What was more important to Venice gaining territory or their trading activites?

Answer 1

The commercial activities of Venice depended essentially on the domain of the Adriatic Sea and the security of its bases in the Eastern Mediterranean.

While the latter was assured by the power of its fleet, the domain of the Adriatic Sea depended also on the possession of its northeastern coastline, rather high and indented, provided with coves and, for what concerned the Dalmatian coastline, also rich of islands. Those geographical characteristics

allowed the coastal line of being easily defended against a hostile land power devoid of a fleet.

Venice's sea routes were therefore sure, with exception of pirates attacks, which could be effectively kept at bay by the Venetian fleet and the affluence of the merchandises to the city were consequently assured.

The territorial expansion of Venice in its immediate hinterland was however dictated by the need

to hinder the attempts to isolate the city led from time to time of the Signories of Padua, Verona, Milan and the Patriarchate of Aquilieia, in order to reduce her in a condition of vassalage.

Venice was able to repulse all those attempts, defeating its enemies and conquering what nowadays is the northeastern Italian region of Veneto. In so doing the city became also a land power.

We shall say, therefore, that after a certain period of time, the need of the conquest of territories became very important both for the safeguard of Venice's trading and for its own survival.

And that need became paramount after the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, when Venice had to seize territories in Greece and some islands in the East Mediterranean to prevent from being whipped out from the sea. and confined into the Adriatic.