Venetian silk trade and eastern imports (c. 1450–1600)

1. Bursa rises as key Ottoman textile center and silk market

   Jan 1, 1460Labels: Bursa, Ottoman Empire, Venetian merchants

   • Frist Museum
   • Met TOAH

2. Venice tightens sumptuary rules on silk luxury

   Jan 1, 1476Labels: Venice, Sumptuary laws, Silk luxury

   • Bevilacqua

3. Venice rebuilds Levant trade after 1479 peace

   Jan 25, 1479Labels: Venice, Ottoman Empire, 1479 peace

   • Treaty 1479
   • Oxford Academic

4. Cyprus supports Venice’s eastern-facing commodity trade

   Jan 1, 1489Labels: Cyprus, Venetian rule, Mediterranean ports

   • Cyprus Travels
   • War Cyprus

5. Ottoman–Venetian War disrupts sea-lanes (1499–1503)

   Jan 1, 1499Labels: Ottoman Venetian, Naval conflict, Sea-lanes

   • War 1499 1503
   • Zonchio 1499

6. Ottomans found Safavid dynasty, reshaping silk routes

   Jan 1, 1501Labels: Safavid dynasty, Persia, Silk routes

   • Met TOAH

7. Fondaco dei Tedeschi rebuilt after 1505 fire

   Aug 1, 1508Labels: Fondaco dei, German merchants, Rialto

   • DFS History

8. Cochineal dye reaches Europe, transforming reds

   Jan 1, 1523Labels: Cochineal dye, Americas, Red dye

   • Harvard HMSC
   • UNESCO Silk Roads

9. Ottoman–Venetian War ends with 1540 capitulations

   Oct 2, 1540Labels: Ottoman Venetian, 1540 capitulations, Peace treaty

   • War 1537 1540
   • Met TOAH

10. War of Cyprus and Lepanto strain Venice’s eastern trade

    Oct 7, 1571Labels: War of, Battle of, Venice

    • Britannica
    • War 1570 1573

11. Venice endures major plague, reducing workforce and demand

    Jul 1, 1575Labels: Venice, Plague of, Workforce decline

    • Britannica Plague
    • Oxford Plague

12. England charters Venice Company, increasing competition in Levant trade

    Jan 1, 1583Labels: Venice Company, England, Levant trade

    • Venice Company

13. Fondaco dei Turchi established, formalizing Ottoman merchant presence

    Jan 1, 1621Labels: Fondaco dei, Ottoman merchants, Venice

    • Fondaco Turchi
    • Frist Museum