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Museum of Wonder: Venice

Venice surpassed all her rivals in the Legendary history records the annual splendor and extent of her commerce, recovery of this ring and its restoration to and it was for this that the Pope sent the the Doge, with pompous ceremonies and Doge the famous nuptial ring, with demonstrations of rejoicing. which, in assertion of his naval supremacy, "to wed the Adriatic." The Capture of Edinburgh Castle.

While Robert Bruce was rapidly gain- "Doge" was the title of the elective ing possession of Scotland, and driving chief magistrate in the Republics of out the English, Edinburgh remained Venice and Genoa. The Doges of with its strong castle, in the possession of Venice were elected for life. The first of the invaders. Sir Thomas Randolph, just them was called to the dignity in the year created Earl of Murray by the king, was 697, when Venice had scarcely risen to extremely desirous to gain this importthe importance of a city, and he and his suc- ant place; but the castle is situated on a cessors ruled it as sovereigns, with nearly very steep and lofty rock, so that it is absolute power. In the twelfth cen- difficult, or almost impossible, even to get tury one of the Doges, Sebastiano Ziano, up to the foot of the walls, much more to in order to make his dignity, now stripped climb over them. of every power, at least popular, distributed money among the people at his inauguration.