Pula (Pola)

Emperor Justinian I has Pope Vigilius I consecrate Maximian, a deacon from Pula, as the new bishop of Ravenna; once installed as bishop, Maximian embarks on several architectural projects, including the building of the Santa Maria Formosa church in Pula (narrative accounts from the Life of Saint Maximian written by Agnellus of Ravenna in his Book of the Pontiffs of the Church of Ravenna).

Maximian, the bishop of Ravenna, endows the monastery of St. Andrew and the church of St. Mary in Pula.

A Sergius donates his properties in Rumijan to St. Michael’s monastery in Pula.

Venetian Doge Pietro II Orseolo departs with his navy on a military expedition against Croats and Narantines in Dalmatia; on his journey, the doge stops at Poreč and Pula where he is cordially greeted by the bishops, clergy, and citizens of these Istrian cities (narrative account from John the Deacon’s Istoria Veneticorum).

St. Michael's monastery in Pula, represented by abbot Andrew, exchanges properties with an Urso.

Megingaudus, the bishop of Pula, donates a property to St. Michael's monastery, witnessed by "Istrian margrave Ulrich".

St. Michael’s monastery, represented by abbot Iuvencius and advocate Wezelin, exchanges properties with a Berthold.

A Johnny Vilico bestows to St. Michael's monastery and its abbot Iuvencius his property in Rumijan under the condition that his son Martin enjoys the usufruct of this land for four years.

The people of the Commune of Pula swear fealty to Doge Pietro Polani and to the Commune of Venice, promising military aid in the form of arming one galley per every fifteen Venetian galleys during Venetian military campaigns, to support the Venetian military efforts in the Adriatic, in the zone between Dubrovnik, Venice, and Ancona, and to defend Venice if they see hostile ships approaching their city, exempting the Venetians from all the dues and tolls in their city except the harbor tax (portaticus), guaranteeing safety and judicial autonomy in disputes between Venetians and the citizens of Pula, gifting the doge and the Commune of Venice with a house by the city’s gates, and agreeing to swear the same promise of fealty to every new doge upon his consecration; the doge and the Commune of Venice agree to defend the Commune of Pula against their enemies and to treat the citizens of Pula as their own citizens in Venice.

On his return from the Holy Land and from the Second Crusade, King Conrad III sails through the Adriatic and stops in Pula, from where he continues the journey towards Germany by land, traveling through Aquileia to Salzburg before finally reaching Regensburg (narrative account from The Deeds of Emperor Frederick I by Otto of Freising).

Five Istrian communities – Pula, Rovinj, Poreč, Novigrad and Umag – pledge their fealty to the doge of Venice and his successors, promising military support, a variety of symbolic tributes to St. Mark, the patron saint of Venice, and to the doges, guaranteeing the safety of all the Venetians in their jurisdictions and abolishing all the dues for Venetian traders.

The people and the clergy of Pula agree to a final settlement with Venice whereby they fully acknowledge their fault for the military actions directed against them and renounce all their claims for further recompense and restitutions.

The consuls and the people of Pula write to the patriarch of Aquileia Ulrich II, informing him that they are aware of the emperor’s arrival (in the vicinity of Venice) and that the imperial assembly will be convened on May 22; therefore, they ask him to take up with the emperor their complaints against the Venetians, who treat them as their subjects.

On their way to engage the inimical Pisan fleet, the Venetian armada stops in Pula to receive additional military support; met with refusal, the Venetian fleet attacks Pula, razes its walls, and sacks the city; defeated, Pula reacknowledges fealty owed to Venice (narrative account as featured in the so-called Annales Venetici brevis).

In the name of the community of Barban, Pribislav, the gastald of Barban, subjects his village to the podestà and the Commune of Pula, promising to pay the standard dues – the quarter of the tithe and the grazing due – to the Commune of Pula and to receive justice from the podestà and the magistrates of Pula; the subjection is subsequently ratified by twelve people of Barban.

In the name of the community of Prnjani, Stepizus subjects his village to the podestà and the Commune of Pula under the same conditions and promising the same oath as the villagers of Barban.

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).

Nascingwera, the regalian podestà of Pula, and the communal council of the city elect and constitute priest Hugh and subdeacon John de Spago as the official representatives of the Commune of Pula, delegated to sign a new peace treaty with the doge and the Commune of Venice following their recent inimicalities.

The people of Pula, united in the general assembly, formally ratify the treaty signed between the representatives of their commune and Venice on January 21, 1243 (doc. 1243_PP).

Roman King Conrad IV issued a privilege to the Commune of Poreč, granting it the right of free election of their podestas, recognizing the city’s regalian rights and the jurisdictions over its district, allowing the imperial notaries to freely exercise their trade in the city and its district, granting it the right to retain the incomes from tolls levied on commercial goods entering the city by land, and giving it the permission to lawfully and securely trade with the Kingdom of Sicily.

The Commune of Pula constitutes a Lazarus as its procurator, tasked to journey to Friuli and petition the current government for the right to elect a podestà to govern the city for another year.

The Commune of Pula formally assents to adhere to the decrees regarding their newly built walls facing the sea promulgated by the Venetian Council of Forty (doc. 1300_MP1).

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).

The Commune of Pula sends a letter to Doge Pietro Gradenigo, informing him that a new charter has been drafted regarding the assent to the decree of the Council of Forty regarding the newly built walls of Pula, as the original document was considered defective by the Venetian government because it did not include the clause regarding the demolition of the walls on doge’s request and the accompanying sanctions in case of disobedience (referring to doc 1300_MP1 and doc. 1300_MP2).

The Commune of Pula constitutes its representatives to journey to Venice and negotiate a new pact between the two communes.