The Sacking of Venice

The Sacking of Venice (Part of The Last Roman-Venetian War occurred on May 29th, 1469. After a multi-week siege, Roman forces under the direct command of Andreas I stormed the city of Venice, deposed the Most Serene Republic of Venice and installed Venetia, a Roman city, in Venice's place on the lagoon.

Events leading up to the Sacking
Andreas I had been planning his vengeance against Venice since the The Black Day some fourteen years prior. He amassed a large and modern flotilla, filled with several modern purxiphoi and tens of thousands of sea-borne troops. The Venetians fought hard and well, but after several furious charges led by the Emperor himself the army was utterly beaten.

The Sacking
Andreas, flanked by his friends/bodyguards Lorenzo de Medici and Andronikos Angelos, along with his army, began to slaughter the terrified citizens of Venice. Many found refuge in The Basilica of Saint Mark where Andreas, possessed by a rage and fury from over a decade of anger and despair from the Black Day, began slaughtering them there as well until the shock and visions of his sister Zoe and mother caused him to call off the killing.

Venetia and other after-effects
In between starvation, the siege, the battles, and the massacre some 40,000 Venetians were killed. Every surviving man between the ages of 15 and 60 was executed. The women and children were deported to eastern Anatolia. Roman troops methodically went through the city itself smashing every edifice of a winged lion and any items that were taken during the Fourth Crusade (included the famed Horses of Saint Mark was taken back to Constantinople. After that, the city was given over to Andreas' troops for a week.  Only the Croat, Jewish, and Egyptian quarters are spared.

The Basilica of Saint Mark was re-christened the Basilica of Saint Helena after Andreas' mother, who was newly canonized. Andreas officially creates Venetia, a Roman city full of colonists, in Venice's place. He also declares May 29th to be the Day of Victories, celebrating Roman triumphs over Venice (1469), Second Manzikert (1411) and the re-conquest of Alexandria (1453) which all occurred on that day.

Pope Julius II, himself a native son of Venice, soon uses the slaughter to declare the Tenth Crusade on Andreas and his Empire.