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Re: The Venetians
Enrico Dandolo
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He was old (at least in his late seventies when he became Doge), and blind, but displayed tremendous physical and mental strength. In 1202 the knights of Fourth Crusade were stranded in Venice, unable to pay for the ships they had commissioned after far fewer troops arrived than expected. Dandolo realized the only way to make use of so many ships was to send a Venetian contingent on crusade as well. At an emotional and rousing ceremony in San Marco di Venezia, Dandolo "took the cross" and was soon joined by thousands of other Venetians. Dandolo quickly took charge of the crusade. Although they were supposed to be sailing to Egypt, he convinced them to stop at Zara, a port city on the Adriatic that was claimed both by Venice and by the Kingdom of Hungary. Many Crusaders realized what he wanted to do and refused to help; but others were drawn by Dandolo's promise to forgive the debts they had run up while waiting for passage from Venice. // Events August 1 - Arthur of Brittany captured in Mirebeau, north of Poitiers Beginning of the Fourth Crusade. ... San Marco di Venezia, as seen from the Piazza San Marco St Marks Basilica (Italian: Basilica di San Marco) is the most famous of the churches of Venice and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. ... Zadar (Italian Zara, Latin Iader or Iadera) is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea, with a population of 82 000 (2005). ... The Adriatic Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea separating the Apennine peninsula (Italy) from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges. ... The Kingdom of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Királyság) is the name of a multiethnic kingdom that existed in Central Europe from 1000 to 1918. ...
Zara was besieged and was sacked on November 15, 1202. Shortly afterwards, Alexius Angelus, son of the deposed Byzantine emperor Isaac II, arrived in that city, and with Dandolo's help, convinced the leaders of the crusade to proceed to Constantinople, with the aim of placing him on the throne of the Byzantine Empire. This led to the eventual sack of Constantinople on April 13, 1204, at which event Dandolo played a direct role. November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... // Events August 1 - Arthur of Brittany captured in Mirebeau, north of Poitiers Beginning of the Fourth Crusade. ... Alexius IV Angelus (c. ... Isaac II Angelus, Byzantine emperor 1185-1195, and again 1203-1204, was the successor of Andronicus I. He inaugurated his reign by a decisive victory over the Normans in Sicily, but elsewhere his policy was less successful. ... Map of Constantinople. ... Byzantine Empire (native Greek name: - Basileia t�n Romai�n) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... // Events February - Byzantine emperor Alexius IV is overthrown in a revolution, and Alexius V is proclaimed emperor. ...
He was active enough to take part in an expedition against the Bulgars, but died in 1205. He was buried in the upper Eastern gallery of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. His grave is still visible there today, though it is quite small and easy to miss; it also no longer contains his body, his bones having being removed by the Turks during the sack of 1453 and supposedly thrown to the dogs in the streets (Runciman). This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... Events January 6 - Philip of Swabia becomes King of the Romans April 14 - Battle of Adrianople (1205) between Bulgars and Latins August 20 - Following certain news of Baldwin Is death, Henry of Flanders is crowned Emperor of the Latin Empire Births Walter IV of Brienne Wenceslaus I, King of... Hagia Sophia as it appears today A section of the original architecture of Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia (Church of Holy Wisdom), now known as the Ayasofya Museum, is a former Eastern Orthodox church converted to a mosque in 1453, converted into a museum in 1935, in the Turkish city of...
Dandolo was from a socially and politically prominent Venetian family. His father Vitale was a close advisor of Doge Vitale II Michiel, while an uncle, also named Enrico Dandolo, was patriarch of Grado, the highest-ranking churchman in Venice. Both these men lived to be quite old, and the younger Enrico was overshadowed until he was in his sixties.
Dandolo's first important political roles were during the crisis years of 1171 and 1172. In March 1171 the Byzantine government had seized the goods of thousands of Venetians living in the empire, and then imprisoned them all. Popular demand forced the doge to gather a retaliatory expedition, which however fell apart when struck by the plague early in 1172. Instead Dandolo and another ambassador were sent to Constantinople to negotiate.
During the following years Dandolo twice went as ambassador to King William II of Sicily, and then in 1183 returned to Constantinople to negotiate the restoration of the Venetian quarter in the city. William II (1153 - 1189), king of Sicily, was only thirteen years old at the death of his father William I when he was placed under the regency of his mother, Marguerite of Navarre. ...
It is not known for certain when and how Dandolo became blind. The story passed around after the Fourth Crusade (and accepted by some historians) was that he had been blinded by the Byzantines during his 1171 embassy. But it is more likely that it was due to a blow to the head received sometime between 1176 and when he became doge in 1192.
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