The communes of Venice and Pula sign a new peace treaty and agree on ten articles regulating their future relations.
In eterni Dei nomine, amen.
Anno ab incarnatione domini nostri Iesu Christi millesimo ducentesimo quadragesimo secundo, die undecimo exeunte mense ianuarii, indictione prima.
Cum Ugo presbiter et Iohannes de Spago subdiaconus canonici Polenses, nuncii et procuratores, sindici et actores nobilium virorum Nassinwerre potestatis regalie Pole et Galvani, Pencii et Carstoli consolum et Comunis civitatis Pole, sicut apparebat publico instrumento manu Raymondi sacri pallatii notarii confecto, cuius tenor inferius continetur, ad presentiam domini Iacobi Theupoli incliti Veneciarum ducis accessissent, supplicantes ac petentes humiliter et devote, vice et nomine predictorum potestatis, consulum et Comunis, pacem, concordiam et reconciliationem domino duci et Comuni Veneciarum, placuit domino duci et suo Consilio ipsos misericorditer recipere et ad pacem et concordiam cum eis devenire, que inter dictum dominum ducem suumque Consilium ex una parte, nomine suo et Comunis Veneciarum, et predictos nuncios, sindicos et procuratores, nomine predictorum potestatis, consulum et Comunis Pole, ex altera tractata est et firmata in hunc modum:
[1] Inprimis, quod omnes homines dicte civitatis Pole et eius districtus debent iurare fidelitatem domino duci predicto suisque successoribus secundum consuetudinem hactenus observatam et pacta.
[2] Item civitas Pole tollet potestatem de Veneciis pro anno futuro dabitque ei salarium consuetum.
[3] Item obsides dicte civitatis Pole stabunt in Veneciis omnibus expensis Comunis Pole, tam custodiarum quam domorum et aliarum expensarum, a die quo dictus potestas de Venetiis exierit iturus ad regimen civitatis Pole. Tamen dominus Papusa debet relaxari in concambio unius filii predicti domini Nassinwerre, quem dominus dux duxerit eligendum.
[4] Preterea omnia dampna data hominibus Veneciarum per Comune vel homines Pole vel data occassione dicte civitatis et hominum Pole ab aliis personis aliquo modo vel occasione, et commendarias imprestita hominum Veneciarum facta hominibus vel Comuni Pole et deposita apud eosdem in commendatione, et omnia bona Venetorum intromissa pro Comuni Pole et hominibus dicte civitatis debet restituire Comune Pole ipsis hominibus Veneciarum, excepto dampna data hominibus Veneciarum in eadem civitate Pole ab exercitu galearum Veneciarum quando nuper mense octobri preterito fuit combusta civitas Pole per exercitum suprascriptum. Que omnia restitui debent a dicto Comuni Pole usque ad festum Sancti Mikaelis proxime venturi, omni remota occasione, vel ante, si potestas predicta de Veneciis poterit, bona fide.
[5] Item quod Polenses sive Comune Pole non reedificabunt vel facient muros dicte civitatis nec construent maceriam vel aliquam municionem versus mare sine speciali licencia et parabola domini ducis et Comunis Veneciarum.
[6] Ad hec Polenses sive Comune Pole attendent et observabunt omnia pacta et promissiones hactenus factas dominis ducibus et Comuni Veneciarum, et specialiter pactum et promissionem quod et quam Polenses seu Comune Pole olim fecerunt tempore illustris domini Dominici Mauroceni ducis Veneciarum, quibus promiserunt et tenentur dare duo miliaria de oleo, unum in opere sancti Marci et aliud pro luminaribus annuatim in Nativitate Domini. Et si ad dictum terminum Comune Pole non solverit et dederit oleum supradictum, liceat procuratoribus sancti Marci et clericis eiusdem ecclesie cum parabola domini ducis pignorare Polenses, et de bonis pignoris Polensium se integre solvere de oleo supradicto.
[7] Et hec omnia predicta consules, Consilium et omnes homines Pole quilibet per se, a quatuordecim annis supra et a septuaginta infra, iurabunt attendere et observare et contra non venire aliquo modo vel occassione. Et quod potestas, consules sive rectores eiusdem civitatis, qui pro tempore erunt, in introitu sui regiminis annuatim iurabunt omnia suprascripta attendere et observare et contra non venire aliquo modo vel occassione. Et quod simile sacramentum tollent suis successoribus in exitu sui regiminis cum eorum successores intraverint in regimine. Preterea iam dictus potestas, civis Venetus qui debet tolli pro anno futuro ad regimen dicte civitatis Pole, similiter in introitu sui regiminis iurabit omnia ea, que superius dicta sunt, attendere et observare et specialiter restituere et solvere Venetis suprascriptis omnia sua, sicut superius dictum est et specificatum, omni occassione remota. Et quod successori suo de omnibus predictis observandis et attendendis tollet simile sacramentum.
[8] Insuper convenerunt et promiserunt prenominati sindici et procuratores, quod hec omnia facient laudare et approbare in publica concione et inde fieri publicum instrumentum per predictos Nassinwerram, consules et Comune civitatis Pole infra octavum diem postquam Polam applicuerint, et civitas sive Comune Pole hec omnia perpetuo attendent et observabunt et non venient contra.
[9] Imprestita vero et commendationes omnes que habent Veneti de hominibus Pole restituantur eisdem, excepto dampna data in ipsis rebus et bonis in combustione et dampnatione dicte civitatis Pole tempore suprascripto mensis octobris.
[10] Item omnia bona que habet Comune Veneciarum in se de hominibus dicte Pole que fuerunt ablata tempore combustionis predicte civitatis Pole restituantur eisdem, excepto ligna currencia. Tamen predicta bona apud Comune Veneciarum remanebunt donec omnia bona Venetorum fuerint Venetis plenarie restituta.
Tenor autem sindicatus et procurationis predictorum Ugonis presbiteri et Iohannis de subdiacono talis est: [seq. doc. 1242_SP; premite hic ut id ostendat].
In Christi nomine.
Anno Domini millesimo ducentesimo quadragesimo secundo, indictione quintadecima, die octavo exeunte decembris, presentibus presbitero Albertono Paduano, domino Maregnano canonico Asilii, Dominico de Castiliro, Plantavigna et Girardino Belestariis et aliis pluribus.
Ibique domini Nass(inwerra) potestas regalie Polensis, Galvanus, Pencius et Carstolus consules ipsius in pleno Consilio et concione cum campanis et preconibus more solito congregatis eorum verbo et actoritate nec aliquo contradicente fecerunt, constituerunt et ordinaverunt presbiterum Ugonem presentem et subdiaconum Iohannem de Spago absentem canonicos Polenses suos et tocius Comunis Pole certos missos et procuratores, sindicos et actores ad pacem et concordiam pertractandas cum inclito domino duce Veneciarum et suo Consilio, vel cum illis quibus hoc commissum est vel fuerit ad tractandum, ita quod ipsi procuratores valeant tractare atque perficere ipsam pacem et concordiam, et obligare se nomine et vice Comunis Pole, et promissiones et generaliter omnia facere que ad hoc necessaria et oportuna fuerint facienda, ut veri syndici et procuratores.
Promittentes dicti potestas et Consules pro se atque nomine et vice tocius Comunis, de consensu Consilii et concionis, perpetuo firmum et ratum habere et tenere quicquid predicti procuratores in predictis duxerint faciendum.
Actum est hoc in platea iuxta castrum Polense.
Ego Raymondus sacri pallatii notarium interfui et iussu dictorum potestatis, consulum, Consilii et concionis rogatus scripsi.
Actum est hoc Veneciis in palacio Ducatus in Rivoalto, urbe felici.
Testes autem ad hec rogati: nobiles viri Marcus Geno, Petrus Gradonicus, Iohannes Barocius, Marinus Donato, Marcus Contareno, Antolinus Dandolo, Marinus Gisi, Iulianus de Lasevole de Veneciis, Benedictus de domino Mauro de Pola et alii quamplures.
(SN) Ego Gabriel Paulinus notarius et ducalis aule Veneciarum cancellarius predictis interfui et rogatus scripsi, complevi et roboravi.
a) ex corr. B.
The ratification of this pact and peace treaty by the Commune of Pula, enacted on February 4, 1243 – edited here as doc. 1243_LP.
The peace and pact between Pula and Venice, the famous 1243 Treaty of Rialto, ushered in a new phase of relations between the Commune of Pula, at the time already dominated by the members of House Pula (Nascingwera I and his brothers), and the Commune Veneciarum. The treaty was a definite celebration of Venetian victory and the defeat of the Istrian community that dared to rise against Venice’s maritime supremacy.
First, all the citizens of Pula and its district must swear fealty to Venetian doges according to the custom observed thus far. This is a clear reference to the oath of fealty that the people of Pula had pledged to Doge Pietro Polani in December of 1145 (doc. 1145_PP).
Second, Pola was obligated to receive a Venetian for its podestà for the next year and pay him the usual salary.
Third, the upkeep for Pula’s hostages in Venice will be paid by the Commune of Pula from the day their new Venetian podestà embarks from Venice. Lord Papo, who is to be identified as the eponymous brother of Lord Nascingwera I, will be released in exchange for one of Nascingwera’s sons.
Fourth, all the damage that the Venetians incurred from the Commune and the citizens of Pula and all the goods and possessions of the Venetians that were confiscated by Pula must be restituted and compensated by the Commune of Pula, the sole exemption being the damages suffered by the Venetians during the siege of Pula that took place in October of 1242. All restitutions and compensations must be made and paid by the following St. Michael’s day (September 29).
Fifth, the citizens of Pula are forbidden to refortify or build any walls around the part of their city facing the sea without the express license of the Venetian doge.
Sixth, the people and the Commune of Pula are required to observe and uphold the pacts and promises made to the doges and the Commune of Venice, especially the oath pledged to Doge Domenico Morosini in 1150, by which the city had promised a yearly tribute of two thousandweights of oil to the church of St. Mark in Venice (see doc. 1150_FV). If the Commune of Pula fails to pay this yearly tribute, the procurators of St. Mark and the clergy of St. Mark’s church in Venice would be authorized by the Venetian doge to distrain on the goods from Pula until the cost of the outstanding tribute is settled.
Seventh, the consuls, the civic council, and all the people of Pula from fourteen to seventy years of age are required to swear to observe and uphold all of the above. In addition, all the future podestàs of Pula are to be required to swear to uphold this pact on their ingression.
Eighth, the pact must be officially ratified in the public concio or arenga, that is, the communal assembly uniting all the heads of households, and solemnly documented in the form of an instrumentum publicum. This ratification of the pact must take place within eight days of the representatives’ arrival in Pula. This laudatio took place on February 4, 1243, and the act of this solemn ratification is preserved in the original, edited here as doc. 1243_LP.
Ninth, the goods seized by the Venetian will be restituted to the citizens of Pula, with the exception of the damages incurred during the siege of the city in October of 1242 which will not be compensated.
Finally, all the goods that the Venetians seized during the siege of the city will be returned, with the exception of boats. These goods, however, are to remain in Venice until the Commune of Pula first restitutes the seized goods and compensates the damage suffered by the Venetians.
The treaty is notable for completely omitting any mention of the patriarchs of Aquileia, at the time de iure margraves of Istria and, therefore, the lords of Pula as well. The destruction of Pula and the signing of this humiliating treaty fully demonstrated all the impotence of the Aquileian patriarchs – and their sworn protectors, the counts of Gorizia as well – in front of the mighty Commune Veneciarum. Patriarch Berthold would sign a treaty with Venice in 1248 (doc. 1248_VB), but there would be no mention of Pula, the proverbial “elephant in the room”. If there ever was an idea or a dream shared by the Aquileian prelates of a strong lordship of patriarch-margraves in Istria, it was utterly shattered by the signing of this treaty.