The Commune of Pula writes to Doge Pietro Gradenigo, informing him that the city acceded to the decree of the Council of Forty regarding the newly built urban walls overlooking the sea (in connection to doc. 1300_MP1 and doc. 1300_MP2).
Illustri domino domino Petro Gradonico Dei gratia Veneciarum et cetera, Nicolaus Superancio vicharius domini Iohannis Superancio potestatis, consiliarii, Consilium et Comune Pole eius fideles se ipsos commendatos cum prontoa in omnibus famulatu.
Audita et intellecta parte que capta fuit inter XL super facto murorum Comunis Pole qui sunt super mare, recitata per ambaxatores Comunis Pole in Consilio civitatis eiusdem, quam predicti fideles vestri premeditantes quam benigne et graciose dictum negocium per vos extiterat pertractatum, licet non sufficiant, gratanter acceperunt.
Et volentes predictam partem effectui mancipare et mandata vestra perpetuo observare ex et animi puritate et intime fidelitatis affectu instrumentum publicum factum manu Gislandi notarii Pole in Consilio generali civitatis eiusdem, de predictis muraliis tenendis uti nunc stant ad voluntatem vestram et Comunis Veneciarum, vobis per nobilem virum dominum Marinum Memo olim de mandato vestro consulem in Pola potentieb vestre transmittere curaverint, tam confidenter quam humilime supplicantes, ut de recordatione per eos facta vestra dominatio dignetur veniam impertiri cum hoc non fuerit sine causa, nolebant enim de quolibet nuntio confidere et ideo tardaverunt, credentes predictum Marinum debere cicius se vestro conspectui presentare.
Datum Pole die XV intrante marcio.
a) sic P4: pro prompto. b) ex potentia corr. P4.
The letter sent by the Commune of Pula to Doge Pietro Gradenigo on June 13, 1300, acknowledging the criticism that the original charter assenting to the decree of the Council of Forty regarding the newly built walls was defective because it included neither the clause regarding the demolition of the walls on doge’s request nor any sanctiones; therefore the Commune of Pula draws a newly redacted version of the charter originally issued on February 21, 1300 – edited here as doc. 1300_MP4.
For the context behind the entire affair of Pula’s newly erected walls facing the sea and the Venetian response to this disregard of article 5 of the 1243 Treaty of Rialto (doc. 1243_PP), see the “Editor’s Notes” section under doc. 1300_MP2.
The letter is notable for mentioning the delegated Venetian consul in Pula, the official in charge of overseeing Venetian affairs in the city, making sure that the Venetian privileges are respected, and administering justice to the Venetians, similar to the Venetian vicedominus in Aquileia and other Venetian consuls throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, in places that were not de iure subject to Venice but that were strategically and economically important for the Republic of St. Mark. As far as Istria is concerned, Pula was at this point in time the only Istrian city were the Venetian consul was delegated, all the other important maritime centers being subjected to Venice in temporalibus.