Venice. 16th-century perspective view of the Italian city state of Venice. The Republic of Venice had been a great power in Europe, becoming one of the most prosperous cities by the 13th century with thousands of ships dominating Mediterranean commerce. It was governed by a Great Council led by the Doge of Venice (bottom). By the 16th century the power of Venice had declined with the opening up of new trade routes across the Atlantic and around Africa. This is a 1612 edition of a map first published in volume 1 (1572) of the city atlas 'Civitates orbis terrarum'. This atlas was edited by Georg Braun (c.1540-1622) and largely engraved by Franz Hogenberg.