hmm, doable but tough. What you need is for Venice to take over all of Northern and central Italy up to Florence.
Apologies for my daftness - I overlooked the 1500s bit *shameface*
One that is just legal? Have Venice win the Battle of Modon? If they can win that they may have a chance to win the war of 1499-1503 with the Ottomans. It'd boost their prestige, retain their eastern possessions, and give them the resources to push harder against Milan, potentially have the League of Cambrai be less disasterous (maybe even add Romagna to their winnings?) Though the league could be butterflied if there was propaganda decorating Venice as a defender of christendom after their war against the Turk (a harder swing).
Winning Modon, and the subsequent war could allow the Venetians to continue expanding its domains - and reach the critical point of controlling N.Italy. Without that they'd be hard pressed to be stable.
But a Venice with N.Italy and control over Adriatic and potentially Med. trade? Uh yes please. It might no longer be Venice The Trading City State - but Venetian Italia, or The Serene Adriatic Republic.
Which was the more important state in Europe of 1500: Savoy, or Venice?With a more modern POD you could avoid italian unification and leave it one of the main ports of the Hapsburg Empire, but this would probably be more favourable to Trieste than to Venice.
Which was the more important state in Europe of 1500: Savoy, or Venice?
Could you have had Italy united BY Serenissima Repubblica?
For this you would likely need Venice to not be Catholic so usury isn't frowned upon, since that is part of what gave the Dutch, Swiss, and British an edge in the banking industry in the 1600s.Another idea I had is for Venice to get ahead in the global finance industry somehow, whether by Venice improving or other suffering. By the time technology makes Venice unsuitable as a port, the Venetian Stock Exchange is one of the most important in Europe.
For this you would likely need Venice to not be Catholic so usury isn't frowned upon, since that is part of what gave the Dutch, Swiss, and British an edge in the banking industry in the 1600s.
For what it's worth, the richest non-Swiss European cities today - Munich and Paris - are also Catholic, even if pretty much nobody goes to church in them anymore.
For this you would likely need Venice to not be Catholic so usury isn't frowned upon, since that is part of what gave the Dutch, Swiss, and British an edge in the banking industry in the 1600s.