#originofvenice — Public Fediverse posts

Ursus Hypatos — third and first doge of Venice

Ursus Hypatos — or Orso Ipato in Italian — was the third doge on the traditional list of doges of Venice, but probably the first to be chosen by the Venetians. The nominally first, Paulicius, most likely never existed, and the second, Marcellus, was probably a Byzantine appointee.

We know very little about duke Ursus.

#histodons #OriginOfVenice #OrsoIpato #UrsusHypatos #Venezia #Venice

Read more here: https://historywalksvenice.com/article/early-venice/ursus-hypatos-third-and-first-doge-of-venice/

The letters of Cassiodorus

The earliest written source we have about the residents of the Venetian lagoons, is an official letter — dated around September 1st, 537 — from the Roman aristocrat Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator (c.487–c.580).

The earliest source we have for life in the lagoons of Venetia, is a letter by Cassiodorus to the tribunes of the maritimes, written in late 537.

In this letter, Cassiodorus described lagoon settlements, which relied on fishing, trade and salt extraction for their survival. He also described their ability to navigate both the open sea and the internal waterways.

In the early 500s, Cassiodorus served in various roles in the administration of the Ostrogoth kingdom. At the time of the letter, he was praetorian prefect — praefectus praetorio, often abbreviated PP or PPO — which was the highest position in the government bureaucracy in Ravenna.

#histodons #OriginOfVenice #Venezia #Venice

Read more here: https://historywalksvenice.com/translation/the-letters-of-cassiodorus/

The demise of the Exarchate

Towards the end of the 600s, the Byzantine Empire had plenty of issues on many fronts, but the Lombards in Italy wasn't one of the worst.

In fact, things were rather quiet on the western front. From the death of king Grimuald in 671, until the reign of Liutprand, which started in 712, there were no major conflicts, even if there were regular squabbles along the various borders.

According to the Byzantine chronicler Theophanes, the Exarchate and the Lombards entered into a peace treaty around 680, which lasted for over three decades. The treaty implied a formal recognition by Byzantium of the Kingdom of the Lombards.

#ExarchateOfRavenna #Franks #histodons #Lombards #OriginOfVenice #Venezia #Venice

Read more here: https://historywalksvenice.com/article/early-venice/the-demise-of-the-exarchate/

The Exarchate and the Papacy

The presence of the Exarchate of Ravenna was a fixture in the world of the Venetians in the 600s and into the 700s.

Venetia was a Byzantine duchy under the Exarchate of Ravenna, which was how the Eastern Roman Empire had organised its territories in Italy.

What happened in and with the Exarchate of Ravenna often had a direct influence on the province of Venetia, just as what happens in politics in Rome today can have a direct influence on the Veneto region and those who live there.

#ExarchateOfRavenna #histodons #OriginOfVenice #Venezia #Venice

Read more here: https://historywalksvenice.com/article/early-venice/the-exarchate-and-the-papacy/

Marcellus — Byzantine or Venetian?

The second doge, Marcellus, took over peacefully from Paulicius in 727.

That, at least, is what John the Deacon wrote in his unnamed chronicle, but often called the Istoria Veneticorum, around the year 1000.

However, if we look at the traditional list of doges, Marcellus became doge in 717, and died in 726.

#DogesOfVenice #histodons #OriginOfVenice #Venezia #Venice

Read more here: https://historywalksvenice.com/article/early-venice/marcellus-byzantine-or-venetian/

The Dogado and the first doges

Early Venice, as a political entity, started as a duchy — what the Venetians later called the dogado.

There was nothing odd in that. This was the normal form of territorial organisation both in the Exarchate of Ravenna, and in the Kingdom of the Lombards.

A duchy must be in want of a duke, but the situation around the first dukes — or doges — of a more or less independent Duchy of the Venetians is very murky indeed.

We don't even know who the first doge of Venice was, or when he was elected.

#histodons #OriginOfVenice #Venezia #Venice

Read more here: https://historywalksvenice.com/article/early-venice/the-dogado-and-the-first-doges/