Sergio II de Pola

Sergio II. De Pola , also de Castro Polae or de Castropola (*?; † 1344 in Pula ), was perpetuo capitano generale , i.e. permanent and general lord of Pola (today Pula), a town and fortress in Istria , in the early 14th century Century. His rule began in 1311 and finally ended in 1331. He came from the noble family of Sergi , who named themselves Pola or Castropola after their domain .

prehistory

Inscription on the arch of the Sergians commemorating the family to which the Sergi traced back over a thousand years later

The Sergi family can be traced back to an important Roman family, which can be traced back to Istria since the first century BC. This established a direct connection with the triumphal arch , which appeared in Pula after 30 BC. In memory of Lucius Sergius Lepidus by his wife ("Salvia Postuma des Sergius consort of her property"), ie not by the state, a tribune of the Legio XXIX, which was dissolved after the battle of Actium .

Seal of Albert II of Gorizia, 1295

A branch of the family established itself in Treviso on the northern Italian mainland. In 1232 at the latest, Nascinguerra I dei Sergi Gastalde or Podestà became the property of the Patriarch of Aquileia in Polesana. In 1265 Monfiorito dei Sergi was raised from the branch of the family, which had its main focus in Pula, by Albert II of Gorizia to vicarius in Istria. His brother and successor Nascinguerra II received this office in 1285 from the hands of the Count of Gorizia .

In 1294, the Patriarch gave the Sergi family not only the post of Podestà, but also that of Capitano del Popolo , giving them the task of defending the area against the claims of Venice . Their chiefs were also Lords Castro Polae so the city fortress, which was shortened to Castropola .

Pietro de Castropola, a son of Nascinguerra, was installed in this office in 1305. With the help of his family, he managed to consolidate the Polesana in one hand until 1310. The family also received goods from the Patriarch, from the Bishops of Parenzo and Pula, and from the Counts of Gorizia. The decima , a tax levied in Rovigno , served as a kind of appanage to support the family . Their position in the feudal system, their wealth and their power manifested in fortifications established the Sergi as the most influential family in Istria. The popular party resisted this concentration of power, but initially without success.

Joint rule of Sergios II and Nascinguerra IV.

In 1310 Pietro was elected Podestà by Pola. He took over the title of Capitano generale and at the same time became a kind of Signore without claiming this title formally. He was the overlord of the city and its surroundings, the Contado . In 1311 both Pietro and Nassinguerra died, followed by their sons Nascinguerra IV and Sergio II. This phase of near-signing lasted until 1319.

They jointly held the title capitanei generales et perpetuales civitatis Polae et districtus . But they underestimated the power of Venice, which drew the popolars in the city to its side. The conflict broke out when Venice, which insisted that all goods in the upper Adriatic had to be offered on the Venetian market before an export could be considered ( stacking right ), brought up a smuggler's ship. Nicolò Badoer, the commander of the fleet that was maintained for this purpose, was killed in fighting. The Castropola did not find allies in Gorizia or Aquileia when Venice demanded satisfaction. It asked the Castropola to grind the walls around the port within 20 days. On September 29, 1318 the brothers had to swear allegiance to the Republic of Venice, and on February 8, 1319 a formal peace agreement was reached. At the end of the conflict, the Venetian Giovanni Querini was appointed Podestà in 1319. In this way he bundled the opposing power of the popolars against the autocracy of the family, which only ruled in the Contado.

Pagano della Torre, who was promoted to patriarch in the same year, renewed all the titles and claims of the Castropola. When Gorizia and Aquileia got into an argument, Polesans and Venetians alike feared a coup. Therefore Venice provided the city with weapons and men. The Venetian pedestals - G. Morosini 1326 to 1327, Giorgio Basilio 1328, Orso Giustiniani 1330 - fortified the city. The Castropola tried to recapture the Barbana castle . Against the Gorizia, the Castropola allied with Friedrich von Veglia ( Krk ), who wanted to provide troops for 10,000 lire. The Popolars of Pula resisted, attacking the Castropola during a procession on March 29, 1319 and forcing them to flee, because they feared that the troops were only a means to restore their old position of power. The Castropola called on the patriarch and the counts of Gorizia for help.

In this situation, on May 17, 1331, a meeting decided to offer Venice the submission of the city. The relevant contract was signed in the office in the Doge's Palace on May 28th . The Castropola remained banned from Friuli and Istria.

Before Patriarch Pagano della Torre could take up arms, he died on December 18, 1332. His chair remained vacant for 19 months. His successor seemed to be successful from 1334. In April 1335, however, Venice raised Giustiniano Giustiniani to Capitano generale of Istria, the Gorizia, which brought Camino and Veglia behind it. The patriarch had to give in, and on July 15, 1335 a peace treaty was reached. In return for the waiver of its rights, Venice agreed to pay the patriarch 225 silver marks a year. In 1335 the Polesans destroyed the castle and the tower above the city to prevent the family from returning.

The family had to leave Istria and move to the city of Treviso, where the other branch of the family was based. She submitted to Venice and henceforth operated in the interests of the Serenissima. In return, she received the title Graf (Conte) back. Their descendants became magistrates and captains of the Republic of Venice .

literature

• Pietro Stancovich: Biografia degli uomini distinti dell'Istria , Vol. 3, Triest 1829, n. 359, pp. 77-82.
• Camillo Dei Franceschi: Il comune polese e la signoria dei Castropola , in: Atti e memorie della società istriana di archeologia e storia patria 19 (1902) 147–227.
• Bernardo Benussi: Pola nelle sue istituzioni municipali sino al 1797 , Venice 1924.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Translation by Jóseph Arneth : travel remarks mostly archaeological content, from Vindobona via Tergeste to Salona , in: Memoranda of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, Philosophical-Historical Class, Vol. 1, Vienna 1850, pp. 273–322, here: p 293.
2. ^ Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum V 50.