Editing Enrico Dandolo (section)

===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>