Spoke 12: The Biblewheel and The 12th Century - The Murder of Doge Vitale II Michiel

Spoke 12: The Biblewheel and The 12th Century
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The Murder of Doge Vitale II Michiel

Although the murder of Zechariah wasn't mentioned in the 12th book of the Bible 2Kings, as king Joash was responsible, his servants who took revenge, their names are mentioned as:

[2Kings 12:21 KJV]
For Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

But the murder of the priest Zechariah the son of Jehoiada was mentioned in the 14th book 2Chronicles. Those who avenged his murder were also mentioned in:

[2 Chronicles 24:20 KJV]
And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.

[2 Chronicles 24:21 KJV]
And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.

[2 Chronicles 24:22 KJV]
Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon [it], and require [it].

[2 Chronicles 24:23 KJV]
And it came to pass at the end of the year, [that] the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.

[2 Chronicles 24:24 KJV]
For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.

[2 Chronicles 24:25 KJV]
And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.

[2 Chronicles 24:26 KJV]

And these are they that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess.

Doge Vitale II Michiel was murdered in the 12th century by Marco Casolo as peace negotiations failed between Venice and the Emperor Manuel I Komnenos of the Byzantine Empire as tens of thousands of Venetians were arrested in the empire. And the Venetians sought revenge. That revenge was accomplished by the following Doge Enrico Dandolo during the 4th Crusade in 1202-1204.

Vitale II Michiel

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Vitale II Michiel
Doge of Venice
In office 1156–1172
Personal details
Born	Unknown
Died	1172

Coat of arms of Vitale II Michiel

Vitale II Michiel (also spelled Vital II Michiel) was Doge of Venice from 1156 to 1172.

Vitale Michiel became Doge of Venice at a time when Venice's relations with the Byzantine Empire were becoming increasingly strained. At the same time, on account of the growing profitability of mainland Italian markets, Venice was trying to remain on good terms with the Western Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa. But eventually, Venice was to come into conflict with both East and West.

In 1158, much of Northern Italy was in open revolt against Frederick after his crossing of the Alps. In August 1159, the towns of Milan, Crema, Brescia and Piacenza founded the Lombard League with backing from Pope Adrian and the Kingdom of Sicily. On September 1, 1159, Pope Adrian died, and during the enthronement of his elected successor, Alexander III, the papacy was usurped by a supporter of Frederick, Victor IV. The papacy was disputed for the next 18 years, although most of Europe backed Alexander III. Venice also declared for Alexander III, fearing that Frederick would treat Venice in much the same way as the rest of North Italy. Padua, Verona and Ferrara, which were loyal to Frederick, attacked Venice but were easily defeated. Next, Frederick engaged The Patriarch of Aquileia to attack Grado. This attack also failed, and merely resulted in Grado having to pay an annual tribute to Venice - a dozen pigs annually on the Wednesday before Lent. These pigs were chased around the Piazza on the following day by the people of Venice.

Although Frederick Barbarossa would have liked Venice subdued, he had more pressing problems to deal with elsewhere in Italy. For example, he wanted to reclaim Ancona from Byzantium and to continue opposition to Norman Sicily. On these fronts he failed. However, he succeeded in installing another anti-Pope in Rome - Paschal. The Romans fought ferociously to keep Frederick's forces out. St Peter's Basilica was heavily defended and held out for eight days. But eventually the Imperial forces broke in and left the marble pavement of the nave strewn with dead and dying, and the high altar itself stained with blood. On July 30, 1167 anti-Pope Paschal celebrated Mass. Subsequently, Frederick's army was virtually destroyed by pestilence, which most of Europe considered divine retribution for the desecration of St. Peter's. Venice became a founding state of the Greater Lombard League on December 1, 1167.

At this time, there were many Latins in Constantinople enjoying privileges given them by Manuel and earlier Byzantine Emperors. Most of these were Venetians, who were generally regarded as arrogant, and scornful of the Eastern Empire. Manuel began to reduce the privileges of Venice, and to improve the position of her rivals: Pisa, Genoa and Amalfi. Manuel also captured much of the Dalmatian coast from Stephen III of Hungary, which was another irritation to Venice.

Relations with Byzantium deteriorate[edit]

Main article: Byzantine–Venetian war of 1171

In 1171, the Genoese settlement in Constantinople was attacked and largely destroyed. The Byzantine Emperor Manuel Comnenus blamed the Venetians and on March 12, 1171, orders were given for all Venetian citizens on Byzantine territory to be arrested, and their ships and property confiscated. The old alliance between Venice and Byzantium was over. In order to finance a war against the Eastern Empire, the six districts of Venice were founded to tax the Venetian citizens: San Marco, San Polo, Santa Croce, Dorsoduro, Castello and Cannaregio. In September 1171, Doge Vitale Michiel led an armada of 120 ships out of the Lagoon to attack Byzantium. Venetian ambassadors met Byzantine representatives and agreed a truce, which was a stalling tactic by Manuel. As talks dragged on through the winter, the Venetian fleet waited at Chios. An outbreak of the plague struck down thousands of the Venetians. The Venetian ambassadors then returned empty-handed from Constantinople, their mission had been a total failure.

In May 1172, Doge Vitale Michiel faced a General Assembly at the Ducal Palace to defend his actions. He had presided over the near total destruction of the Venetian fleet, and was accused of gullibility over falling into the Byzantine trap. He also stood accused of bringing the plague back to the City. The Assembly was against him, and an angry mob gathered outside the Palace. He attempted to flee to the convent of S. Zaccaria over the Ponte della Paglia, but near the Calle della Rasse he was stabbed to death by one of the mob. Venice had not lost a Doge by murder at home for more than 200 years, a fact that caused much soul-searching by the citizens, and led to constitutional reform.

Doge Vitale Michiel II's rule had lasted 16 years. For 15 years of those years, he had led the Most Serene Republic well in a difficult period, balancing Venice between the Western and Eastern Empires. He was married to the daughter of Bohemund of Antioch, Felicita Maria di Boemodo. His son, Nicolo, married the Hungarian princess Maria, daughter of Ladislaus II.

Today there is no monument in Venice to Doge Vitale Michiel II, but until relatively recently there was at least evidence of his downfall. His murderer had been found and executed, and his house destroyed. A decree was then passed that no stone building should ever be built on the site again. Right up to 1948 the decree was followed: pictures and photographs prior to that year show only small and simple wooden buildings on one of the most strategic sites in all Venice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitale_II_Michiel

Byzantine–Venetian war of 1171

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Byzantine–Venetian War of 1171
Date 1171–1172 Location Aegean Sea Result Decisive Byzantine victory
Belligerents
Republic of Venice	Byzantine Empire
Commanders and leaders
Doge Michiel † Enrico Dandolo Filippo Greco	Manuel I
Strength
100 Galleys 20 Transports	150 ships
Casualties and losses
Most of the fleet

The Byzantine–Venetian War of 1171 was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Republic of Venice as a result of the Byzantine imprisonment of Venetian merchants and citizens across the Empire. 10,000 Venetians were imprisoned in the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, alone. Despite Doge Michiel's apparent will to pursue a peaceful solution, outrage in Venice itself swung popular opinion in the favour of full scale war against Byzantium. Doge Michiel had no choice but to set out for war, which he did in mid-late 1171. After indecisive battles in Euboea, Michiel was forced to withdraw his fleet to Chios. After a number of months on Chios, whilst waiting for a Venetian embassy to be received in Constantinople, plague began to set in. However, the emperor of Byzantium, Manuel I Komnenos, was well aware of the plague, and continued to stall negotiations. The Venetians attempted to move from island to island to avoid the plague. Doge Michiel's efforts, however, were fruitless, and in May 1172, he returned to Venice with what was left of the fleet. The Venetians were decisively defeated.^[1]

Contents

Background[edit]

Relations between the Byzantine Empire and the Republic of Venice had taken a steep turn for the worse during the 12th Century. Between the extensive reforms of the Venetian church and the refusal of Venice to assist Byzantium in an invasion of southern Italy, the Byzantine emperor, Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180– ), was increasingly hostile towards the Venetian government. Firstly, Manuel began to cultivate relationships with the main commercial rivals of Venice: Genoa and Pisa. He also granted these other Italians their own quarters in Constantinople, very near to the Venetian quarter, effectively elevating the groups to the same social status within the Empire. One day a mob of Venetians effectively ransacked the Genoese quarter, looting and killing the Genoese, until the imperial guard arrived to restore order. This blatant act of disobedience convinced Manuel that Byzantium no longer needed Venice as an ally; Genoese strength now matched that of Venice's, and it seemed that Genoa could just as effectively protect Greek waters as Venice, and without the apparent arrogance. In early 1171 Manuel began to develop his plan for retribution. He sent secret messages to officials across the empire to imprison and confiscate the property of every single Venetian they could find. The plot was kept a secret, while Manuel continued to assure Venetian ambassadors, dispatched by Doge Michiel (r. 1156–1172– ) after the looting of the Genoese quarter months earlier, that Byzantium would not seek to exact revenge upon Venice. The ambassadors would return to Venice with the good news. On March 12, 1171, Manuel set his plan in motion. Venetian men, women, and children across the empire were imprisoned, their property confiscated and goods held by local Byzantine officials. Only a handful of Venetians escaped.^[2] When the news arrived in Venice, it was met with shock, outrage, and, at least on the part of the Doge and the ambassadors, embarrassment. Doge Michiel summoned his board of high councillors, the sapienti, for a meeting. They overwhelmingly urged the Doge to proceed with caution. Many of the reports they were receiving from Byzantium were fantastical, and they thought it wise to first ascertain if many of these facts were true, and then assess the damage. The Doge agreed with this course of action. However, as Michiel began to lay out his plans to attempt to solve the issue diplomatically, a convoy of 20 Venetian vessels, a few lucky stragglers who had managed to escape the arrests, arrived in the Venetian lagoon. They told great stories of the Byzantines' betrayal, and, as citizens became to pour out of their houses to listen to the stories, the sailors were able to stir up the rancor of the populace, effectively motivating them to seek revenge. The people gathered outside of the Ducal Palace, urging the Doge to undertake a retaliatory strike against the Greeks. Michiel had little choice, and, against his and the sapienti's better judgment, he set out for war.^[3]

Course of the War[edit]

Michiel sailed his armada first to Dalmatia in order to quickly reinforce Venetian dominance there. The fleet then sailed around the Peloponnese and into a port at Negroponte (Euboea). There, the fleet disembarked and began to lay siege on the regional capital of Euripos (modern Chalkis). It quickly became clear that the city would fall, and, seeing this, the Byzantine governor in Negroponte organized a meeting with the Venetian leaders. In this meeting, the Venetians made it clear they wished for peace. So, in exchange for the Venetians lifting the siege on Euripos, the governor agreed to send a message to Constantinople urging the Emperor to make peace. While waiting out a response from Manuel, Michiel ordered his fleet to withdraw to the eastern Aegean island of Chios, where they would wait out the winter waiting for Manuel's response.^[4]

Manuel, however, had no mind for peace. He refused to see Michiel's envoy and, in return, dispatched an ambassador to the Venetian fleet in Chios, who conveyed to the Venetians that the emperor hoped to make peace, and that perhaps by sending another envoy to Constantinople, a settlement might be reached. Manuel's real plan was to forestall Venetian advancement while he took the time to organize his forces and establish a fleet capable of confronting the Venetians. His ruse worked better than expected. The Venetians sent another envoy to Constantinople, and, shortly after the embassy departed, a devastating plague broke out in the Venetian camp, which killed thousands within the first day. Opinion within the Venetian camp had also begun to sway against the Doge, who had, in their first encounter with Byzantine forces, peacefully withdrew without dealing any real damage to the enemy in favor of a diplomatic solution and, now, after months of waiting, had allowed for a terrible plague to set in while waiting for yet another possible diplomatic solution.

In March, the fleet moved to the island of Panagia, but the plague followed. Later that month the Venetian delegation returned from Constantinople with bad news: they had once again been denied an audience with Manuel, however, that had been promised that if the Doge sent a third embassy, they would be received. At this point, the Doge was in a bad situation. More of his men were dying every day and the plague was hardly letting up. He had received whispers of a plan for a Byzantine attack on the Venetians at sea or on Chios, so he hardly believed Manuel intended to make peace with him. However, if he was able to shake of the plague, Michiel's fleet was still large enough to cause trouble for Byzantium in the Aegean. He hoped that with yet another embassy, and that threat still alive, it would be possible to persuade Manuel to at least release the Venetian prisoners. He dispatched Enrico Dandolo (the future Doge and architect of the Fourth Crusade) and Filippo Greco to the Greek court. Michiel then moved the fleet first to Lesbos and Skyros. Nothing slowed the plague down. As more and more Venetian soldiers died in camp, it became increasingly clear that the fleet no longer posed any threat to Byzantium. In fact, the fleet was now itself in danger. The remainder of the depressed Venetians ordered their Doge to take them home.^[5]

Aftermath[edit]

With the utter destruction of their fleet, the Venetians sailed home in disgrace. They limped into the Venetian harbor in May 1172, and public opinion immediately swayed against the Doge. Blamed not only for the loss of lives and ships, but for the utter disgrace and humiliation of Venice, a mob began to form in the street. The Doge had wasted the Venetians' time with useless legates and envoys in a fruitless effort to solve a military issue diplomatically, and tens of thousands of Venetians were still imprisoned across the Byzantine Empire. Michiel tried to reason with the mob, however, he found himself alone, and attempted to flee to a religious sanctuary in the city where he was eventually overtaken and stabbed to death by a man named Marco Casolo. This killing did nothing to quell the angers of the Venetian people; if anything it only depressed them. Michiel's assassin was then publicly executed, but this, too, did nothing to assuage the Venetian people, who were now overcome with regret. The death of the Doge resulted in the election of 11 men to a commission, made up of the old sapienti, who would in turn elect to next Doge. The disastrous defeat of Venice in this war was one of the greatest military blunders in the city-state's history, and permanently altered Venice's position on foreign affairs. A formal truce between the two empires would not be ratified until 1177, with minor skirmishes continuing until then.^[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Byzantine%E2%80%93Venetian_war_of_1171

hihi

Comparing 2Kings the 12th Book of the 1st Cycle with the 12th Century

2Kings 12 - Listen 1 In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Zibiah of Beersheba. 2 And Jehoash did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. 4 And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the LORD, [even] the money of every one that passeth [the account], the money that every man is set at, [and] all the money that cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of the LORD, 5 Let the priests take [it] to them, every man of his acquaintance: and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found. 6 But it was [so, that] in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house. 7 Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and the [other] priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore receive no [more] money of your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house. 8 And the priests consented to receive no [more] money of the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house. 9 But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the LORD: and the priests that kept the door put therein all the money [that was] brought into the house of the LORD. 10 And it was [so], when they saw that [there was] much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the LORD. 11 And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD: and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD, 12 And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair [it]. 13 Howbeit there were not made for the house of the LORD bowls of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money [that was] brought into the house of the LORD: 14 But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the LORD. 15 Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully. 16 The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the LORD: it was the priests'. 17 Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem. 18 And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold [that was] found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king's house, and sent [it] to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem. 19 And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 20 And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and slew Joash in the house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla. 21 For Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.