Venice's maneuver strategy meets a fixed defense problem

Venice relied on mobility, selected fights, and small forces. Success with that approach encouraged the republic to believe that it would not need the expense of larger forces. The assumption failed when Ottoman cavalry threatened Venetian territory in northern Italy, although accounts disagree over how close the raiders came to Venice itself. Once the Ottomans attacked somewhere the republic had to defend, Venice lost its freedom to maneuver and its choice of battlefield. An economical naval method had become a liability because the enemy changed the terms of the campaign.