Dandolo, Enrico

Dandolo, Enrico
born 1107?, Venice
died 1205, Constantinople

Doge of the Republic of Venice (1192–1205).

After a career as a Venetian diplomat, he was elected doge at age 85. He swore the "ducal promise," spelling out the duties of his office, and instituted reforms, revising the penal code and publishing the first Venetian civil code. He also revised the coinage and sought to promote trade with the East. In 1199 he fought a victorious war against the Pisans. He was prominent in the Fourth Crusade, offering ships and supplies in return for payment (see Treaty of Venice). When the Crusaders were unable to pay, they agreed to help recover Zara for Venice and helped place Alexius IV on the Byzantine throne, an action that led to the conquest of Constantinople. As a leader of the expedition, Dandolo took the title "Lord of the Fourth Part and a Half of the Empire of Romania," which equaled the territory of the Byzantine Empire given to the Venetians.

* * *

▪ doge of Venice
born 1107?, Venice
died 1205, Constantinople

      doge of the Republic of Venice from 1192 to 1205, noted for his promotion of the Fourth Crusade, which led to the overthrow of the Greek Byzantine Empire and the aggrandizement of Venice.

      Dandolo's father, Vitale, had held important public positions; and during Enrico Dandolo's public life he was sent on many important missions for the Venetian government. He accompanied the doge Vitale II Michiel on an expedition to Constantinople in 1171. The following year, with the Byzantine ambassador, he went again to Constantinople, where, according to one account, he was so assiduous in defending the interests of the Venetians that the Emperor had him blinded. But the chronicler Geoffroi de Villehardouin (Villehardouin, Geoffrey of), who wrote the history of the Fourth Crusade and knew Enrico Dandolo personally, stated merely that he did not see well because of an injury to his head. After his diplomatic mission to Constantinople, Dandolo went as ambassador to the King of Sicily (1174) and then to Ferrara (1191). When the doge Orio Mastropiero retired to a monastery, Dandolo was elected doge on June 1, 1192, at the age of 85.

      In one of his first actions as doge, he swore the “ducal promise,” spelling out the rights and duties of the office of doge. Dandolo also revised the penal code and published the first collection of civil statutes, setting the customary law of Venice on a firm juridical basis. He also revised the coinage (coin), issuing a silver coin called the grosso, or matapan. This began a wide-ranging economic policy intended to promote trade with the East. Dandolo's image appears on the grosso coin; he is wearing a cloak and holding the “ducal promise” in his left hand while St. Mark presents him with the gonfalon (banner) in his right.

      He also concluded treaties with Verona and Treviso (1192), with the Patriarch of Aquileia (1200), with the King of Armenia (1201), and with the Byzantine Empire (1199) and the Holy Roman Emperor (1201). He fought a victorious war against the Pisans in 1199.

      But the prominent place Enrico Dandolo occupies in history must be attributed to the part he played in the Fourth Crusade: the arrangements made with the French barons for the transportation of their army; his provision of funds in exchange for their assistance in conquering Zara (Zadar), a Christian town on the Dalmatian coast then held by the King of Hungary; and his success in persuading the crusaders to help the Venetians conquer Constantinople. The personality of the Doge stands out vividly in the accounts of the chroniclers. Although quite old, he was always found in the front line. At the assault of Constantinople he stood in the bow of his galley, completely armed and with the gonfalon of St. Mark's in front of him, encouraging his men as they made their landing.

      After the capture of Constantinople, Dandolo took for himself and the doges of Venice the title “lord of the fourth part and a half of the whole empire of Romania.” The title corresponded exactly to that part of the territories of the Byzantine Empire apportioned to the Venetians in the division of spoils among the crusaders. Since he had been one of the most powerful leaders of the expedition, Dandolo remained in Constantinople to direct all the operations there and also to look out for the interests of Venice. It is said that he had some valuable marble shipped to his son Renier for the construction of the great palace of the Dandolos on the Grand Canal. Ruins of a building in Moorish style and an ancient column of green marble were discovered in an excavation performed during the 19th century in the San Luca section of Venice, where the Dandolo palace had been located.

      Dandolo died in Constantinople in 1205 and was buried in the vestibule of the church of Sta. Sophia in a marble tomb, on top of which was sculptured the doge's cap and the coat of arms of St. Mark's. The tomb was probably destroyed when Sta. Sophia was converted to a mosque after the conquest by the Turks in 1453.

      When Dandolo became doge, the Venetian republic faced considerable problems both internally and abroad. He resolved the internal problems by giving Venice an advanced civil code and constitutional system. In his pursuit of Venetian interests in the Adriatic and in the East, he was able, through shrewd commercial transactions, to acquire large territorial possessions. His burial at Constantinople was symbolic of that city's importance in the rise of Venice to wealth and power.

Antonino Lombardo
 

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dandolo, Enrico — • Doge of Venice from 1192 to 1205; died, aged about a hundred years, in 1205 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Dandolo, Enrico — (¿1107?, Venecia–1205, Constantinopla). Dux de la República de Venecia (1192–1205). Después de hacer carrera como diplomático veneciano, fue elegido dux a la edad de 85 años. Emitió bajo juramento la promesa ducal, enumerando detalladamente los… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Enrico Dandolo — (* 1107; † 21. Juni 1205) war der 41. Doge von Venedig. Er regierte von 1192 bis 1205. In seine Amtszeit fiel der Vierte Kreuzzug. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Familie 2 Leben 2.1 Erste politische Erfahrungen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Enrico Dandolo — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Dandolo tomando la Cruz, por Gustave Doré …   Wikipedia Español

  • Enrico Dandolo —     Enrico Dandolo     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Enrico Dandolo     Doge of Venice from 1192 to 1205; died, aged about a hundred years, in 1205. He belonged to one of the electoral families who claimed descent from the twelve tribunes by whom the …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • DANDOLO (E.) — DANDOLO ENRICO (1108 env. 1205) Issu d’une famille restée assez obscure jusqu’au XIe siècle, Enrico Dandolo n’apparaît dans l’histoire vénitienne qu’en 1155: il est alors giudice et semble fait pour les seconds rôles. La crise orientale qui… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Enrico Dandolo — For the 19th century Risorgimento fighter, see Enrico Dandolo (patriot). Dandolo Preaching the Crusade by Gustave Doré Enrico Dandolo (1107? – 21 June 1205) anglicised as Henry Dandolo and Latinized as Henricus Dandulus was the 41st Doge of… …   Wikipedia

  • Enrico Dandolo — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Dandolo. Dandolo prêchant la croisade par Gustave Doré Enrico Dandolo, en lati …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Enrico — /en ree koh/; It. /en rddee kaw/, n. a male given name: Italian form of Henry. * * * (as used in expressions) Berlinguer Enrico Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito Caruso Enrico Dandolo Enrico Fermi Enrico Enrico Nicola Mancini * * * …   Universalium

  • Enrico — (as used in expressions) Berlinguer, Enrico Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito Caruso, Enrico Dandolo, Enrico Fermi, Enrico Enrico Nicola Mancini …   Enciclopedia Universal

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”