Pietro II Orseolo

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Pietro II Orseolo was the Doge of Venice from 991 to 1009. He began the period of eastern expansion of Venice that lasted for the better part of 500 years. He secured his influence in the Dalmatian Romanized settlements from the Croatians and Neretvians, freed Venetia from a 50-year old taxation to Pagania and started Venetia's expansions by conquering Lastovo and Korčula and acquiring Dubrovnik.

[edit] Life

Following repeated complaints by the Dalmatian city-states in 997, the Venetian fleet under Orseolo attacked the Neretvian pirates of Pagania (Neretvia) on the Ascension Day in 998. Pietro then took the title of Dux Dalmatianorum (Duke of the Dalmatians), associating it with his son.

On 9 May 1000 Doge Pietro II decided to finally pacify the Croatians and the Neretvians, protecting their trading colonies and the interests of the Dalmatian Romanized citizenry. Without difficulties, he scortched the entire eastern half of the Adriatic coast, with only the Neretvians offering some resistance. After the Neretvians stole goods and captured 40 tradars from Zadar, the Doge dispatched 10 ships that caught the Neretvians near the island of Kača. He captured all Neretvians and brought them triumphantly to Split. There, Neretvian emissaries requested the release of the prisoners, if the Neretvian Archont himself came to bow, renounce the old tax that Venetia had to pay since 948 and guarrantee safe passage to Venetian ships in the Adriatic. Pietro II released all prisoners except for 6 Neretvians, whome he kept as hostages. The mainland Neretvians were thus pacified, while the denizens of Korčula decided to fight, but were eventually conquered. Bloody resistance was given, on Lastovo as well. The island was infamous for being a pirate haven, so Pietro II ordered the island's city to be evacuated so that it could be raized to the ground. The citizens of Lastovo refused and continued to fight. Pietro eventually won and purged and raized the City to the ground.

On a tiny Adriatic island in the of Saint Maximus, the Bishop of Ragusa came and bowed in loyalty to him in the name of Dubrovnik.

His son Ottone Orseolo was his successor as the doge of Venice until 1026.^[1]

[edit] Legacy

The date of his victory became that of the Festa della Sensa, the Ascension Festival, the oldest festival in Venice. It was commemorated by the Doge and the bishop of Olivolo going past the Lido and blessing the waters, invoking good fortune for the Venetian navy.