History of Venice from 1171 to

1171

21 March: The Basileus of Constantinople orders the arrest of all Venetians residing in Constantinople and Romania: More than 10,000 Venetians are arrested.

Tensions between Venice and Constantinople are at their height and many Venetians emigrate, while trade between Venice and Byzantium ceases.

Venice then went to war against Byzantium and Doge Vitale Michiel left Venice at the head of a fleet of warships.

On their way, the Venetians seized Dalmatian islands in the Adriatic and headed for Euboea, the largest of the Aegean islands, where they landed.

The Basileus, the king of Greece, negotiated, promised compensation, but seemed mainly interested in gaining time... and time was on his side, as a plague broke out and Doge Vitale Michel was forced to return to Venice, his army having been decimated more by the plague than by the war.

He had left with 100 galleys and 20 ships and returned to Venice with... 17 galleys and, as a bonus, the plague, which he spread throughout Venice. A crime for which he would pay with his life in 1172.

Venice is divided into 6 districts
In 1171, it was decided to divide Venice into six districts on either side of the Grand Canal: ‘de citra’ (from here) and ‘de ultra’ (and from there).

On the right bank of the Grand Canal, the districts of San Polo, Santa Croce and Dorsoduro were created, including the island of Giudecca.

On the left bank, the districts of San Marco, Cannaregio and Castello or Olivolo were created.

Each district then appointed its own district leader for a year. These six district leaders were part of the Council of Ten when it was first established.

Each of the six districts was in fact the result of the grouping together of a number of parishes.

1172

The Consiglio dei Savi (Council of Elders) was transformed into the Maggior Consiglio (Grand Council), a legislative body presided over by the Doge.

1172 is also the year of the birth of the ‘Divine Myth’ of Venice, ‘il mito divino’, namely that the laws of the Republic are inspired by God and that they are the laws of the Republic.Divine Myth of Venice, il mito divino, namely that the laws of the Republic are inspired by God and that it is divine laws that unite the Doge with the aristocracy of the Senate and the (relative) democracy of the Grand Council.

28 May: Doge Michiel, held responsible for the Republic's defeats and the arrival of the plague in Venice, was assassinated by the crowd while fleeing to the church of San Zaccaria.

29 September: After four months of vacancy in the Ducal seat, Sebastiano Ziani, the richest man in Venice, was elected Doge at the age of 60.

This was the first time that a Doge had been elected indirectly, as a result of the popular unrest that had led to Michiel's assassination.

The Rio Batario o del Badoer, which divided St. Mark's Square in two, is filled in and removed.

During the same works, the church of San Geminiano, built in 555, which stood at the end of St. Mark's Square along the buried canal, was demolished and the Procuratie were built, later to be called the Procuratie Vechie.

Doge Sebastiano Ziani also demolished the internal fortifications of the Doge's Palace.

He also erected the two columns of the Piazzetta San Marco.

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