The Venetian navy sets out to engage the inimical fleet of Emperor Frederick II and the Pisans, but the Commune of Pula refuses to arm a galley for the military undertaking, provoking Venice to attack the city and raze its walls; on the way back, in October of the same year, the Venetians attack the rebelling Pula once again (narrative account from Andrea Dandolo’s Chronica per extensum descripta).
<Expugnatio Pole>a
Federicus contra Ianuenses C galeas parari iubet. Dux tunc, a Ianuensibus requisites, iuxta ligam et unionem quam cum eis inieratb, armavit LXa galeas et Iohannem Theupolo eius natum et Leonardum Quirino capitaneos constituit. Cumque Polenses, requisiti ut galeam unam, ut tenebantur, armarent, iussa adimplere renuisent, capitanei abeuntes Polam viriliter impugnant. Quam optinentes, diruptis muris, Durachium processerunt et perscrutati intelexerunt imperiales galeas cum vidissent stolum Ian(uensium)c viriliter erga se venire, bellum renuisse. Et ob hoc Venetid redeuntes, cum Polenses ampulosas minas in Venetos prorumpissent, denuo civitatem invadunt et ruinis et incendio de mense octubris illam destruunt. Post tres vero menses, cives profugi ad urbem redire formidantes, missis duci nunciis petitaque venia, ad pristinam gratiam recepti sunt.
a) add. in marg. sin. Z. b) seq. rare subsignavit Z (pro deletione?). c) iam ed. Pastorello, sed perperam. d) Ianuensium viriliter—hoc Veneti] add. in marg. sin. Z.
The Treaty of Rialto, signed on January 21, 1243, between Venice and Pula – edited here as doc. 1243_PP.
“[sub anno MCCXLII] [om.] Et de mense augusti Leonardus Quirinus et filius Iacobi Teopoli ducis Venetiarum cum LX galeis iverunt in civitatem Polae et eam ceperunt, et inde iverunt Dyrachium, et redeuntes acceperunt omnes divitias Polae et urbem ipsam combusserunt.” – Liber regiminum Padue, ed. Antonio Bonardi, RIS, ser. 2, 8/1 (Città di Castello 1905), p. 315.
Testimony of John, the son of Jacob Rubeus, who personally took part in the 1242 attack on Pula. The testimony is given on August 22, 1318, when John proclaims himself to be “over 111 years old” and is recorded in Commemorialium Liber II, fol. 34v. The document will be edited here as well in the near future. Until then, see the in extenso edition in Šime Ljubić, Listine o odnošajih izmedju južnoga Slavenstva i Mletačke Republike, vol. 1: Od godine 960 do 1335 (Zagreb 1868), doc. 472, p. 300.
Testimony of Blase Lombardo, who personally took part in the 1242 attack on Pula. The testimony is given on August 22, 1318, when Blase proclaims himself to be “over 100 years old” and is recorded in Commemorialium Liber II, fol. 35r. The document will be edited here as well in the near future. Until then, see the in extenso edition in Giovanni Cesca, VII documenti sulle relazioni tra Pola e Venezia nel 1318 (Arezzo 1888), doc. 6, pp. 13–14.
“Hoc tempore, Federicus imperator contra Ianuenses C galeas parari iubet. Dux tunc, a Ianuensibus requisitus iuxta ligam et unionem quam cum eis inhierat, LX galeas armari fecit et dominos Iohannem Teupolo eius genitum et Leonardum Quirino capitaneos constituit earumdem. Cumque Polenses, requisiti ut galeam unam, ut tenebantur, armarent, mandata renuunt. Tunc capitanei preffacti Polam impugnant, quam obtinentes, muris diruptis, Durachium navigarunt, ubi noticiam habuerunt quod, cum imperialis exercitus maris Ianuenssium stolum contra se venire vidissent et bellum penitus renuisse, redeuntes ob hoc Veneti sentierunt quod Polenses minas obprobiosas Venetis prorupissent. Qui capitanei non modicum perturbati denuo civitatem invadunt et ruinis et incendio de mense octubris destruunt, sed de mense ianuarii cives profugi redeuntes duci suis ambaxatoribus destinatis de petita venia ad pristinam gratiam recepti sunt et in MCCXLII fidelitatem perpetuam iuraverunt.” – Venetiarum Historia vulgo Petro Iustiniano Iustiniani filio adiudicata, ed. Roberto Cessi and Fanny Bennato (Venice 1964), pp. 159–160.
“In questo mezzo i Genovesi mandarono Ambasciadori a Venezia a richiedere soccorso contro Federigo II imperadore, il quale insieme co’ Pisani volea venire a Genova con cento galere e toglier loro lo stato. Onde i nostri armarono 60 galere, capitano Andrea Tiepolo figliuolo del doge, per andare in aiuto loro. La quale armata giunta in Istria, perché que’ di Pola non aveano voluto mandare il tributo solito al doge, combattè la detta terra e la prese e rovinò il resto delle mura. Dipoi andò a Durazzo dove intesero che i Genovesi aveano vigorosamente presa l’isola di Cirno e rotta l’armata de’ Pisani. Onde ritornò in dietro il detto capitano a Venezia. E perché Pola di nuovo avea ribellato dopo il suo partire, quella rovinò e abbrugiò.” – Marin Sanudo, Le vite dei dogi, ed. Muratori, RIS 22 (Milan 1733), col. 553.
According to the Liber Regiminum Padue, quoted above under the “Medieval Recollections”, the Venetian navy embarked from Venice in August of 1242 in order to attack Pula. This entry is coeval to the event itself and is thus to be preferred over the eyewitness accounts reported by people “over hundred years old” in 1318 (cited above), one of which claimed that the armada embarked from Venice in March. Moreover, as explicitly mentioned in the Treaty of Rialto, signed in Venice on January 21, 1243 (doc. 1243_PP), Pula was sacked a second time in October of 1242. The entire itinerary of the Venetian fleet would thus be: embarking from Venice in August of 1242, attacking Pula and razing its walls, then continuing on towards Dalmatia (Split), Drač, Corfu, Otranto and Brindisi, presumably looking to aid the Genoese fleet against the ships of Emperor Frederick II and the Pisans. Failing to engage the fleeing enemy, the Venetian armada returned, but upon reaching Istria, they were greeted with a rebellion in Pula. Thus, in October of 1242, the Venetian navy attacked the city a second time and again razed its walls (which were, apparently, quickly patched-up in between the two attacks).
This is the narrative as read from the “official” account, the one penned by Andrea Dandolo in the 1340s. According to the eyewitness, the principal reason behind the expedition was Pula’s defiance as the Istrian city provided support and shelter to the pirates from Labin and Plomin. Thus, when the mighty Venetian armada paid visit to Pula, they certainly asked for some explanation and compensation, including the city’s customary tribute of arming a Venetian galley (as per doc. 1145_PP). Failing to meet the Venetian demands, the city was attacked.
De Vergottini (cited above) summarized the entire affair succinctly: “In 1242, the Commune [of Pula], which had already defied Venice by supporting and providing refuge to the corsair ships of Labin and Plomin, refused to supply the traditional galley to the Venetian fleet that was about to set sail for the Tyrrhenian Sea to aid the Genoese, who were threatened by the emperor.”
There was also the rebellion of Zadar, the most important Venetian possession in Dalmatia. The Venetian fleet was certainly dispatched to investigate the situation in the Adriatic and appraise the potential of the rebellion spreading. This is why the fleet anchored in Split.
The people of Pula, de iure subjects of the patriarchs of Aquileia, decided to oppose Venice and suffer no such indignities in the future. The citizens of Pula most probably undertook some hostile actions against the resident Venetians (the ampulosae minae of Dandolo’s account). The Venetian navy thus attacked Pula a second time, in October, and razed the city.
Two months later, in December of 1242, the Commune of Pula dispatched its representatives to Venice to sign a peace treaty and reconcile with the doge and the Commune of the Venetians (doc. 1242_SP). Venice used the opportunity to also sign a new pact with the rebellious city. This is how the Treaty of Rialto, signed on January 21, 1243, was concluded – edited here as doc. 1243_PP.