Bajamonte Tiepolo (died after 1329) was a

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

, great-grandson of

Doge A doge ( , ; plural dogi or doges) was an elected lord and head of state in several Italian city-states, notably Venice and Genoa, during the medieval and renaissance periods. Such states are referred to as " crowned republics". Etymology The ...

Jacopo Tiepolo Jacopo Tiepolo (died 19 July 1249), also known as Giacomo Tiepolo, was Doge of Venice from 1229 to 1249. He had previously served as the first Venetian Duke of Crete, and two terms as Podestà of Constantinople (1218-1220 and 1224-1227). During ...

, grandson of

Lorenzo Tiepolo Lorenzo Tiepolo (died August 15, 1275) was Doge of Venice from 1268 until his death. Biography Born in Venice, Lorenzo Tiepolo was the son of Doge Jacopo Tiepolo. Tiepolo demonstrated skill as commander when, during the War of Saint Sabas with ...

, son of Giacomo Tiepolo. Bajamonte's wife was the Princess of Rascia. Marco Querini, a fellow conspirator, was his father-in-law.

Biography

Conspiracy against the doge

Unhappy with the policies of the reigning Doge,

Pietro Gradenigo Pietro Gradenigo (1251 – 13 August 1311) was the 49th Doge of Venice, reigning from 1289 to his death. When he was elected Doge, he was serving as the podestà of Capodistria in Istria. Venice suffered a serious blow with the fall of Acre, ...

, Tiepolo and other members of the leading families of the old aristocracy, the Querini (Marco and Piero) and the Badoer (former Partecipazio), organized a conspiracy, put into effect on 15 June 1310, the Feast of Saint Vitus, to overthrow the Doge and the

Great Council of Venice The Great Council or Major Council ( it, Maggior Consiglio; vec, Mazor Consegio) was a political organ of the Republic of Venice between 1172 and 1797. It was the chief political assembly, responsible for electing many of the other political off ...

. Their plot failed due to treachery, bad planning, insufficient popular support and stormy weather. The rebels were stopped near

Piazza San Marco Piazza San Marco (; vec, Piasa San Marco), often known in English as St Mark's Square, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as ''la Piazza'' ("the Square"). All other urban spaces in the city (exc ...

by the forces faithful to Doge and defeated. According to a popular but historically unconfirmed tale, Tiepolo himself fled from the fight when his standard-bearer was killed by a stone mortar thrown down from a window by the elder woman named Giustina or Lucia Rossi. During their retreat to the

San Polo San Polo ( vec, San Poło) is the smallest and most central of the six sestieri of Venice, northern Italy, covering 86 acres (35 hectares) along the Grand Canal. It is one of the oldest parts of the city, having been settled before ...

sestiere, the

Rialto Bridge The Rialto Bridge ( it, Ponte di Rialto; vec, Ponte de Rialto) is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Connecting the ' (districts) of San Marco and San Polo, it has been rebuilt several times since its f ...

was burnt down. Eventually, Tiepolo surrendered and was then sentenced to exile in Istria, condemned to

damnatio memoriae is a modern Latin phrase meaning "condemnation of memory", indicating that a person is to be excluded from official accounts. Depending on the extent, it can be a case of historical negationism. There are and have been many routes to , includin ...

and his house was demolished, as was a house belonging to the Querini brothers. After Tiepolo's house was demolished, a column of infamy was erected in Sant'Agostin bearing these words: "This land belonged to Bajamonte and now for his iniquitous betrayal, this has been placed to frighten others, and to show these words to everyone forever."

Banishment

Even from exile, Bajamonte Tiepolo sent a henchman to destroy the column. The man succeeded in breaking it into three pieces before he was caught in the act. He was deprived of a hand and his eyes were put out. The column was repaired and re-erected behind the nearby church of Sant'Agostin. Four hundred years later, in 1785, one Angelo Maria Querini purchased the column, leaving in its place a humble stone plaque that read: "''Loc. Col. Bai. The. MCCCX.''", which means "Location of column of Bajamonte Tiepolo 1310". The column now lies in the stores of the

Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia Founded following the resolution passed by the Municipal Council Board of Venice on March 3, 2008, the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE) manages and develops the cultural and artistic heritage of Venice and islands. Formed as a participat ...

. Later, Tiepolo was permanently banished for allegedly contacting the enemies of the Republic and he is unheard of after 1329, most likely dying in Croatia. Shortly after his banishment, he is recorded to have served as the potestat of the city of Nin in 1311, 1320 and 1322. He participated in a battle against

Ivan Nelipić {{Infobox noble, type , name = John Nelipić''Ivan Nelipić'' , title = Duke of Knin , image = , caption = Nelipić coat of arms , alt = , CoA = , more ...

on the side of his relative

George II Šubić of Bribir }; 1275 – Klis, 15 December 1328) was Croatian nobleman, a member of the Šubić noble family, who ruled from the Klis Fortress. Early life George II Šubić was son of Paul I Šubić of Bribir, who was the most powerful Croatian nobleman at t ...

in 1324 near

Knin Knin (, sr, link=no, Книн, it, link=no, Tenin) is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagre ...

, during which they were defeated and imprisoned.

Legacy

The plot against the Doge led to the creation the

Council of Ten The Council of Ten ( it, Consiglio dei Dieci; vec, Consejo de i Diexe), or simply the Ten, was from 1310 to 1797 one of the major governing bodies of the Republic of Venice. Elections took place annually and the Council of Ten had the power to i ...

, initially as a temporary institution, but later evolved into a permanent body with the special task of preventing conspiracies and attempted coups. Its power eventually grew to make it one of the most important elements in the Venetian government.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiepolo, Bajamonte 14th-century conflicts Attempted coups d'état Republic of Venice nobility 14th-century Venetian people