Narentine Colonisation of Venice

[Hrvatskiwi]

From a cursory glance at the history of the Repubblica Serennissima, it seems that at the very beginning, supremacy of the Adriatic sealanes was highly contested between Venice and a number of polities on the eastern coast of the Adriatic. Zadar (Zara) and Dubrovnik (Ragusa) were notable examples of this, but both at some points submitted themselves to Venice. The most incalcitrant opposition in the eastern Adriatic was the 'Narentines', a group of pagan Slavic clans roughly situated on a strip of land between modern day Drvenik and Brela, as well as the islands of Brac, Hvar, Korcula and Mljet. The Narentine pagans were known for their aggressive piracy, which led to opposition from the Byzantines, Venetians and the Papacy. Their insistence on maintaining the worship of the traditional Slavic pantheon can't have helped their diplomatic standing with these parties.

It seems to me that Venice's key advantage over the eastern Adriatic polities in the early-to-mid Middle Ages was in their location. The easily defensible lagoon around Venice prevented conquest from states based in Northern Italy, and they were just far away enough from the Byzantines or Normans to gradually develop safely. By 840 Narentine piracy had gotten increasingly ambitious, striking the Istrian peninsula in the far north of the modern-day Croatian coast. In 846, they raided Caorle, a Venetian town very close to the capital.

Is it possible that a major clan leader (probably lost to history) unites enough Narentine clans to convince them that an attack on Venice itself is possible? The Venetian navy was already decimated through conflict with the Arabs. If the Narentines seize Venice, it is likely that the Narentine chief that takes control of it ends up becoming the prime Narentine chief, given Venice's strategic position. How would this play out? How would it change? In what ways would Veneto-Narentine policies and expansion differ from those of the OTL Venetians? They would almost certainly have to convert to Christianity, but how long might it take them? And would they still convert to Catholicism, or become Orthodox?

 

[SealTheRealDeal]

Would Venice become their centre? Seems more likely that, if they did coalesce into a single polity, they would keep their capital somewhat nearer, like Split.

 

[Hrvatskiwi]

Would Venice become their centre? Seems more likely that, if they did coalesce into a single polity, they would keep their capital somewhat nearer, like Split.

The only issue with that is that, at the time, Split was a subject of the Byzantine Empire, and it's inevitable that, barring a complete Byzantine collapse, that Constantinople would eventually send a punitive expedition that would probably overwhelm the Narentines. The Venetians too are Byzantine subjects, but are more loosely-aligned. I figured that maybe after the takeover of Venice, the Narentines might convert to Orthodoxy to mend relations with Byzantium?

I only thought that Venice would become their centre because the chieftain in charge could resettle multiple tribes and being in a small urban area might allow them to coalesce more effectively than being scattered through a number of coastal villages.