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People of the World, Part II - Pietro III Orseolo
Having been born during the Golden Age of Venice and raised during its darkest hour, Pietro Orseolo always planned several steps ahead, for he did not desire the same fate to befall him as did his predecessor Ezio I. Upon his birth, the ailing Doge of Venice and his great-granduncle Ottone the Great was cited as saying that "he had his late father Pietro's eyes, strong spirit too". From then on, it seemed that the hands of Fate would cautiously guard the young Pietro against his enemies.
His childhood, however, did not shape up to be a perfect one, for Ezio was ousted from power as Doge by the enemies of Venice, who accused the Orseoli of nepotism and shameless power-grabbing. The entire Orseolo family was exiled from Venice Proper, but not before Ezio was publicly shamed by having his luscious beard and mane of hair shaved and thrown into the Grand Canal.
Pietro found himself living in Ragusa since the age of one-and-ten, by then already a fortified stronghold of the family after over half a century of direct influence and financial backing of the now-prospering settlement. The reasoning for this was manifold, naturally, as it served to protect Orseoli interests against their Slavic enemies to the north and the sporadic Rhoman diplomatic malaise from the southeast. Influence over easternmost Venetian territories notwithstanding, the disgraced Orseolo family still forced itself to accept the newly established political status quo in La Serenissima's capital purely on the basis of survival, for there was nigh certain chance of their holdings being beset from all sides by barbarians and vengeful foes should they have pursued vengeance at the time.
Pietro, on the other hand, flourished much like the city he spent his childhood in. Frequently visiting local markets and fisheries of the Pearl of the Adriatic, he quickly became the most cosseted Orseolo in the city, even surpassing his namesake and Captain of Ragusa, who took the young man's popularity in stride, and as Pietro the Younger grew, his unpopular father Ezio was largely sidelined in the former's favour at the Captain's court.
The situation on the eastern coasts of the Adriatic largely deteriorated however, as a string of impotent Doges took the reins of Venice after Ezio's ousting from power. The peak of such weakness had occurred in the late 1060s when Michael Slavian of Croatia and of Neretvia had joined forces with the treacherous Duke Amico the Norman to expel the vaning Venetian control from the coastal Romanized cities of Dalmatia.
The defensive efforts turned out to be an utter failure, and the crisis in Venice deepened. Not helping matters any was also the tension between Venice and the southernmost Italian territories under the control of Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia, of Calabria and of Sicily over trading rights, which the Venetians wanted to go in their favour after the devastating loss of Dalmatia.
Pietro, always a man to pounce upon an opportunity the moment he noticed one, had married Agata, eldest daughter of merchant and liberal church benefactor Domenico Contarini, thus allowing himself to enter Venetian politics from the shadows. Due to Ragusa being untouched by the wars that devastated the Venetian economy in the Interregnum, Pietro's purse was always deep with coin, which allowed him to bribe many oligarchs in the Venetian Assembly (heretofore referred to as the Concio) to begin advocating for an Orseolo restoration.
The fruits of his labour proved worthwhile in 1076 with the uncertain end of Agostino Michiel's reign as Doge. Derogatorily referred to as The Impotent, the final sennights of his reign are a mystery to the contemporary man, for there are no records of his fate that followed, altthough if his misname is anything to go by, it is likely that a fate worse than Ezio's befell the old man, whether it be the pestilence that raged the Most Serene Republic at the time or the vengeful hands of the Venetian people.
Using his wealth and the Concio's lack of morale in the Republic's institutions, Pietro always fondly talked of the Venetian Golden Age that Ottone Orseolo had created during parleys, earning him more and more support before ultimately being ushered into office on Roman winter solstice day at the end of the year. Immediately, Pietro III began to enable important reforms into the everyday life of the Most Serene Republic. Having taken a liking to the Contarini goodman's selfless donations to the Catholic Church, Pietro would peacefully negotiate relaxations of tariffs from both the realms of Cresimir and the Guiscards to reinvigorate the Venetian economy. While relations with Duke Robert remained icy, the relationship with Cresimir flourished, much to everybody's surprise.
The relations between Venice and Croatia could have never been described as anything but fiercely antagonistic, as for over two hundred years the two realms have stained their swords with each other's blood in a series of wars and petty disputes. Two Doges lost their lives during those conflicts, and Pietro III had no intention of following in both his namesakes' footsteps.
Having met with Cresimir and his courtiers in 1078 on the island of Ugliano, Pietro III was reportedly taken aback by Cresimir's mannerisms and stoic nature, as he recalled numerous descriptions of his great-granducle's quieter, more contemplative moments that his ancestors had told him stories of. Many deem this the reason why Pietro largely achieved famously warm relations with Cresimir during their concurrent reigns. The Croato-Venetian Agreement of 1078, signed and approved by both rulers and written on parchment as well as engraved in stone, lessened the burdens of the recently enforced Croatian taxes on Venetian ships that had been sporadically in place since Doge Pietro III Candiano's unsuccessful naval campaign over one hundred and thirty summers prior.
Unlike some of his opponents in the Concio, Pietro III advocated for a lively foreign policy, and as a result of this, Venice would join the Pannonian Crusade against Kanikaras' Patzinak horde, aiding the Papal forces against the heathen invaders. Before his joining the Crusade, however, Pietro would sign a treaty with the Rhoman Empire not too dissimilar to the one with Cresimir, where he would aid Emperor Alexius in his defense of the Rhoman realm in exchange for greater trade benefits across the latter's territories.
During the negotiations regarding the fate of Hungary, Pietro desired a strong foreign ruler on its throne, for the bickering native nobles could not find a man to unify behind and to put forth as a viable candidate for the esteemed position, long before established and strengthened by Stephen and Emeric, whose descendants all perished during the Pannonian Crusade.
A shocking alternative had arisen, though, as Pietro's negotiations behind the scenes with Robert Guiscard ensured a sound man would inherit the throne of Hungary and be voted on in the meantime. The saddened Hungarians had no choice but to accept.
The Orseolo Doge's next goal was a domestic one – the majestic Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark was adorned with additional towers and the newest Romanesque-style semicircular arches for windows, doors, and the Basilica's arcades. This endeavour proved to be one of the Doge's most popular actions, and many nobles that once ousted his father Ezio and vehemently opposed Orseoli restoration now openly voiced their support for Pietro. With prestige built both abroad and at home, Pietro became as venerated as his great-granduncle over forty years prior. The shameful Interregnum that the nobles put the Most Serene Republic in for fifteen summers was now merely a sad, pathetic memory most had buried underneath the surface. Pietro, however, always recalled those days when some nobles thought themselves better than him and opposed some of his policy suggestions.
With his opposition in tatters, Pietro was free to join forces with the Pope in the Asian Crusade, offering to transfer the Christian troops by ship over to Asia Minor and the East to attack the Muslim invaders of the Holy Land. In turn, however, Pietro demanded one peculiar knight a favour deemed inordinant by many – he demanded Godfrey of Bouillon be bethrothed to his youngest sister Cristina. The Duke of Lower Lorraine was outraged at the demand, though he had no choice but to accept, for the Holy Land needed to be liberated.
Pietro's relations with his siblings as well as his father Ezio increasingly deteriorated during his tenure as Doge. Many think Pietro deems himself the only man worthy of attempting to relive the incredible achievements of Ottone the Great, while Ezio's other seed is merely cattle to be bartered with on a whim. Thus, Pietro had, just before the Pope issued the proclamation for the Asian Crusade, locked his father into a small fort on top of Mount Sergius, one of the many hills within the city of Ragusa after accusing him of attempting to usurp him.
Ezio's forceful confinement had lasted nigh four long summers in the prison, one that Pietro himself ordered built specifically for his father's accommodations, though they were anything but. According to everyone who had witnessed the paltry conditions of the tightly confined space there, and with it being struck nigh everyday by heavy storm-winds, as they are called by those of a more superstitious disposition, the place is still thought cursed beyond the good grace of the Lord.
Having heard of those rumours, the moment his father left this Earth the whole prison was destroyed stone by stone, and most of the remains scattered throughout the city, the Adriatic Sea, Venice proper or unsuccessfully sold to merchants, who had vehemently opposed any such transactions, allegedly saying on numerous occasions that the stone itself was cursed. The place where Ezio perished only a few years back now bears the unceremonious moniker of Weeping Eagle's Hill, a mark of shame that should, as it is more than likely it will not, plague the man who stomped over his family in the pursuit of vanity and glory.
Pietro, though, ruthless as he was, thought nothing of the matter, instead ordering the construction of a small Romanesque-style church dedicated to the memory of those who gave their lives for the continued serenity of Venice. The construction of the building is still, to this day, overseen by Patriarch of Grado and descendant of Ottone's line, Augusto Orseolo.
A monster to some, a benevolent leader to others, Pietro Orseolo certainly is a man not to be trifled with, for his connections reach far and wide throughout the Old World, his family's influence and money ensuring they are deep within the core of the Most Serene Republic and that they were there to stay. It stands to reason he is watching the withering of his supposed ally to the east with sharpened fangs and a knowing, predatory glint in his eyes. Nobody knows what is about to happen, nor is anyone daring to take a guess…
His childhood, however, did not shape up to be a perfect one, for Ezio was ousted from power as Doge by the enemies of Venice, who accused the Orseoli of nepotism and shameless power-grabbing. The entire Orseolo family was exiled from Venice Proper, but not before Ezio was publicly shamed by having his luscious beard and mane of hair shaved and thrown into the Grand Canal.
Pietro found himself living in Ragusa since the age of one-and-ten, by then already a fortified stronghold of the family after over half a century of direct influence and financial backing of the now-prospering settlement. The reasoning for this was manifold, naturally, as it served to protect Orseoli interests against their Slavic enemies to the north and the sporadic Rhoman diplomatic malaise from the southeast. Influence over easternmost Venetian territories notwithstanding, the disgraced Orseolo family still forced itself to accept the newly established political status quo in La Serenissima's capital purely on the basis of survival, for there was nigh certain chance of their holdings being beset from all sides by barbarians and vengeful foes should they have pursued vengeance at the time.
Pietro, on the other hand, flourished much like the city he spent his childhood in. Frequently visiting local markets and fisheries of the Pearl of the Adriatic, he quickly became the most cosseted Orseolo in the city, even surpassing his namesake and Captain of Ragusa, who took the young man's popularity in stride, and as Pietro the Younger grew, his unpopular father Ezio was largely sidelined in the former's favour at the Captain's court.
The situation on the eastern coasts of the Adriatic largely deteriorated however, as a string of impotent Doges took the reins of Venice after Ezio's ousting from power. The peak of such weakness had occurred in the late 1060s when Michael Slavian of Croatia and of Neretvia had joined forces with the treacherous Duke Amico the Norman to expel the vaning Venetian control from the coastal Romanized cities of Dalmatia.
The defensive efforts turned out to be an utter failure, and the crisis in Venice deepened. Not helping matters any was also the tension between Venice and the southernmost Italian territories under the control of Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia, of Calabria and of Sicily over trading rights, which the Venetians wanted to go in their favour after the devastating loss of Dalmatia.
Pietro, always a man to pounce upon an opportunity the moment he noticed one, had married Agata, eldest daughter of merchant and liberal church benefactor Domenico Contarini, thus allowing himself to enter Venetian politics from the shadows. Due to Ragusa being untouched by the wars that devastated the Venetian economy in the Interregnum, Pietro's purse was always deep with coin, which allowed him to bribe many oligarchs in the Venetian Assembly (heretofore referred to as the Concio) to begin advocating for an Orseolo restoration.
The fruits of his labour proved worthwhile in 1076 with the uncertain end of Agostino Michiel's reign as Doge. Derogatorily referred to as The Impotent, the final sennights of his reign are a mystery to the contemporary man, for there are no records of his fate that followed, altthough if his misname is anything to go by, it is likely that a fate worse than Ezio's befell the old man, whether it be the pestilence that raged the Most Serene Republic at the time or the vengeful hands of the Venetian people.
Using his wealth and the Concio's lack of morale in the Republic's institutions, Pietro always fondly talked of the Venetian Golden Age that Ottone Orseolo had created during parleys, earning him more and more support before ultimately being ushered into office on Roman winter solstice day at the end of the year. Immediately, Pietro III began to enable important reforms into the everyday life of the Most Serene Republic. Having taken a liking to the Contarini goodman's selfless donations to the Catholic Church, Pietro would peacefully negotiate relaxations of tariffs from both the realms of Cresimir and the Guiscards to reinvigorate the Venetian economy. While relations with Duke Robert remained icy, the relationship with Cresimir flourished, much to everybody's surprise.
The relations between Venice and Croatia could have never been described as anything but fiercely antagonistic, as for over two hundred years the two realms have stained their swords with each other's blood in a series of wars and petty disputes. Two Doges lost their lives during those conflicts, and Pietro III had no intention of following in both his namesakes' footsteps.
Having met with Cresimir and his courtiers in 1078 on the island of Ugliano, Pietro III was reportedly taken aback by Cresimir's mannerisms and stoic nature, as he recalled numerous descriptions of his great-granducle's quieter, more contemplative moments that his ancestors had told him stories of. Many deem this the reason why Pietro largely achieved famously warm relations with Cresimir during their concurrent reigns. The Croato-Venetian Agreement of 1078, signed and approved by both rulers and written on parchment as well as engraved in stone, lessened the burdens of the recently enforced Croatian taxes on Venetian ships that had been sporadically in place since Doge Pietro III Candiano's unsuccessful naval campaign over one hundred and thirty summers prior.
Unlike some of his opponents in the Concio, Pietro III advocated for a lively foreign policy, and as a result of this, Venice would join the Pannonian Crusade against Kanikaras' Patzinak horde, aiding the Papal forces against the heathen invaders. Before his joining the Crusade, however, Pietro would sign a treaty with the Rhoman Empire not too dissimilar to the one with Cresimir, where he would aid Emperor Alexius in his defense of the Rhoman realm in exchange for greater trade benefits across the latter's territories.
During the negotiations regarding the fate of Hungary, Pietro desired a strong foreign ruler on its throne, for the bickering native nobles could not find a man to unify behind and to put forth as a viable candidate for the esteemed position, long before established and strengthened by Stephen and Emeric, whose descendants all perished during the Pannonian Crusade.
A shocking alternative had arisen, though, as Pietro's negotiations behind the scenes with Robert Guiscard ensured a sound man would inherit the throne of Hungary and be voted on in the meantime. The saddened Hungarians had no choice but to accept.
The Orseolo Doge's next goal was a domestic one – the majestic Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark was adorned with additional towers and the newest Romanesque-style semicircular arches for windows, doors, and the Basilica's arcades. This endeavour proved to be one of the Doge's most popular actions, and many nobles that once ousted his father Ezio and vehemently opposed Orseoli restoration now openly voiced their support for Pietro. With prestige built both abroad and at home, Pietro became as venerated as his great-granduncle over forty years prior. The shameful Interregnum that the nobles put the Most Serene Republic in for fifteen summers was now merely a sad, pathetic memory most had buried underneath the surface. Pietro, however, always recalled those days when some nobles thought themselves better than him and opposed some of his policy suggestions.
With his opposition in tatters, Pietro was free to join forces with the Pope in the Asian Crusade, offering to transfer the Christian troops by ship over to Asia Minor and the East to attack the Muslim invaders of the Holy Land. In turn, however, Pietro demanded one peculiar knight a favour deemed inordinant by many – he demanded Godfrey of Bouillon be bethrothed to his youngest sister Cristina. The Duke of Lower Lorraine was outraged at the demand, though he had no choice but to accept, for the Holy Land needed to be liberated.
Pietro's relations with his siblings as well as his father Ezio increasingly deteriorated during his tenure as Doge. Many think Pietro deems himself the only man worthy of attempting to relive the incredible achievements of Ottone the Great, while Ezio's other seed is merely cattle to be bartered with on a whim. Thus, Pietro had, just before the Pope issued the proclamation for the Asian Crusade, locked his father into a small fort on top of Mount Sergius, one of the many hills within the city of Ragusa after accusing him of attempting to usurp him.
Ezio's forceful confinement had lasted nigh four long summers in the prison, one that Pietro himself ordered built specifically for his father's accommodations, though they were anything but. According to everyone who had witnessed the paltry conditions of the tightly confined space there, and with it being struck nigh everyday by heavy storm-winds, as they are called by those of a more superstitious disposition, the place is still thought cursed beyond the good grace of the Lord.
Having heard of those rumours, the moment his father left this Earth the whole prison was destroyed stone by stone, and most of the remains scattered throughout the city, the Adriatic Sea, Venice proper or unsuccessfully sold to merchants, who had vehemently opposed any such transactions, allegedly saying on numerous occasions that the stone itself was cursed. The place where Ezio perished only a few years back now bears the unceremonious moniker of Weeping Eagle's Hill, a mark of shame that should, as it is more than likely it will not, plague the man who stomped over his family in the pursuit of vanity and glory.
Pietro, though, ruthless as he was, thought nothing of the matter, instead ordering the construction of a small Romanesque-style church dedicated to the memory of those who gave their lives for the continued serenity of Venice. The construction of the building is still, to this day, overseen by Patriarch of Grado and descendant of Ottone's line, Augusto Orseolo.
A monster to some, a benevolent leader to others, Pietro Orseolo certainly is a man not to be trifled with, for his connections reach far and wide throughout the Old World, his family's influence and money ensuring they are deep within the core of the Most Serene Republic and that they were there to stay. It stands to reason he is watching the withering of his supposed ally to the east with sharpened fangs and a knowing, predatory glint in his eyes. Nobody knows what is about to happen, nor is anyone daring to take a guess…
- John_Smith
- Word Count: 1.8k