The Eastern Roman emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (905–959; emperor 913–959) had a long, but very complicated reign. In the period around 950, he wrote an extensive manual on the administration of the empire for his son, Romanos II.

Part of the manual is a treatise on the geography of the empire, and the Venetians are mentioned in chapter 27 (partially) and in chapter 28 (entirely).

We don’t know where Constantine got his information from, but it is not unlikely that parts of it came from Venetians living in Constantinople at the time, as his account is well in line with the myths and stories the early Venetians developed around their origin.

The translation is by Romilly J. H. Jenkins. The source publication, with both the original Greek and the English translation, is available on archive.org.

De Administrando Imperio

Chapter 27

Of the province of Lombardy and of the principalities and governorships therein.

…

Before the Venetians crossed over and settled in the islands in which they live now, they were called Enetikoi,¹ and used to dwell on the mainland in these cities: the city of Concordia, the city of Justiniana, the city of Nonum and very many other cities.

When those who are now called Venetians, but were originally called Enetikoi, crossed over, they began by constructing a strongly fortified city, in which the doge of Venice still has his seat to-day, a city surrounded by some six miles of sea, into which 27 rivers also debouch. There are other islands also to the east of this same city. And upon these same islands also they who are now called Venetians built cities: the city of Cogradon,² in which is a great metropolitan church with many relics of saints laid up in it; the city of Rivalensis, the city of Lulianon, the city of Apsanon, the city of Romatina, the city of Licenzia, the city of Pinetai, which is called Strobilos, the city of Biniola, the city of Boes, in which is a church of the holy apostle Peter,³ the city of Ilitoualba, the city of Litoumangersis,⁴ the city of Bronion, the city of Madaucon,⁵ the city of Ebola, the city of Pristinai,⁶ the city of Clugia,⁷ the city of Brundon,⁸ the city of Phosaon, the city of Lauriton.

There are other islands also in the same country of Venice.

On the mainland, also, in the land of Italy, there are cities of the Venetians, as follows: the city of Capre, the city of Neokastron, the city of Phines, the city of Aikylon, the city of Aeimanas, the great trading station of Torcello,⁹ the city of Mouran,¹⁰ the city of Rivalto,¹¹ which means ‘highest point’, where the doge of Venice has his seat; the city of Caverzenzis.¹²

There are also trading stations and forts.

Chapter 28

Story of the settlement of what is now called Venice.

Of old, Venice was a desert place, uninhabited and swampy.

Those who are now called Venetians were Franks¹³ from Aquileia¹⁴ and from the other places in Francia, and they used to dwell on the mainland opposite Venice.

But when Attila, the king of the Avars,¹⁵ came and utterly devastated and depopulated all the parts of Francia, all the Franks from Aquileia and from the other cities of Francia began to take to flight, and to go to the uninhabited islands of Venice and to built huts there, out of their dread of king Attila.

Now when this king Attila had devastated all the country — of the mainland and had advanced as far as Rome and Calabria and had left Venice far behind, those who had fled for refuge to the islands of Venice, having obtained a breathing-space and, as it were, shaken off their faintness of heart, took counsel jointly to settle there, which they did, and have been settled there till this day.

But again, many years after the withdrawal of Attila, king Pippin¹⁶ arrived, who at that time was ruling over Papia¹⁷ and other kingdoms. For this Pippin had three brothers, and they were ruling over all the Frank and Slavonic regions. Now when king Pippin came against the Venetians with power and a large army, he blockaded them along the mainland, on the far side of the crossing between it and the islands of Venice, at a place called Aeibolas.

Well, when the Venetians saw king Pippin coming against them with his power and preparing to take ship with the horses to the island of Madamaucon¹⁸ (for this is an island near the mainland), they laid down spars and fenced off the whole crossing. The army of king Pippin, being brought to a stand (for it was not possible for them to cross at any other point), blockaded them along the mainland six months, fighting with them daily.

The Venetians would man their ships and take up position behind the spars they had laid down, and king Pippin would take up position with his army along the shore. The Venetians assailed them with arrows and javelins, and stopped them from crossing over to the island. So then king Pippin, at a loss, said to the Venetians: «You are beneath my hand and my providence, since you are of my country and domain.» But the Venetians answered him: «We want to be servants of the emperor of the Romans, and not of you.»

When, however, they had for long been straitened by the trouble that had come upon them, the Venetians made a treaty of peace with king Pippin, agreeing to pay him a very considerable tribute. But since that time the tribute has gone on diminishing year by year, though it is paid even to this day. For the Venetians pay to him who rules over the kingdom of Italy, that is, Papia, a twopenny fee of 36 pounds of uncoined silver annually.

So ended the war between Franks and Venetians.

When the folk began to flee away to Venice and to collect there in numbers, they proclaimed as their doge him who surpassed the rest in nobility. The first doge among them had been appointed before king Pippin came against them. At that time the doge’s residence was at a place called Civitanova,¹⁹ which means ‘new city’. But because this island aforesaid is close to the mainland, by common consent they moved the doge’s residence to another island, where it now is at this present, because it is at a distance from the mainland, as far off as one may see a man on horseback.

Notes

1. The Greek word Αινετοι, which means laudable or the praiseworthy, was in Antiquity thought to be the origin of the name of the Veneti people and Venetia itself, which is why the words laudable or praiseworthy are often associated with Venice. ↩︎
2. Grado was the seat of the Patriarch of Aquileia (later Grado) from 606 until 1172 when the patriarch moved to Venice. It was also traditionally the northernmost point of the Dogado. ↩︎
3. Maybe the island of Olivolo. The Olivolo island was one of the most ancient settlements, which became Venice, and the seat of the Bishops of Venice since 774. ↩︎
4. Possibly Lio Maggiore in the northern lagoon. The lagoon settlement of Lio Maggiore was once important, and central for the deliveries of timber to the lagoons. ↩︎
5. Malamocco (or Metamauco) was capital of the Venetian proto-state for parts of the 700s, possibly located on the Lido di Venezia. ↩︎
6. [Pellestrina[() is an ancient settlement on the Lido di Pellestrina, between Venice and Chioggia. ↩︎
7. Chioggia (also Clodia and Clugia) is the main city in the southern lagoon, from Roman times, and a bishopric. ↩︎
8. Brondolo was an ancient settlement in the lagoon, at the estuary of the Adige river. It is now a suburb of Chioggia. ↩︎
9. Torcello was one of the first settlements in the lagoon, inhabited by people from the Roman town of Altino on the mainland, already in the late 500s or early 600s. In the early Middle Ages, Torcella was larger then Venice. ↩︎
10. Murano is an island north of Venice, famous for its glassworks. ↩︎
11. Rialto, from the Latin Rivus altus (the high brink), was probably one of the first settlements in what is now Venice. Until the Middle Ages, Venice itself was often referred to as Rialto or Rivoalto. ↩︎
12. Cavarzere, meaning Capo d’Argine or Head of the Dykes, is a settlement on the Adige river, traditionally marking the south-most point of the Dogado. ↩︎
13. For Constantine VII, writing in Constantinople, everybody from the west were ‘Franks’. At his time, the Franks dominated most of Western Europe. ↩︎
14. Aquileia was the Roman capital of the Regio X Venetia et Histria, but declined in importance after the sack of Attila the Hun in 452. ↩︎
15. Constantine confused the Avars and the Huns. ↩︎
16. Second son of Charlemagne, given the Kingdom of the Lombards. ↩︎
17. Pavia was the capital of the Kingdom of the Lombards in the 600s and 700s, and the Frankish Kingdom of Italy in the 800s. ↩︎
18. Ancient Metamauco might have been at Malamocco on the Lido di Venezia. ↩︎
19. Eraclea (orig. Civitas Nova Heracliana, also Civitanova), founded in 640, was originally situated on a lagoon island. It was the first seat of the doges of Venice, before it moved to Metamauco. ↩︎

Localities