AHC: Surviving Republic of Venice

Challenge: With a POD after January 1st, 1700, have the Republic of Venice survive up until present day.

I think that may be impossible by that late date when the Serene Republics fortunes and power were so modest and constrained. With an earlier POD, possible.

Perhaps, just perhaps, if Venice pulled a San Marino (somehow convincing a powerful patron to preserve its neutrality and independence --- SM did this thru
one of its councillors befriending Napolean, OTL)..... A very, very, very long stretch. San Marino never had anything that others wanted.

Very difficult, perhaps impossible. Venice was declining country and it had very weak army. And Austria surely would want take that sooner or latter.

Surviving up without losing it's independence at least once? Impossible without a earlier PoD. Turks in a different place and Austria not being strong(perhaps a massive Rus- i mean Ser- i mean Slav wank)

I'll give you a POD of 1796, even: Masséna, rather than Bonaparte, is given command of the French forces in Italy.

The two men were rather different in their approach, and unlike Napoleon, André Masséna would not just demand the unconditional surrender of Venice and then prepare to just dismantle the state altogether. The Peace of Leoben would stick, with the Austrians taking the Venetian possessions in the Balkans as the price of peace, while France grabs some lands in Italy (as per OTL). But rump-Venice remains an independent republic, and doge Ludovico Manin remains in charge there. When the treaty of Campo Formio (or its ATL counterpart) is agreed upon, both the French and the Austrians want to keep Venice out of the other's hands, and it remains independent. Reduced, practically powerless, but still independent.

And well, if Napoleon isn't commanding in Italy, he may very well never get a chance to become emperor. The Directory might survive, or someone else (maybe even Masséna himself) might become (First) Consul. Peace is achieved around 1800-1801, pretty much as OTL. And if it can last, if the French Republic can be stabilized, then that's the end of it. Neither France nor Austria really want a united Italy, so they'll likely try to keep the small North Italian states independent. Including Venice.

Is all of this a very likely scenario? No. But its not impossible. As a TL, it could be written in a very plausible manner. So there you have it: the Republic of Venice, surviving up to the present day.