Reniero Zeno
Encyclopedia
Reniero Zeno (died July 7, 1268) was the 45th Doge of Venice
, reigning from January 1, 1253 until his death in 1268.
and Italy
, where he was excommunicated for having pushed Bologna
to avoid paying tributes to the Papal States
. In 1240 he helped Doge Jacopo Tiepolo
during the siege of Ferrara
, in 1242 put down a revolt in Zara
and in 1244 he was named capitano da mar (fleet commander) of the Republic of Venice
. He was also the podestà
(Chief Magistrate) of numerous Italian cities.
After the death of Marino Morosini
, Zeno, who was podestà of Fermo
, was elected Doge with 21 out of 41 votes. In 1256–1259 he helped the Pope Alexander IV
and Treviso
in the war for the Marca Trevigiana against the Ghibelline warlord Ezzelino IV da Romano, whose death resolved the conflict.
In the meantime, Venice found itself engaged in a war
against the Republic of Genoa
, its greatest rival in the Mediterranean. The cause of the conflict was the sacking by the Genoese of the Venetian quarter in Tyre. When the future Doge Lorenzo Tiepolo
destroyed the Genoese fleet in 1257, Genoa allied with Michael VIII Palaeologus, who in 1261 captured Constantinople
, putting the end to the Latin Empire
and awarding Genoans the privilegies formerly held by Venetians. Venice replied by building a large fleet which again defeated the Genoese in Settepozzi
in 1263. In 1265 a truce was signed between the two parties.
In 1268 Byzantine Empire
restored to the Venetians most of their former priviliegies, establishing the uneasy balance between the two maritime republics, allowing them to compete freely in the Levant.
Also, under Zeno's reign a series of 129 law articles were approved which gave Venice a modern maritime legislation. Doge died in Venice in 1268. He was interred in the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, a traditional burial place of the doges.
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...
, reigning from January 1, 1253 until his death in 1268.
Life
The first references to Zeno in historical sources describe him as a diplomat in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where he was excommunicated for having pushed Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
to avoid paying tributes to the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
. In 1240 he helped Doge Jacopo Tiepolo
Jacopo Tiepolo
Jacopo Tiepolo was Doge of Venice from 6 March 1229 to 2 May 1249. Previously, served as a first Venetian duke of Crete and podestà in Constantinople ....
during the siege of Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
, in 1242 put down a revolt in Zara
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
and in 1244 he was named capitano da mar (fleet commander) of the Republic of 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...
. He was also the podestà
Podestà
Podestà is the name given to certain high officials in many Italian cities, since the later Middle Ages, mainly as Chief magistrate of a city state , but also as a local administrator, the representative of the Emperor.The term derives from the Latin word potestas, meaning power...
(Chief Magistrate) of numerous Italian cities.
After the death of Marino Morosini
Marino Morosini
Marino Morosini was the 44th doge of Venice. He governed from 1249 to 1253.- Family :Marino was one of four members of the Morosini family to be elected doge. The other three were Domenico Morosini , Michele Morosini and Francesco Morosini...
, Zeno, who was podestà of Fermo
Fermo
Fermo is a town and comune of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo.Fermo is located on a hill, the Sabulo with a fine view, on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway....
, was elected Doge with 21 out of 41 votes. In 1256–1259 he helped the Pope Alexander IV
Pope Alexander IV
Pope Alexander IV was Pope from 1254 until his death.Born as Rinaldo di Jenne, in Jenne , he was, on his mother's side, a member of the de' Conti di Segni family, the counts of Segni, like Pope Innocent III and Pope Gregory IX...
and Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...
in the war for the Marca Trevigiana against the Ghibelline warlord Ezzelino IV da Romano, whose death resolved the conflict.
In the meantime, Venice found itself engaged in a war
War of Saint Sabas
The War of Saint Sabas or San Saba was a conflict between the Mediterranean maritime republics of Genoa and Venice .The war began when the Venetians were evicted from Tyre in 1256 and war grew out of a dispute concerning land in Acre then...
against the Republic of Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
, its greatest rival in the Mediterranean. The cause of the conflict was the sacking by the Genoese of the Venetian quarter in Tyre. When the future Doge Lorenzo Tiepolo
Lorenzo Tiepolo
Lorenzo Tiepolo was Doge of Venice from 1268 until his death.Born in Venice, Lorenzo Tiepolo was the son of Doge Jacopo Tiepolo. It is a matter of debate if his second wife, Marguerite, was either the daughter of the King of Romania or of Bohemund of Brienne, ruler of Rascia...
destroyed the Genoese fleet in 1257, Genoa allied with Michael VIII Palaeologus, who in 1261 captured 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:...
, putting the end to the Latin Empire
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
and awarding Genoans the privilegies formerly held by Venetians. Venice replied by building a large fleet which again defeated the Genoese in Settepozzi
Battle of Settepozzi
The Battle of Settepozzi was fought sometime in May–July 1263 off Settepozzi between a Genoese-Byzantine fleet and a smaller Venetian fleet...
in 1263. In 1265 a truce was signed between the two parties.
In 1268 Byzantine Empire
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...
restored to the Venetians most of their former priviliegies, establishing the uneasy balance between the two maritime republics, allowing them to compete freely in the Levant.
Also, under Zeno's reign a series of 129 law articles were approved which gave Venice a modern maritime legislation. Doge died in Venice in 1268. He was interred in the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, a traditional burial place of the doges.