🧾🖼️Expansion in the East

Reconciliation of Pope Alexander III and Emperor Barbarossa

The Wedding of the Adriatic

“All the golden cities
Overflowing with honey
...
Say, lords, should not our thoughts be first to commerce.”
— Blake

The Norman Threat and Venice’s Eastern Ambitions

Among the most remarkable figures of medieval Europe stands Robert Guiscard, son of a modest Norman knight. With only a small band of adventurers, he carved out a powerful duchy in southern Italy, founded a dynasty of kings, and defeated both the Eastern and Western emperors. His ambition reached so far as to dream of reuniting the divided Roman Empire under his rule.

When the Byzantine emperor Alexius Comnenos found himself cornered at Durazzo by Guiscard’s armies, he appealed to Venice. In exchange for military support, he offered what Venice desired most: commercial privileges. Venice responded swiftly. In 1081 a fleet of sixty-three ships arrived before Durazzo, and through exceptional strategy and fierce fighting, the Venetians halted the Normans.

But Robert Guiscard was not easily defeated. In 1084 Venice was called upon once more, and this time the Normans prevailed. The Venetian fleet was shattered near Corfu and Doge Domenico Selvo returned home with only a remnant of his forces. The loss shook the city. Within a month Selvo was deposed in a popular uprising led by Vitale Falier. Yet Selvo’s legacy endures in the marble revetments and exquisite columns he added to St Mark’s Basilica.

Venice Restores Its Naval Honour

Determined to restore Venetian prestige, Doge Falier assembled the most powerful fleet Venice had yet launched. In 1085 it defeated the Normans on the very waters where Selvo had fallen. Soon after, plague ended Robert Guiscard’s life, and the Byzantines rewarded Venice generously. The Doge’s title of Duke of Dalmatia was formally recognised and augmented with the title of Augustus. Venetian merchants received extensive rights throughout the Eastern Empire, and a Venetian quarter was established in Constantinople.

This marked the Republic’s first firm foothold in the Byzantine capital — a presence that would not loosen until the empire itself fell.

The Rediscovery of St Mark’s Relics

In 1094 the new basilica of St Mark stood ready for consecration, but tragedy lingered. Since the fire of 976 the body of St Mark had been lost. After days of fasting and prayer, hope was rewarded. During a solemn procession, a pillar near the altar of St James split open, revealing a hand adorned with a gold ring and releasing a fragrance through the church. The relics were triumphantly restored to the high altar, and Venice instituted a great annual festival to commemorate the miracle.

Imperial Visitors and New Privileges

The fame of the event drew pilgrims from across Europe, including Henry IV, Emperor of the West. Seeking both spiritual merit and political advantage, he honoured the saint and strengthened ties with the Republic, granting Venetian merchants new privileges throughout his lands.

Doge Vitale Falier died in 1096 and was buried in the portico of St Mark’s. The people, embittered by famine and disaster, vented their anger even at his tomb — an incident that reveals the turbulence of the age.

Venice and the First Crusade

While the First Crusade stirred the emotions of Europe, Venice remained cautious. Only when transport was needed for crusaders did the Doge recognise the opportunity. In 1096 a fleet was dispatched, carrying soldiers and pilgrims. On the way, Venice clashed with Pisa — its maritime rival — at Rhodes, winning after a fierce battle.

On reaching the East, the Venetians stopped at Myra, where the relics of St Nicholas lay. Through intrigue, persistence, and the determined excavation of the sailors, the Venetians brought home what they believed to be the saint’s body. They later aided in the capture of Caifa and returned to Venice with relics and spoils.

A Century of Disaster and Renewal

The early twelfth century brought calamity. Tempests, floods, and devastating fires struck Venice; whole quarters and churches were destroyed, and even the ducal palace and St Mark’s suffered damage. Abroad, Hungary attacked Venetian territories in Dalmatia. Venice recalled its fleets from the East and fought vigorously to defend its interests.

A series of relics continued to enrich the city’s churches. The body of St Stephen was brought from Constantinople, followed by the right hand of St John the Baptist.

In 1117, during a desperate battle outside Zara, Doge Ordelafo Falier fell while urging his troops forward. He was the second Venetian doge to die in combat.

Lasting Legacies: The Pala d’Oro and the Arsenal

Ordelafo Falier remains a notable figure in Venetian memory. He expanded the great Pala d’Oro — the brilliant gold altarpiece of St Mark’s — and undertook a reform that shaped Venice for centuries. The scattered shipyards of the lagoon were consolidated into the Arsenal, which would become the heart of Venetian naval power.

It was this shipyard — boiling with tar, hammering with carpenters, crowded with labourers — that Dante immortalised in the Inferno:

“As in the Arsenal of the Venetians
winter boils the tenacious pitch
to caulk their unsound ships which cannot sail...”

Inferno, Canto XXI