Obelerio degli Antenori
Encyclopedia
Obelerio degli Antenori was the ninth traditional (seventh historical) Doge of Venice
from 804 to 811. He was the son of Encagilio.
Already a tribune
during the dogeship of Giovanni Galbaio
, he and other Venetian pro-Frankish leaders fled to Treviso
. There they elected Obelerio their leader and he led them back to Venice, whence the Galbaii fled, and was elected doge at Malamocco
.
Obelerio immediately copied his predecessors and appointed as associate doge one of his relatives, his brother Beato. Soon the Antenori were out of favour and the feud between the various factions, the pro-Byzantine at Heraclea
and the republican at Malamocco, had fired up. The exiled patriarch of Grado
, Fortunatus, returned to Venice from the court of Charlemagne
at Aachen
and offered to put Venetia under the protection of the Franks if he was reinstated. Obelerio obliged him and happily recognised Frankish sovereignty in return for Frankish protection and legitimation. Obelerio and Beato did homage to Charlemagne in Aachen on Christmas Day 805. Obelerio even chose a Frankish bride, the first dogaressa.
This act precipitated a war with Byzantium
. In 809, a fleet landed in the Venetian lagoon and attacked a Frankish flotilla at Comacchio
but was defeated. Obelerio and Beato then raised their other brother Valentino to the dogeship alongside them. This was the last straw and the people rose against them; they called in King Pepin of Italy. He besieged Venice, but only at the last minute did the Antenori try to save face by taking up arms against him. They were booted and Agnello Participazio
, who had defended Venice from the beginning, was elected doge.
Obelerio spent the next two decades in exile in Constantinople
. He returned on the death of Giustiniano Participazio
in 832 with a band of faithful men to reclaim the dogeship. He landed at Vigilia, near Malamocco, but the legitimate doge, Giovanni Participazio, razed the two cities and killed Obelerio, displaying his head in the market.
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 804 to 811. He was the son of Encagilio.
Already a tribune
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
during the dogeship of Giovanni Galbaio
Giovanni Galbaio
Giovanni Galbaio was the eighth Doge of Venice according to tradition, but only the sixth historically verifiable one. He succeeded his father Maurizio Galbaio, who had associated him as doge in 778...
, he and other Venetian pro-Frankish leaders fled to 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...
. There they elected Obelerio their leader and he led them back to Venice, whence the Galbaii fled, and was elected doge at Malamocco
Malamocco
Malamocco is one of the three narrow inlets in the enclosing coastal dune bar that connect the Venetian Lagoon with the Adriatic Sea, together with the Lido and Chioggia inlets...
.
Obelerio immediately copied his predecessors and appointed as associate doge one of his relatives, his brother Beato. Soon the Antenori were out of favour and the feud between the various factions, the pro-Byzantine at Heraclea
Eraclea
thumb|250px|right|Location of Eraclea in the province of Venice.Eraclea is a town and comune in the province of Venice, Veneto, Italy. SP42 goes through it.Eraclea Mare is the Lido of Eraclea....
and the republican at Malamocco, had fired up. The exiled 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...
, Fortunatus, returned to Venice from the court of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
at Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
and offered to put Venetia under the protection of the Franks if he was reinstated. Obelerio obliged him and happily recognised Frankish sovereignty in return for Frankish protection and legitimation. Obelerio and Beato did homage to Charlemagne in Aachen on Christmas Day 805. Obelerio even chose a Frankish bride, the first dogaressa.
This act precipitated a war with Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
. In 809, a fleet landed in the Venetian lagoon and attacked a Frankish flotilla at Comacchio
Comacchio
Comacchio is a town and comune of Emilia Romagna, Italy, in the province of Ferrara, 48 km from the provincial capital Ferrara.-Geography:...
but was defeated. Obelerio and Beato then raised their other brother Valentino to the dogeship alongside them. This was the last straw and the people rose against them; they called in King Pepin of Italy. He besieged Venice, but only at the last minute did the Antenori try to save face by taking up arms against him. They were booted and Agnello Participazio
Agnello Participazio
Agnello Participazio was the tenth or eighth Doge of Venice from 811 to 827...
, who had defended Venice from the beginning, was elected doge.
Obelerio spent the next two decades in exile in 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:...
. He returned on the death of Giustiniano Participazio
Giustiniano Participazio
Giustiniano Participazio was the eleventh or ninth Doge of Venice briefly from 825 to his death. His four years on the ducal throne were very eventful...
in 832 with a band of faithful men to reclaim the dogeship. He landed at Vigilia, near Malamocco, but the legitimate doge, Giovanni Participazio, razed the two cities and killed Obelerio, displaying his head in the market.
Sources
- Norwich, John JuliusJohn Julius NorwichJohn Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich CVO — known as John Julius Norwich — is an English historian, travel writer and television personality.-Early life:...
. A History of Venice. Alfred A. KnopfAlfred A. KnopfAlfred A. Knopf, Inc. is a New York publishing house, founded by Alfred A. Knopf, Sr. in 1915. It was acquired by Random House in 1960 and is now part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group at Random House. The publishing house is known for its borzoi trademark , which was designed by co-founder...
: New York, 1982.