Otto Orseolo
Encyclopedia
Otto Orseolo was the Doge of Venice
from 1008 to 1026. He was the third son of Pietro II Orseolo
, whom he succeeded at the age of sixteen, becoming the youngest doge in Venetian history.
When the Emperor Otto III sojourned in Verona
and granted many privileges to Venice
in the March of Verona
, he requested Pietro send his third son to Verona, where the Emperor acted as his sponsor at his confirmation. In the Emperor's honour, he was given the name Otto. In 1004, Pietro Otto, in the company of his eldest son and co-doge Giovanni
, traveled to Constantinople
, where Giovanni married the niece of Basil II
, Maria Argyra, and Otto received several honorific titles
.
After Giovanni's sudden death (1006), Pietro raised Otto to the dogeship with him. He then made a testament, giving the majority of his wealth to the poor and the Church, and retired to a monastery, leaving Otto the government. When Pietro finally died in 1008, he left Otto sole doge at the meager age of sixteen. Soon after the death of his father, Otto married a daughter of the newly Christian and newly crowned Geza of Hungary
. Because the Chronicon Venetum of John the Deacon
ends in Otto's reign, it is necessary to rely on later chronicles. According to the chronicler (and doge) Andrea Dandolo
, writing from a vantage point three centuries ahead, Otto was:
Scandal marked much of Otto's reign, as he showed a clear inclination toward nepotism
with the elevation of several relatives to positions of power. In 1017, Vitale Candiano
, the Patriarch of Grado
, died and Otto appointed his elder brother (Pietro's second son), Orso, already Bishop of Torcello
, to the vacant patriarchate. Otto then filled the vacant Torcello with his younger brother Vitale. These actions lost him the support of the people, though they did not yet clamour for his removal from office. The denunciations of Poppo of Treffen
, the Patriarch of Aquileia
, incited the Venetians to expel Otto and the patriarch of Grado from Venice, whence they took refuge in Istria
from 1022 to 1023. But in that latter year, Poppo sacked the patriarchal palace and church in Grado and the Venetians recalled Otto and Orso.
In 1024, Pope John XIX
confirmed Orso's right to hold Grado and confirmed the patriarchal rights of his see vis-à-vis Aquileia. However, Otto continued to use church appointments to his own personal and familial advantage and the enemies of the Orseoli in Venice, with popular support, moved to depose him in 1026. They arrested him, shaved his beard, and banished him to Constantinople. There he was well-received by Constantine VIII
, the uncle of his sister-in-law, who repealed trade privileges previously granted to the Republic under Pietro II. Not for nothing had Otto built up a good rapport with the emperors of Europe: the Holy Roman Emperor
Conrad II
likewise revoked Venetian trade privileges in response to his deposition. His father-in-law Stephen, at the instigation of Otto's son Pietro, attacked the coastal cities of Dalmatia
, capturing several from Venice.
Meanwhile, the Venetians had grown sick of Otto's successor, Pietro Barbolano
, and they deposed him in turn (1032). Vitale of Torcello went to Constantinople to seek out his brother to reassume the ducal throne, while Orso of Grado took the government in his own hands in the interim. Vitale arrived in the Byzantine
capital to find Otto on the verge of death and he died before he could return to Venice. Orso resigned the temporal power as soon as news reached Venice, while a relative, Domenico, tried to usurp the throne. He failed and the Venetians turned to one Domenico Flabanico
to be their doge.
Otto's son Pietro later succeeded Stephen as King of Hungary
.
Doge of Venice
The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...
from 1008 to 1026. He was the third son of Pietro II Orseolo
Pietro II Orseolo
Pietro II Orseolo was the Doge of Venice from 991 to 1009.He began the period of eastern expansion of Venice that lasted for the better part of 500 years...
, whom he succeeded at the age of sixteen, becoming the youngest doge in Venetian history.
When the Emperor Otto III sojourned in Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
and granted many privileges to Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
in the March of Verona
March of Verona
The March of Verona and Aquileia was a vast march in northeastern Italy during the Middle Ages, centered on the cities of Verona and Aquileia. Except for Venice, it included the territories of the modern-day regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia as well as Istria and Trentino up to the Adige...
, he requested Pietro send his third son to Verona, where the Emperor acted as his sponsor at his confirmation. In the Emperor's honour, he was given the name Otto. In 1004, Pietro Otto, in the company of his eldest son and co-doge Giovanni
Giovanni Orseolo
Giovanni Orseolo was the first Venetian to hold power in Dalmatia, holding the title of Dux Dalmatiae.Giovanni's father Pietro II Orseolo was the Doge of Venice....
, traveled to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, where Giovanni married the niece of Basil II
Basil II
Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...
, Maria Argyra, and Otto received several honorific titles
Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy
The Byzantine Empire had a complex system of aristocracy and bureaucracy, which was inherited from the Roman Empire. At the apex of the pyramid stood the Emperor, sole ruler and divinely ordained, but beneath him a multitude of officials and court functionaries operated the administrative...
.
After Giovanni's sudden death (1006), Pietro raised Otto to the dogeship with him. He then made a testament, giving the majority of his wealth to the poor and the Church, and retired to a monastery, leaving Otto the government. When Pietro finally died in 1008, he left Otto sole doge at the meager age of sixteen. Soon after the death of his father, Otto married a daughter of the newly Christian and newly crowned Geza of Hungary
Géza of Hungary
Géza , Grand Prince of the Hungarians .Géza was the son of Taksony of Hungary, Grand Prince of the Hungarians and his Pecheneg or Bulgar wife. Géza's marriage with Sarolt, the daughter of Gyula of Transylvania, was arranged by his father.After his father's death , Géza followed him as Grand Prince...
. Because the Chronicon Venetum of John the Deacon
John, deacon of Venice
John the Deacon was a Venetian deacon, secretary to the doge of Venice and a chronicler.-The Venetian chronicle:According to the New Advent encyclopedia:...
ends in Otto's reign, it is necessary to rely on later chronicles. According to the chronicler (and doge) Andrea Dandolo
Andrea Dandolo
Andrea Dandolo was elected the 54th doge of Venice in 1343, replacing Bartolomeo Gradenigo who died in late 1342....
, writing from a vantage point three centuries ahead, Otto was:
Scandal marked much of Otto's reign, as he showed a clear inclination toward nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
with the elevation of several relatives to positions of power. In 1017, Vitale Candiano
Vitale Candiano
Vitale Candiano was the 24th doge of the Republic of Venice.He probably was the fourth son of the 22nd doge, Pietro IV Candiano. He was elected by the popular assembly in September of 978 CE. This after having to flee to Saxony because of the revolt against his father. His predecessor Pietro I...
, the Patriarch of Grado
Patriarch of Grado
This is a list of the Patriarchs of Grado . The patriarchate came into being when the schismatic Patriarch of Aquileia, Paulinus , moved to Grado in the mid 6th century. But in their reunion with Rome in 606, a rival office was set up in Old-Aquileia. Aquileia later entered communion with Rome but...
, died and Otto appointed his elder brother (Pietro's second son), Orso, already Bishop of Torcello
Torcello
Torcello is a quiet and sparsely populated island at the northern end of the Venetian Lagoon. It is considered the oldest continuously populated region of Venice, and once held the largest population of the Republic of Venice.-History:...
, to the vacant patriarchate. Otto then filled the vacant Torcello with his younger brother Vitale. These actions lost him the support of the people, though they did not yet clamour for his removal from office. The denunciations of Poppo of Treffen
Poppo, Patriarch of Aquileia
Poppo of Treffen was the fifty-seventh patriarch of Aquileia from 1019 to 1045.In 1020, Poppo commanded the smallest of three armies which Emperor Henry II led through Italy. Poppo followed the Apennines and joined the other divisions to besiege Troia, the new fortress of the Byzantine catepan...
, the Patriarch of Aquileia
Patriarch of Aquileia
The Patriarch of Aquileia was an office in the Roman Catholic Church. During the Middle Ages the Patriarchate of Aquileia was a temporal state in Northern Italy. The Patriarchate of Aquileia as a church office was suppressed in 1752....
, incited the Venetians to expel Otto and the patriarch of Grado from Venice, whence they took refuge in Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
from 1022 to 1023. But in that latter year, Poppo sacked the patriarchal palace and church in Grado and the Venetians recalled Otto and Orso.
In 1024, Pope John XIX
Pope John XIX
Pope John XIX , born Romanus, was Pope from 1024 to 1032.He succeeded his brother, Pope Benedict VIII , both being members of the powerful house of Tusculum...
confirmed Orso's right to hold Grado and confirmed the patriarchal rights of his see vis-à-vis Aquileia. However, Otto continued to use church appointments to his own personal and familial advantage and the enemies of the Orseoli in Venice, with popular support, moved to depose him in 1026. They arrested him, shaved his beard, and banished him to Constantinople. There he was well-received by Constantine VIII
Constantine VIII
Constantine VIII was reigning Byzantine emperor from December 15, 1025 until his death. He was the son of the Emperor Romanos II and Theophano, and the younger brother of the eminent Basil II, who died childless and thus left the rule of the Byzantine Empire in his hands.-Family:As...
, the uncle of his sister-in-law, who repealed trade privileges previously granted to the Republic under Pietro II. Not for nothing had Otto built up a good rapport with the emperors of Europe: the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Conrad II
Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor
Conrad II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1027 until his death.The son of a mid-level nobleman in Franconia, Count Henry of Speyer and Adelaide of Alsace, he inherited the titles of count of Speyer and of Worms as an infant when Henry died at age twenty...
likewise revoked Venetian trade privileges in response to his deposition. His father-in-law Stephen, at the instigation of Otto's son Pietro, attacked the coastal cities of Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, capturing several from Venice.
Meanwhile, the Venetians had grown sick of Otto's successor, Pietro Barbolano
Pietro Barbolano
Pietro Barbolano was the 28th Doge of Venice. Reportedly a descendent of the legendary Eraclea , he was elected by the assembly of the nobles after the deposition of his predecessor, Otto Orseolo...
, and they deposed him in turn (1032). Vitale of Torcello went to Constantinople to seek out his brother to reassume the ducal throne, while Orso of Grado took the government in his own hands in the interim. Vitale arrived in the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
capital to find Otto on the verge of death and he died before he could return to Venice. Orso resigned the temporal power as soon as news reached Venice, while a relative, Domenico, tried to usurp the throne. He failed and the Venetians turned to one Domenico Flabanico
Domenico Flabanico
Domenico Flabanico was the 29th Doge of Venice. His reign lasted from the abdication of Pietro Barbolano in 1032 until his death.Before Domenico Flabanico took office, there was a significant chaos in Venice...
to be their doge.
Otto's son Pietro later succeeded Stephen as King of Hungary
King of Hungary
The King of Hungary was the head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1918.The style of title "Apostolic King" was confirmed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used afterwards by all the Kings of Hungary, so after this date the kings are referred to as "Apostolic King of...
.