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Sebastiano Ziani was Staley, Edgcumbe: The dogaressas of Venice : The wives of the doges. London : T. W. Laurie
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Sebastiano Ziani was Doge of Venice
The Doge of Venice ( ; vec, Doxe de Venexia ; it, Doge di Venezia ; all derived from Latin ', "military leader"), sometimes translated as Duke (compare the Italian '), was the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice between 726 ...
from 1172 to 1178. He was one of the greatest planners of Venice.
During his short term as Doge, Ziani divided the city-state into many districts. He realised that the government headquarters were too close to the shipyard. As such, they were affected by the noise from the shipyard. Ziani resolved this problem by donating a piece of land to the city-state and relocating the shipyard in it. One of the most notable changes he made to the city was in funding the construction of the Piazza San Marco. Projects included filling up Rio Batario that ran parallel to the Basilica San Marco which could be found at what is today the half way point of the Piazza. He paved the main square as well as the Piazzetta that it is connected to. Ziani hired an engineer to erect two columns (possibly of Greek origin) that lie at the head of the Piazzetta facing the lagoon.
He also hosted Pope Alexander III, the Emperor Frederick I
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...
, and the delegation of William II of Sicily
William II (December 115311 November 1189), called the Good, was king of Sicily from 1166 to 1189. From surviving sources William's character is indistinct. Lacking in military enterprise, secluded and pleasure-loving, he seldom emerged from hi ...
for the signing of the Treaty of Venice
The Treaty or Peace of Venice, 1177, was a peace treaty between the papacy and its allies, the north Italian city-states of the Lombard League, and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor. The Norman Kingdom of Sicily also took part in negotiations and ...
in July 1177. The event was a massive point in Venetian history, providing it with an elevated view among the powerful of Europe and allowing for all to behold the wealth and extravagance of the republic. Ziani was married to a woman named Cecilia./ref>
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