The Stato da Màr, also called Domini da Mar, means "State of the Sea" or "Domains of the Sea." It was a group of lands and islands controlled by the Republic of Venice from about the year 1000 until 1797. These areas included parts of modern countries such as Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece. Specific regions included Istria, Dalmatia, the Ionian Islands, the Peloponnese, Crete, the Cyclades, Euboea, and Cyprus.

This was one of three main parts of Venice’s lands. The other two were the Dogado, which was Venice itself, and the Domini di Terraferma, which were lands in northern Italy.

The islands controlled by Venice, such as Corfu, Crete, and Cyprus, were very important for Venice’s trade and military power. A famous historian named Fernand Braudel wrote that these islands were like "Venice's motionless fleet" in his study about the Mediterranean in the 16th century.

History

The creation of Venice's overseas empire began around the year 1000 when Doge Pietro II Orseolo defeated the Narentines. Dalmatian city-states then recognized Venetian rule, allowing the Doge to call himself "Duke of Dalmatia" for several decades. Control over Dalmatia was not fully stabilized until the early 15th century. During the 12th and 13th centuries, Venice gradually took control of Istria, a region it ruled until the end of the Republic.

Venice's overseas territories reached their largest size after the Fourth Crusade in 1204, when Venice claimed parts of the Byzantine Empire. However, most of this land was not controlled by Venice, as it remained under Greek successor states like the Despotate of Epirus and the Empire of Nicaea. Venice held a key position in Constantinople, called Podestà, until the Byzantines reclaimed the city in 1261. Venice also remained influential in the region during the Frankokratia, a time of political change. From the Fourth Crusade, Venice kept Euboea until the 15th century, the Cyclades until the 16th, and Crete until the 17th.

After the War of Chioggia in the late 14th century, Venice's empire grew quickly. Corfu became part of Venice in 1386, and Argos and Nauplia in 1388–1394. Venice also controlled Adriatic ports like Durazzo and Alessio on the Albanian coast by 1392, followed by Scutari in 1396 and Drivasto in 1397. In 1402, the Battle of Ankara weakened the Ottoman Empire, and the death of Giangaleazzo Visconti of Milan created a power gap in northern Italy, helping Venice expand its Domini di Terraferma. The Ottoman Interregnum and the Treaty of Gallipoli in 1403 led to increased trade and the building of new fortresses in Greece, such as Lepanto in 1407, Patras in 1408, Navarino in 1410, and temporarily Thessalonica in 1423. In Dalmatia, Venice had lost control to Hungary in 1358 but regained parts of the region in 1409 by paying 100,000 ducats to Ladislaus of Naples for territories like Cres, Rab, Pag, Zadar, Vrana, and Novigrad.

In 1489, Venice took control of Cyprus, holding it until the Ottoman Empire conquered it in 1570–1571. Venice's control over the Adriatic Sea lasted for centuries, and maps from the 17th and 18th centuries labeled the area "Mare di Venezia" (Sea of Venice). From the 15th century onward, Venice's overseas empire was shaped by repeated wars with the Ottoman Empire. Though Venice lost many territories, it occasionally gained land, such as the Peloponnese from the late 1680s to 1715 and parts of Dalmatia in the 1680s. By 1797, when the Republic of Venice fell to Napoleon I, Venice's remaining overseas lands were limited to Istria, Dalmatia, and the Ionian Islands, with no territories east of Kythira and Antikythera.

Domains

The locations are listed in order, starting with those closest to Venice and moving to those farthest away. When the name in the Venetian language differs from the standard Italian name, the Venetian version is listed first. Venetian feudal lords, such as Andrea Ghisi in Tinos and Mykonos, are included in the list.

• Venetian Istria:
• Kvarner Gulf (Quarnaro):
• Novigrad (Novegradi), 1409–1797, except during the Ottoman occupation from 1646 to 1647
• Nin (Nona), 1328–1358 and 1409–1797
• Zadar (Zara), 998–1186, 1202–1358, and 1409–1797
• Biograd (Zaravecia after 1204), early 11th century, 1115–1124, 1125, 1409–1797
• Vrana (Aurana or Laurana Arauzona), 1409–1538, 1647, and 1683–1797
• Ugljan Island (Ugliano) and Dugi Island (Isola Lunga or Isola Grossa), 13th century–1358, and 1409–1797
• Šibenik (Sebenego/Sebenico), 1116–1133, 1322–1358, and 1412–1797
• Trogir (Traù), 1125–1133, and 1420–1797
• Split (Spàlato), 998–1019, 1116–1117, 1118–1124, 1127–1141, and 1420–1797

• Omiš (Almissa), 1444–1797
• Vis Island (Lissa), approximately 1409–1797
• Brač Island (Brasa), 1268–1358, and 1420–1797
• Makarska (Macarsca), 13th century–1326, and 1646–1797
• Hvar Island (Łexina/Lesina), 1331–1358, and 1409–1797
• Korčula Island (Curzola), 1255–1358, and 1409–1797
• Dalmatian Hinterland, mostly conquered during the Morean War:
• Dubrovnik (Raguxa/Ragusa), 1000–1030, and 1205–1358

• Herceg Novi (Castelnuovo), 1687–1797 (See also: Siege of Castelnuovo)
• Risan (Risano), 1688–1797
• Kotor (Càtaro/Cattaro) and Perast (Perasto), 1420–1797 (See also: Battle of Perast)
• Sveti Stefan (Santo Stefano), 1423–1797
• Budva (Budua) and Sutomore (Spizza), 1420–1797
• Bar (Antivari), 1443–1571
• Ulcinj (Dulcigno), 1405–1571
• Shkodër (Scutari), 1396–1479 (See also: Siege of Shkodra (1474) and Siege of Shkodra)
• Drisht (Drivasto), 1393–1423, and 1442–1478
• Lezhë (Alessio), 1386–1478, and 1501–1506
• Durrës (Durazo/Durazzo), 1205–1213, and 1392–1501 (See also: Duchy of Durazzo (Republic of Venice))
• Krujë (Kruja), 1388–1392, 1393–1394, 1403–1415 (See also: Principality of Albania (medieval))
• Sati (Satti) and Danjë (Dagno), 1403–1413
• Vlorë (Valona) and Kaninë Castle (Canina), 1690–1691
• Butrint (Butrinto), 1350, and 1386–1797

• Trani, 1496–1509
• Mola di Bari and Polignano a Mare, 1495–1509, and 1528–1530
• Monopoli, 1495–1509
• Monopoli, 1495–1509
• Monopoli, 1495–1509
• Monopoli, 1495–1509
• Monopoli, 1495–1509
• Monopoli, 1495–1509
• Monopoli, 1495–1509
• Monopoli, 1495–1509
• Monopoli, 1495–1509
• Monopoli, 1495–1509
• Monopoli, 1495–1509
• Monopoli, 1495–1509
• Monopoli