea craft had auspicious reputations, transporting men, supplies, and war horses. Venice had become the most prosperous European city by the end of the 13th Century, with 36,000 sailors employed aboard 3,300 ships, which dominated commerce in the Mediterranean.

The wealthy Venetian families competed to build the most opulent palaces and support the work of the most famous and talented artists. The Great Council, comprised of the members of the most influential Venetian families, governed the city, electing the Senate and all public officials. The Senate elected the Council of Ten, a clandestine organisation which held power in the city administration. One member of this council became doge, the official ruler of Venice. The city’s governmental structure somewhat resembled the republican system of ancient Rome, including the absence of power on the part of the masses.

Wartime in Venice was considered to be an occasion for continuing trade in unorthodox ways, and indifference to religion was seen in the local government not imposing a single penalty for religious heresy during the Catholic Reformation. Instead, the Catholic Church sought twice to impose interdicts on Venice, as the Papacy often disputed with the government about its lack of fervor for the Church.

The War of the League of Cambrai broke out in 1508, involving Venice, France and the Papal States, as well as major powers in Western Europe at various points in time, including Spain, England, the Roman Empire, Scotland, Milan, Florence and the Swiss. Roman Catholic Pope Julius II had hoped that the war would limit Venice’s influence in northern Italy, and to this end established the League of Cambrai, a union against Venice. Members of the union were Louis XII of France, Ferdinand I of Spain and Emperor Maximilian I. Initially the league was a success, but it collapsed in 1510, and afterwards Julius formed an alliance with Venice against France.

In 1512, the French were driven out of Italy, as disagreements related to war booty led Venice to abandon alliance with the Pope and enter into one with France. After the French-Venetian victory at Marignano in1515, Venice regained its former territory. The 1516 Treaties of Noyon and Brussels effectively ended the war. Toward the end of the Renaissance era, Venice started to lose its status as an international trade centre, but remained a major production centre until the mid-1700s.