Changes

At its peak, the Venetian empire included many Aegean islands, including [[Crete]] and [[Cyprus]], and stretches of the [[Croatia]]n coastline.  

At its peak, the Venetian empire included many Aegean islands, including [[Crete]] and [[Cyprus]], and stretches of the [[Croatia]]n coastline.  

Notable episodes in its history include the [[Fourth Crusade]] of 1204, when the blind octagenarian [[doge]] [[Enrico Dandolo]] led the sack of [[Constantinople]], and the [[Battle of Lepanto]] of 1571, when a Venetian-led fleet gave the [[Ottoman Empire]] its first major naval defeat and marked the end of [[Islam]]ic expansion into [[Christian]] Europe.

Notable episodes in its history include the [[Fourth Crusade]] of 1204, when the blind octagenarian doge Enrico Dandolo led the sack of [[Constantinople]], and the [[Battle of Lepanto]] of 1571, when a Venetian-led fleet gave the [[Ottoman Empire]] its first major naval defeat and marked the end of [[Islam]]ic expansion into [[Christian]] Europe.