Paolo Lucio Anafesto
Encyclopedia
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...
. A noble of Eraclea
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....
, then the primary city of the region, he was elected in 697 as an official over the entire lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
that surrounded Venice, both to put an end to the conflicts between the various 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...
s who until then had governed the various parts, and to coordinate the defense against the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
and the Slavs who were encroaching on the settlements. However, his existence is uncorroborated by any source before the 11th century though he was probably not entirely legendary.
According to John Julius Norwich
John Julius Norwich
John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich CVO — known as John Julius Norwich — is an English historian, travel writer and television personality.-Early life:...
, Paolo Lucio Anafesto was actually Exarch Paul
Paul (exarch)
Paul was the Exarch of Ravenna from 723 to 727. According to John Julius Norwich, the person traditionally recognized as the first doge of Venice, Paolo Lucio Anafesto, was actually Exarch Paul...
. Moreover, Paul's magister militum
Magister militum
Magister militum was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, the term referred to the senior military officer of the Empire...
had the same first name as Paoluccio's reputed successor, Marcellus Tegallianus
Marcello Tegalliano
According to tradition, Marcello Tegalliano was the second Doge of Venice . However, John Julius Norwich has argued that the first doge, Paoluccio Anafesto, was actually Paul, Exarch of Ravenna, and that Marcellus was actually his magister militum of the same first name.-Sources:*Norwich, John...
, casting doubt on the authenticity of that doge as well.
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.
- Anonymous, Archivo Storico Italiano, Tomo VIII: Cronaca Altinate. Florence, Italy, 1845.