Editing Enrico Dandolo (section)

==Biography==
===Early life and political involvement===
Born in [[Venice]] {{circa}} 1107, Enrico Dandolo was a member of the socially and politically prominent [[Dandolo]] family. He was the son of the powerful jurist and member of the ducal court, Vitale Dandolo,{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 44}} and had two brothers: Andrea and Giovanni.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 47}} His uncle, also named [[Enrico Dandolo (patriarch)|Enrico Dandolo]], was [[patriarch of Grado]].{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 80}}

Not much information exists on the younger Enrico before his father's death in 1174.<ref>''Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice'': "The third, Vitale Dandolo, had died in 1174".</ref> This is because Vitale lived into his nineties and his sons were not emancipated until he died.<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|title=Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice|last=Madden|pages=48}}</ref> Though Enrico was himself an elderly man at around 67, he was still under filial subjection. This was a type of partial emancipation in which he could conduct business, but because he worked for the family, most, if not all, documents used Vitale's name rather than Enrico's.<ref name=":9" />

Dandolo's first important political roles took place during the [[Byzantine–Venetian war of 1171|crisis years of 1171 and 1172]], which were a tumultuous period between the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] and [[Stato da Màr|Venetian]] states. After Byzantine emperor [[Manuel I Comnenus]] restored Pisans and Genoans, both enemies of the Venetians, to their quarters in Constantinople as part of his plan to reclaim Italy, an angry Venetian mob attacked the recently reinstated Genoese quarter.<ref name="Madden 50–52">{{Cite book|title=Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice|last=Madden|pages=50–52}}</ref> This attack caused Comnenus in March 1171 to order the seizure of goods and imprisonment of thousands of Venetians living in the empire.<ref name="Madden 50–52" /> Popular Venetian anger with the attack forced Doge [[Vitale II Michiel]] to gather a retaliatory expedition, which included Dandolo.<ref name="Madden 54">{{Cite book|title=Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice|last=Madden|pages=54}}</ref> This expedition fell apart when its participants were struck by plague in 1172, and upon his return Michiel was killed by a mob of Venetians, angry with his defeat.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice and its Story|last=Okey|first=Thomas|publisher=J.M. Dent and Sons, Ltd.|year=1910|location=London|pages=124}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice|last=Madden|pages=56}}</ref>

The succeeding doge, [[Sebastiano Ziani]], sought to form alliances with enemies of the Byzantine empire so that it would feel pressured into coming to terms with Venice.<ref>Madden, Thomas F. (1999) "Venice's Hostage Crisis: Diplomatic Efforts to Secure Peace with Byzantium between 1171 and 1184." In ''Medieval and Renaissance Venice'', edited by Ellen E. Kittell and Thomas F. Madden. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. p. 96–108.</ref> He sent out multiple expeditions to Constantinople and [[William II of Sicily|King William II]]'s court in Sicily, several of which Dandolo was a part, although he never met with William.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 54}} Despite Dandolo's failure to meet with William II, his constant participation in these envoys shows his value and importance within the ducal court, qualities which no doubt contributed to his election as doge in 1192.

Dandolo also made trips to Constantinople in 1183 and 1184. The first voyage, on which he embarked with his brother, Giovanni, was the first in which he acted as a ducal legate.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice|last=Madden|pages=87}}</ref> On this trip, he most likely engaged in negotiations for reparations of the city's Venetian quarter with the new Byzantine emperor [[Andronikos I Komnenos|Andronicus I]].{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 87}} He also invested and restored land to Venetian monasteries, a deed which earned him the position of legal advocate for the monastery of San Cipriano di Murano.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 88}}

In 1184, Dandolo, serving again as a ducal legate along with Pietro Ziani and Domenico Sanudo, returned to Constantinople to negotiate the restoration of the Venetian quarter with Andronicus. In this meeting, the emperor at last agreed to release the imprisoned Venetians, restore their quarter, and pay for reparations.<ref>Madden, "Venice's Hostage Crisis: Diplomatic Efforts to Secure Peace with Byzantium between 1171 and 1184." p. 97-104</ref>

===Dogeship===
[[File:EnricoDandolo.jpg|thumb|Engraving of Dandolo from the early 19th century.]]
On 1 June 1192, after [[Orio Mastropiero]] abdicated the throne, Dandolo became the new doge.{{sfn|Madden|2012|p= 110}} He was the second doge to be chosen by a council of forty electors.{{sfn|Madden|2012|p= 110}} Already aged and blind, but deeply ambitious, he displayed tremendous energy and mental capacity.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 92}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=111}}</ref> His remarkable deeds over the next eleven years have led some to hypothesize that he actually may have been in his mid seventies when he became Venice's leader. None of the earlier chronicles and contemporary witnesses give his exact age, only mentioning that he was very old. The commonly given birth year of {{Circa|1107}} is based on the account of [[Marino Sanuto the Younger]] (1466 – 1536) three centuries later, who stated that Dandolo was eighty-five when he assumed the throne.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 92}} Though not the first doge to take the ''[[promissione ducale]],'' Dandolo's is the earliest that is available to historians.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 95-96}}

One of Dandolo's first decrees as doge was to evict all foreigners who had lived in Venice for fewer than two years on 16 August 1192.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=426}}</ref> Landlords were obligated to evict any of these foreigners from their premises. Citizens who violated the decree had to pay fifty lire, and foreigners' goods were confiscated. Additionally, Venetians were not allowed to lend money to foreigners—excepting those from the areas of Umana or Ragusa—for a period that exceeded fifteen days.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice|last=Madden|pages=106}}</ref> The reason why this decree was implemented is unknown, but it seems to correlate to a recent increase of foreigners into Venice, since it did not affect foreigners who had been living in the city for more than two years.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 107}}

In 1193, Dandolo commanded an attack on the nearby city of [[Zadar|Zara]], which for years had troubled Venice and threatened its control over the [[Dalmatia|Dalmatian Coast]]. Until 1180, Zara had been under Venetian control, until they staged a successful rebellion in which they became the sole city on this coast that was against Venetian interests.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 111-112}} Dandolo seemed to have always supported Venice's reinstating power over the city, since he had contributed money to doge [[Orio Mastropiero]]'s 1187 military attempt to regain control there.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p=112}} Dandolo's 1193 attack on Zara was only somewhat successful. He managed to regain control over the islands of Pago, Ossero, and Arbe, which had been lost in an 1190 attempt led by [[Orio Mastropiero|Mastropiero]], though not Zara.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 112}}

In 1194, Dandolo enacted important reforms to the Venetian currency system. Before these reforms, Venice's principal coin was the silver penny, which weighed less than a gram and was about one-quarter fine.<ref>Stahl, Alan M. "The Coinage of Venice in the Age of Enrico Dandolo." In ''Medieval and Renaissance Venice'', edited by Ellen E. Kittell and Thomas F. Madden, 124–40. (University of Illinois Press, 1999.) p. 124</ref> Due to the debasement of the silver penny in 1180 and the constant fluctuation in value of Jerusalem and Byzantine coins,{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 109-110}} Dandolo instated three denominations of this silver penny, the ''bianco'' (half-penny), the ''quartarolo'' (quarter-penny), and the silver ''grosso''.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Coinage|last=Stahl|pages=124}}</ref> The ''bianco'' had a silver content of about five percent, and was decorated with a cross on one side and St. Mark on the other.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 110}} The ''quartarolo'' had almost no precious metal content, which made it the first European [[token coin]] since ancient Rome.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 110}} The ''[[Venetian grosso|grosso]]'' was the first nearly pure silver–and high denomination–coin minted in western Europe in over five centuries.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 110}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=Medieval and Renaissance Venice|last1=Kittell|first1=Ellen E.|last2=Madden|first2=Thomas F.|publisher=University of Illinois Press|year=1999|location=Urbana|pages=7}}</ref> It was decorated with an image of Dandolo and St. Mark on one side, and of [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] enthroned on the other side, which imitated a design typically seen on Byzantine ''[[Aspron|aspron trachy]]'' coins.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 110}} The ''grosso'' eventually became the dominant coin of Mediterranean commerce.{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 110}}

===Fourth Crusade===
[[File:Gustave dore crusades dandolo preaching the crusade.jpg|thumb|right|''Dandolo Preaching the Crusade'' by [[Gustave Doré]]]]
In 1202, six French envoys of the Fourth Crusade arrived in Venice in hopes of acquiring a fleet and supplies.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=117}}</ref> Dandolo arranged meetings for them with the ducal court, in which the council calculated the expenses necessary for this voyage, which would be the largest project in Venetian history.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=125}}</ref> The terms were laid out as such: for up to a year, Venice would provide transportation and most provisions for the army. Four silver marks would be paid for each knight and horse, and two would be paid for each other member. Finally, many Venetians would also join the Crusade and promised to supply fifty fully armed galleys as long as the French promised to split the spoils with them.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=123}}</ref> With the enthusiastic support of the population, Venice's participation in the Crusade was confirmed. Dandolo himself swore on holy relics to uphold every part of the agreement.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=124–125}}</ref>

However, Venice soon faced a financial problem. The six original Crusaders had borrowed money as a down payment for the fleet, but failed to pay it back.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=126–127}}</ref> When more Crusaders began to arrive that June, the urgency for this money increased as many Venetians, whose business relied on this reimbursement, were being driven closer to financial ruin.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=128}}</ref> When the due date for payment arrived, Dandolo ordered the Crusaders, who were staying on the nearby [[Lido di Venezia|Lido]], to collectively pay 85,000 marks. Even when everyone, including many poor Crusaders, contributed all they could afford, they still owed 34,000 marks.<ref name=":4" /> Instead of ejecting them, Dandolo decided to lend this amount from the Venetian state, provided that it was paid back in the form of the spoils of the Crusade. In addition, Dandolo proposed that the Crusaders agree to spend the winter in Zara. This was due to the threat of Zaran pirates to Venetian commerce as well as the Venetian's interest in regaining control over the area. Additionally, staking an interest in Zara helped convince the Great Council to consent to Dandolo's plan.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=129–130}}</ref>

The Crusade fleet left Venice during the first week of October 1202, following an emotional and rousing ceremony in [[San Marco di Venezia]] where Dandolo "took the cross" –committed himself to crusading–and promised to "go live or die" with the Crusaders in exchange for his people's support, and his sons' taking his place during his absence.<ref>{{Cite book|title=La conqueste de Constantinople|last1=Villehardouin|first1=Geoffroi de|last2=White|first2=Julian Eugene|date=1968|publisher=Appleton-Century-Crofts|location=New York|pages=46|language=fr|oclc = 746970}}</ref> The Crusaders arrived in Zara in November, the sheer size of their fleet intimidating the Zarans into near surrender.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=134}}</ref> Dandolo gave the Zarans an ultimatum: either they leave the city right away or they would be killed.<ref name=":5" /> Confusion ensued, as [[Pope Innocent III|Pope Innocent]] forbade the Crusade from settling this dispute unrelated to their original religious agenda, especially since the land was controlled by [[Emeric, King of Hungary|King Emeric of Hungary]], who had himself taken the cross some while ago.{{sfn|Madden|2012|p=130}} Finally, Innocent threatened excommunication to anyone who antagonized the Zarans.<ref name=":5"/> The Crusaders [[Siege of Zara|attacked the city anyway]], and it at last fell on 24 November 1202.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=135}}</ref> All of the Venetian members of the Crusade were thus excommunicated (the French Crusaders had sent an envoy to the pope to ask for forgiveness), but Dandolo kept this a secret from them since he knew they would abandon the Crusade if they found out.{{sfn|Madden|2012|p=139–140}}

Shortly afterwards, [[Alexios IV Angelos|Alexius Angelus]], son of the deposed Byzantine emperor [[Isaac II]], arrived in Zara, looking for help to overthrow his uncle, [[Alexios III Angelos|Alexius III]], after he violently seized the throne from Isaac.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=137}}</ref> Dandolo agreed to the Crusade leaders' plan to place Alexius Angelus on the throne of the [[Byzantine Empire]] in return for his support and funds to help the Crusade.{{sfn|Madden|2012|p=139}} The Crusaders thus took another detour to Constantinople, where the [[Siege of Constantinople (1204)|conquest and sack of Constantinople]] took place on 12 April 1204. During the looting, Dandolo had many items of value sent back to Venice, including the four [[Horses of Saint Mark|Horses of St. Mark]] that decorate the Venetian cathedral to this day.{{sfn|Madden|2012|p=145}}

===Latin Empire===
When Constantinople fell, Dandolo understood that he needed to quickly restore stability to the empire to avoid disorder that could threaten Venice. One necessary task was to find an emperor for the new [[Latin empire|Latin empire]]. Dandolo was offered the position, but he refused, and [[Baldwin I, Latin Emperor|Baldwin of Flanders]] instead took the throne.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=147}}</ref> Dandolo did accept, however, the title of [[Despot (court title)|despot]].<ref>{{cite book |author=John Osborne|chapter= The Thirteenth-Century Expansion of the Narthex of San Marco, Venice: A Space for Dead Doges? |editor-last1=Jessop |editor-first1=Lesley |editor-last2=Baboula |editor-first2=Evanthia |title=Art and Material Culture in the Byzantine and Islamic Worlds |date=2021 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004457140 |page=78 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xsAqEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA78}}</ref>

The ''[[Partitio Romaniae]]'' also resulted from this conquest, and it awarded Venice three-eighths of the Byzantine Empire in accordance with an agreement drafted by the Crusaders before the fall of the empire.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=148}}</ref> This included a part of Constantinople near the harbor, a portion of the shoreline of the Sea of Marmara, and the city of Adrianople, among other former Byzantine possessions.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=148–149}}</ref> Dandolo was also awarded the title "lord of three-eighths of the Roman Empire", although these acquisitions only lasted until the collapse of the Latin empire in 1261.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|title=Venice|last=Madden|pages=149}}</ref>

=== Death and burial ===
[[Image:Enrico Dandolo gravestone.jpg|thumb|Nineteenth-century grave marker in the [[Hagia Sophia]]'s East Gallery]]

Dandolo died in May{{sfn|Madden|2003|p= 194}} or June{{sfn|Van Tricht|2011|p=263}}<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|title=Venice and its Story|last=Okey|pages=167}}</ref><ref>According to Villehardouin, Dandolo died before May 29, but since [[Andrea Dandolo]] gives June 1 and a letter dated June 6 doesn't mention his death, the date is often stated as June while Madden prefers to follow the contemporary Villehardouin ({{harvsp|Madden|2003|loc= n.144 p. 266}})</ref> 1205 and was buried in the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. In the 19th century an [[Fossati brothers|Italian restoration team]] placed a cenotaph marker near the probable location, which is still visible today. The marker is frequently mistaken by tourists as being a medieval marker of the actual tomb of the doge. The real tomb was allegedly destroyed; various legends attribute this destruction to the times of the Byzantine reconquest of the city or shortly after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 and subsequent conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{cite journal|last=Gallo|first=Rudolfo|title=La tomba di Enrico Dandolo in Santa Sofia a Constantinople|journal=Rivista mensile della Citta di Venezia|year=1927|volume=6|pages=270–83}}</ref>

However, a documentary aired by Turkey's public broadcaster TRT in 2021 found evidence contrary to these legends. TRT's georadar images indicate the presence of a human skeleton whose head is approximately 50 centimeters below the cenotaph in a sitting position facing towards Jerusalem. Certain features of the skeleton, such as the height and posture, are also in line with Dandolo's.<ref name="TRT">{{cite video |title=Gizemli Tarih: Ayasofya |author=TRT Belgesel |date=2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=eltgqziRWWg&t=2193}}</ref>