932_PI | Fontes Istrie medievalis

Era

Vol. 2: A 804 usque ad 1077

Series

Diplomata

Acta communum Istriae

Pacta

Date

January 14, 932

Place

Koper

Regestum

Due to fair treatment and continuous protection, the city of Koper, represented by a locopositus, scabini, the protector of the people (advocatus totius populi) and many others, freely promise an annual gift of one hundred amphorae of wine to the Venetian Doge Pietro II Candiano, to be paid every year within ten days of the harvest, guarantee protection to all Venetians in their city, and prompt debt recovery.

Subjects

Iustinopolis alias Capras vocatur, commune (Koper / Kopar / Capodistria)

Petrus II Candianus, dux Venetorum (932-939)

Hugo, pater Lotharii II regis Italiae, rex Italiae (926-947)

Source

The original is lost; the text survives in later copies, the oldest of which from mid-14th century, and in two principal manuscript traditions:

L = Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Pacta e aggregati, Liber Albus, fol. 262r–263v; a simple copy from the mid-14th century.

T = Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Pacta e aggregati, Codex Trevisaneus, fol. 88r–v; late 15th-/early 16th-century simple copy based on a copy from the nowadays lost Codex Egnatii (presumably from the 14th century), referencing in the upper left corner: 932, Dandolo carta 53, [Egnatii] carta 187, n. XXIII.

D = Venice, Biblioteca Marciana, ms. lat. XIV, 74 (= 4056): Tommaso Diplovataccio, Tractatus de Venetae Urbis libertate et eiusdem imperii dignitate et privilegiis, fols. 242v–243r; a vidimus made by Tommaso Diplovataccio in the first half of the 16th century, based either on C or Codex Egnatii, with the following heading: Ego vero ad perpetuam rei memoriam insero aliud instrumentum, quod fecerunt Iustinopolitani, cuius tenor talis est, videlicet and the following line added at the end: Et sic erit 182 privilegium.

D' = Venice, Biblioteca Marciana, ms. lat. XIV, 75 (= 4529): Tommaso Diplovataccio, Tractatus de urbe Venetiarum et civitatibus, insulis et locis transactis temporibus vel praesenti eius illustrissimo Dominio subiectis, fols. 45v–46r; a vidimus made by Tommaso Diplovataccio in the first half of the 16th century, based on a “codex antiquissimus”, most probably the nowadays lost Codex Egnatii, with the following heading: Quod instrumentum predictum [quod fecerunt Iustinopolitani cum duce Petro Ursiolo] fuit igne crematum tamen quia hoc instrumentum inveni in quodam codice antiquissimo, tenorem ipsius hic inserire volui, videlicet.

Previous Editions

Gian Rinaldo Carli, Appendici di documenti spettanti alla parte quarta delle Antichità italiche (Milan 1791), doc. 3, pp. 13–16; based on T or one of its derivative copies.

Pietro Kandler (ed.), Codice diplomatico istriano, 2nd ed. (Trieste 1986), doc. 70, pp. 155–156; based on L, but featuring many silent emendations.

Gottlieb Lukas Friedrich Tafel and Georg Martin Thomas (eds.), Urkunden zur älteren Handels- und Staatsgeschichte der Republik Venedig, mit besonderer Beziehung auf Byzanz und die Levante, vol. 1: 814–1205 (Vienna 1856), doc. 10, pp. 5–10; based on LT.

Attilio Hortis, “Di Tomaso Diplovatazio e delle sue notizie sull’Istria,” Archeografo triestino, ser. 3, 30 (1905): pp. 121–123; based on D.

Roberto Cessi (ed.), Documenti relativi alla storia di Venezia anteriori al Mille, vol. 2 (Padua 1942), doc. 35, pp. 52–55; reconstructive edtion based on LT and, presumably, on DD’ as well. Cessi cites another copy done by Tommaso Diplovataccio, the ms. lat. XIV, 77 (= 2991) from the Venetian Marciana Library where this charter is supposedly copied on fol. 115v; having consulted the manuscript, it only features a short extract of the pact which is of no importance for the critical edition.

Francesco Semi, Capris, Iustinopolis, Capodistria: La storia, la cultura e l’arte (Trieste 1975), pp. 51–53; based on L.

Stefano Gasparri et al. (eds.), Documenti veneziani, doc. Venezia 10, online; based on L.

FIM Edition

Reconstructive edition based on LTDD’, primarily following LT, judged to be the best of the surviving copies. Diphthongs and -ę introduced in TD are standardized as -e. Word forms differing only in sibilant -ti and -ci are not reported in the critical apparatus. With the sole exception of Cessi’s emendations, editorial choices and emendations in previous editions are not taken into account and are therefore not referenced in the critical apparatus.

Transcription

In nomine domini nostri Iesu^a Christi^b.

Regnante domino nostro Hugone^c serenissimo rege anno VI^d, die XIIII^e mensis ianurarii^f, indictione V^g.

Actum in civitate Iustinopoli^h.

Opera caritatis et fructus optime voluntatis semper animum adⁱ retributionem sibi et^j obsequium debet accendere^k, maxime erga eos qui gratuitum^l semper et salutis impendunt^m auxilium.

Ideoqueⁿ, quia divina gratia inspirante vos^o dominus Petrus imperialis protospatarius^p et gloriosus Veneticorum dux, filius Petri ducis Candiano^q, omnibus vestris temporibus et usque ad presens populum civitatis^r nostre suprascripte Iustinopolis^s mente benivola protexistis et de nostra salvatione curam semper tamquam^t pastor optimus habuistis, et deambulavimus^u semper cum securitate et pace per vestros fines nullumque gravamen nec violentiam ibi perpessi sumus^v, iam antea de vestris debuimus cogitare honoribus, sed per nostram negligentiam^w hoc remansit^x. Nunc igitur^y, quamvis tarde, previdimus omnes de civitate predicta nostra optima voluntate, nulla interveniente violentia neque districtione^z et nemine umquam^aa cogente aut suadente, sed leto^ab corde et animo, ut^ac iuxta quod possumus^ad vel de fructibus terre nostre vicem glorie vestre^ae recompensemus et honorem in aliquo impendamus.

Quapropter nos quidem Audebertus^af locopositus et Iohannes^ag scavinus^ah, Faragarius^ai advocatus totius populi, Andreas scavinus^aj filius Concordi^ak, Petrus scavinus de Iohannane^al, Dominicus scavinus de Anastasia, Amelgericus, Madericus, Petrus de Baratonio, Dominicus Veneticus, Iohannes filius Giselpergi, Dominicus filius Felicis^am de Baratonnio^an, Iohannes de Iustane, Folcardus^ao, Iohannes de Magnane, Leo frater eius, Petrus de Dignane, Iohannes Camponago^ap, Vitalis frater eius, Sabbatinus^aq filius Vitalis^ar Carsanino^as, cum consensu tocius populi nostri et nostra spontanea voluntate legationis istius causa ad vestram presentiam venimus, promittentes nos vobis per omnem annum, usque dum in hoc seculo vixeritis, nos omnes suprascripti insimul cum populo honoris causa donare vini boni^at amphoras^au centum per tempus vindemie^av, sive de nostro sive de populi parte, vel quocumque modo potuerimus^aw, ita ut nulla inde in nobis sit negligentia. Et hoc liberare promittimus infra dies decem^ax, quoniam iustum et rectum est^ay, propter quod multam benignitatem et omnem bonitatem circa nos semper impenditis^az.

Quod si hoc observare neglexerimus et diebus vite vestre^ba ipsum vinum vobis singulos annos per tempus vindemie^bb non dederimus, duplum^bc vobis dare promittimus.

Ideoque promittentes promittimus ut semper vestrum populum salvare et defensare debeamus a cunctis adversitatibus, ita ut nullas ab aliquo lesiones^bd vel forcias^be patiantur^bf.

Et quicquid de nobis vel populo nostro aliquod debitum trahere^bg debet, vel in antea vestri^bh eis^bi suam crediderint^bj causam, sine^bk intermissione liberare debeamus.

Quod si ex nobis hoc^bl aliquis non observaverimus, componere^bm promittimus auri^bn libras V^bo.^bp

Anthonius^bq filius Iohannis^br de^bs Melinda^bt consentiens.
Benedictus gener^bu Iohannaceni^bv, consentiens.
Andreas cognatus eius consentiens.
Benedictus filius^bw Petri^bx de Waltran^by consentiens.
Mauricius^bz de Iustino consentiens.
Sergius filius Giselbergi consentiens.
Benedictus nepos Fuscani^ca consentiens.
Sergius filius Natalis^cb consentiens.
Martinus filius Vitalis^cc de Petro consentiens.
Altercarius^cd consentiens.
Iohannes gener Petronie^ce de Senatore^cf consentiens.
Iohannes gener Marini^cg consentiens.
Abo filius Goderani consentiens.^ch
Iohannes filius Teupaldi^ci consentiens.
Iubianus filius Martini^cj de Iustino consentiens.
Ursus de Bonane consentiens.
Iohannaci^ck filius Passivo consentiens.
Iohannes filius Felicitati de Melinda consentiens.
Martinus filius Gregorii^cl consentiens.
Audebertus gener Iohannani de Pinguento consentiens.
Iohannes filius Theodosie^cm consentiens.
Dominicus filius Gaipergani^cn consentiens.
Dominicus^co filius Heleni consentiens.
Actius^cp frater^cq Folcardi^cr consentiens.
Dominicus de Limperga consentiens.
Latinus^cs consentiens.
Iohannes de Serragogutia^ct consentiens.
Teudericus^cu, Ursus Citula^cv, Martinus Cabacurdo^cw, Dominicus Vitalis^cx de Rebraciadino, Ursus Glutilii^cy, Iohannaci^cz de Alfigunda^da, Dominicus de Histria^db, Ciontariautusi^dc, Petrus filius Petri Inventini^dd, Dominatrino^de, Daniel ministrialis, Georgius de Armentressa^df de Insula, Acius^dg, Lucianus Bonellus, Dominicus frater eius, Laurentius de Calcariola^dh, Mauricius^di Stefanus^dj de Canneto^dk, Bonaldus filius Teudereni, Bonolago^dl Ravennago, Vitalis Capeldurio^dm de Crilisiano^dn, Rotecausus^do, Iohannes Scitodera^dp, Lubucius, Iohannes frater eius, Iohannes de Bonutulo^dq, Dominicus filius Marciani^dr de Lupardo^ds, Barantinus^dt Augustus^du de Montanario^dv.

Ego Georgius dyaconus^dw et^dx notarius per consensum^dy populorum scripsi atque firmavi.

Critical apparatus

a) domini nostri Iesu] om. T. b) om. D'. c) Ugone TD. d) sexto T; 6 D'. e) quarto decimo T; 14 D'. f) ianuario D'. g) quinta T; 5 D'. h) Iustinopolis DD'. i) a T. j) T; om. LDD'. k) attendere D'. l) gratum D'. m) TDD'; impendiunt L. n) et ideo D. o) nos D'. p) prothospatarius TD; prothonotarius D'. q) Petri ducis Candiano] ed. Cessi; Petro duci Candiano LD'; Petri ducis Candiani T; Petri Candiano D. r) T; civitati LD. s) TD; Iustinopolim L. t) tanquam DD'. u) adeambulavimus D'. v) perpessi sumus] T; perpesuimus L; perpessimus D; perpeximus D'. w) nostram negligentiam] D; nostra negligentia LT. x) hoc remansit] inv. T. y) agitur D. z) distritione D'. aa) unquam DD'. ab) lento D'. ac) et D'. ad) possemus T. ae) nostre T. af) Andreas Deberitus D. ag) Ioannes TD et saepe sic. ah) scutinus D'. ai) Foingurius D'. aj) scuivinus D'. ak) Coradi D'. al) sic LT; Ioamie D; Iohannone ed. Cessi. am) T; Felici LDD'. an) Baratonino D; Baratonio D'. ao) Faltundus D'. ap) Compomago D'. aq) Sabatinus D'. ar) TD; Vitali LD'. as) Cusannino D; Corsavino D'. at) vini boni] vinum bonum TDD'. au) TDD'; anphoras L. av) TDD'; vendmie cum sign. abbr. supra litteram d L. aw) poterimus D'. ax) X DD'. ay) TDD'; om. L. az) TD; inpenditis L; impendistis D'. ba) TD'; nostre LD. bb) vindemiarum D. bc) anplum T. bd) lexiones D'. be) fortius D'. bf) paciamur D'. bg) trhraere T. bh) add. in marg. sin. L. bi) vestri eis] eis vestri TDD'. bj) crediderunt DD'. bk) iter. D'. bl) om. D'. bm) TD; componi L; computum D'. bn) auro TDD'. bo) 5 TD'. bp) seq. in quo instrumento sunt suprascriptiones 52 civium, in fine vero instrumenti sic scriptum est add. et partem Anthonius filius—de Montanario om. D. bq) Ant. TD'. br) D'; Ioannis T; Iohanni L. bs) iter. T. bt) Malvida D'. bu) subsignavit T. bv) Iohannis D'. bw) T; filio LD'. bx) T; Petro L; Petio D'. by) Waltra nisi Wabra T; Walnam D'. bz) T; Mauricide L; Marini D'. ca) Fuschani T. cb) T; Natalie L; Natali D'. cc) T; Vitali LD'. cd) Altevarius D'. ce) Pertonie D'. cf) Sevanon D'. cg) T; Marino L; Martino D'. ch) Abo—consentiens] om. D'. ci) TD'; Teupaldo L. cj) T; Martino LD'. ck) Ioannazzi T; Iohanaci D'. cl) T; Gregori L; Gregorio D'. cm) Theudosie D'. cn) Gaspergani nisi Gahpergani T; Gaipegani D'. co) Iohannes D'. cp) D'; Acurs L; Accius T. cq) seq. eius add. L. cr) Folcardo LD'; Folchardi T. cs) Tarinus D'. ct) Seragogucia T; Serragusia D'. cu) Teuderi. L; Teuderic T; Theodorus D'. cv) Civula D'. cw) Caba Ciudo T; Caliacindo D'. cx) seq. ... add. D'. cy) Glutillu TD'. cz) Iohanaci D'. da) Caifigunda D'. db) Istria T. dc) Ciontariautusi L; Ciontari Aurici T; Ciontati Aurise D'. dd) Petri Inventini] T; Petro Inventino LD'. de) Dominavino D'. df) Armenessa D'. dg) Actius D'. dh) Culcariola D'. di) T; Maurici LD'. dj) Stephanus T. dk) Caneto D'. dl) Bonorago D'. dm) Caput Durio T; Capdelucio D'. dn) Culisiano T; Alisiano D'. do) Istriote Causus D'. dp) Svodera D'. dq) Bonnysilo T; Bovinulo D'. dr) T; Marciano LD'. ds) Lupando D'. dt) Barancius D'. du) Angustus T. dv) Montariano D'. dw) diaconus TDD'. dx) om. D'. dy) TD; consensu L.

Medieval Recollections

“Per idem tempus, Audebertus locopositus et Iohanes scavinus, Faragarius advocatus tocius populi civitatis Iustinopolim huic duci urbem suam federatam et censualem exibuit, promictentes uno quoque anno dare centum amphoras vini et Venetos in toto districtu suo defendere et conservare.” – Andrea Dandolo, Chronica per extensum descripta, ed. Ester Pastorello, RIS, ser. 2, 12/1 (Bologna 1958), p. 171.

“Per hoc tempus rector et advocatores totius populi Iustinopolis huic modesto duci urbem suam federatam et censualem exibuit, promitentes centum amforas vini quolibet anno dare et in toto districtu suo Venetos defendere et conservare.” – Venetiarum historia vulgo Petro Iustiniano Iustiniani filio adiudicata, ed. Roberto Cessi and Fanny Bennato (Venice 1964), p. 54.

“Ancora, quelli di Cao-d’Istria che era dominata per uno signor, vedendo acrescer il poter di Venitiani mandò ambasadori al doxe e si fece censual et confederata prometendo ogni anno dar al doxe 100 anfore di vini, e a l’incontro Venitiani li prometeno in tutto il suo destretto defenderli et conservar.” – Marin Sanudo, Le vite dei dogi, ed. Giovanni Monticolo, RIS, ser. 2, 22/4 (Città di Castello 1900), p. 126.

Selected Bibliography

Bernardo Benussi, Nel Medio Evo: Pagine di storia istriana (Poreč 1897), pp. 588–590, 592, 606–607.

Walter Lenel, Die Entstehung der Vorherrschaft Venedigs an der Adria (Strasbourg 1897), p. 5.

Ernst Mayer, “La costituzione municipale dalmato-istriana nel medio evo e le sue basi romane, traduzione di Camillo De Franceschi con osvazioni di Ugo inchiostri e del traduttore,” Atti e memorie della Società istriana di archeologia e storia patria 22/3–4 (1906): pp. 416, 419–420, 425, 429, 433.

Giovanni de Vergottini, Lineamenti storici della costituzione politica dell'Istria durante il Medio Evo, 2nd ed. (Trieste 1974), pp. 48–51.

Giovanni de Vergottini, “L’Impero e la ‘fidelitas’ delle città istriane verso Venezia,” Atti e memorie della Società istriana di archeologia e storia patria 53 (1949), pp. 87–88.

Giovanni de Vergottini, “Venezia e l’Istria nell'alto Medioevo,” Atti e memorie della Società istriana di archeologia e storia patria 65 (1965): pp. 113–119.

Guido Posar-Guiliano, “Origini del dominio di Venezia nell’Istria,” La porta orientale 10 (1940): pp. 206–208, 211–215.

Roberto Cessi, Venezia ducale, vol. 1: Duca e popolo (Venice 1940), pp. 329–330

Vittorio Cavallari, “La costituzione tribunizia istriana,” Rivista di storia del diritto italiano 23 (1950): pp. 82–83, 86.

Francesco Semi, Capris, Iustinopolis, Capodistria: La storia, la cultura e l’arte (Trieste 1975), pp. 51–55.

Gerhard Rösch, Venezia e l'impero 962-1250. I rapporti politici, commerciali e di traffico nel periodo imperiale germanico, trans. Carla Vinci-Orlando (Rome 1985), pp. 161, 163, 227, 247.

Harald Krahwinkler, Friaul im Frühmittelalter: Geschichte einer Region vom Ende des fünften bis zum Ende des zehnten Jahrhunderts (Vienna 1992), pp. 297–298

Reinhard Härtel (ed.), I patti con il patriarcato di Aquileia 880–1255 (Rome 2005), pp. 31–32.

Gherardo Ortalli, “Il ducato e la ‘civitas Rivoalti’: Tra carolingi, bizantini e sassoni, ” in Storia di Venezia dalle origini alla caduta della Serenissima, vol. 1: Origini: Età ducale (Rome 1992), online.

Annamaria Pazienza, “Venice beyond Venice: Commercial Agreements and Pacta from the Origins to Pietro II Orseolo,” in The Age of Affirmation: Venice, the Adriatic, and the Hinterland between the 9th and 10th Centuries, ed. Sauro Gelichi and Stefano Gasparri (Turnhout 2017), pp. 168–169.

Darko Darovec, “I giuramenti di fidelitas delle città istriane nel XIIº secolo,” in Atti del convegno internazionale Venezia e il suo Stato da mar / Venice and its Stato da Mar Venezia / Venice, 9-11 marzo / March 2017, ed. Rita Tolomeo and Bruno Crevato-Selvaggi (Rome 2018), pp. 25–27, 46–47.

Ana Jenko Kovačič, Mesto in škof v Istri v srednjem veku, PhD dissertation (Ljubljana 2022), pp. 106–108.

Editor's Notes

The first of the three pacts signed between Venice and Koper during the 10^th century, the treaty opens a new age of Veneto-Istrian relations. The two other are docs. 933_PW and 977_PI.

The pact is notable as the very first mention of several officials operating in 10^th-century Istria. This is the first mention of an Istrian locopositus, an official that traditional Istrian historiography erroneously interpreted as an elected civil magistrate in an imaginary opposition with the appointed representatives of the royal court, counts and margraves. It was only very recently that Ana Jenko Kovačič (cited above) corrected the age-old errors and interpreted the Istrian locopositi within the framework of existing Italian historiography as local officials delegated by the regional counts.

The scabini are the members of the local panels of judges (Germ. Schöffen), the Germanic term being essentially a synonym for the Latin iudices. For the scabini, see also Alice Hicklin, “The scabini in historiographical perspective,” History Compass 18/10 (2020): DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/hic3.12624.

Finally, this is the first and the only mention of an advocatus totius populi. It was already Mayer and Benussi (cited above) who connected this official with the marici or merigae of later periods, essentially a local official elected by the local heads of families tasked with local surveillance.

Regarding the contents of the pact, the hundred amphorae of wine were promised not to Venice, but to Doge Pietro II Candiano personally, that is, vita durante, and only as a symbolic gift, not as a regular tribute. It is only in 977 that this symbolic gift would be transformed into a regular tribute owed to every single Venetian doge in perpetuity (see doc. 977_PI).

One could speculate as to why the Capodistrians decided to honor the Venetian doge and what exactly the Venetian "protection" entailed. This could be interpreted as an early example of the standard medieval protection racket.

Be that as it may, the relations between Istrian communities and Venice, especially between Koper and Venice, were turbulent during the period. Already in 933, a year after the signing of this pact, a new treaty had to be drawn, this time between Venice and all Istrian communities, whereby the latter were forced to apologize for past offenses, promise fealty, and guarantee the safety of all the Venetians in Istria (doc. 933_PW).

How to Cite

First citation: Josip Banić (ed.), Fontes Istrie medievalis, vol. 2: A 804 usque ad 1077, doc. 932_PI, fontesistrie.eu/932_PI (last access: date).

Subsequent citations: FIM, 2: doc. 932_PI.

Facsimile

Image Source and Info

The publication of the facsimiles of L (Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Pacta e aggregati, Liber Albus, fol. 262r–263v) and T (Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Pacta e aggregati, Codex Trevisaneus, fol. 88r–v) is granted free of charge by Archivio di Stato di Venezia by way of the “simplified procedure” of publishing archival facsimiles (La circolare della Direzione generale archivi n. 39 del 29 settembre 2017: procedura semplificata: pubblicazioni online che perseguano finalità scientifiche o pedagogiche, non beneficino di inserzioni pubblicitarie o commerciali e non siano soggette ad accesso a pagamento).

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