 After Selvo was deposed , it took several years for Venice to recover from the defeat at Corfu and for the Venetians to fully realize the immediate impact of his actions as Doge . When Venice provided military aid to the Byzantine Empire , they were awarded a Golden Bull by Emperor Alexios I that would provide the Venetians a great economic and strategic advantage throughout the eastern empire for centuries . According to the terms of the decree , annual grants were awarded to all the churches in Venice ( including a special gift to the coffers of St Mark 's ) , the Republic was granted whole sections of the Golden Horn in Constantinople , and Venetian merchants were given a full exemption from all taxes and duties throughout the territories of the Byzantine Empire . Not only did this aid the rapid economic growth of Venice in the next few centuries by giving Venetian goods a significant price advantage over other foreign goods , but it initiated a long period of artistic , cultural , and military relationships between Venice and Byzantium . This combination of eastern and western cultural influences made Venice a symbolic gateway between the east and the west in Southern Europe . 
