Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.22586/pp.v40i60.12883
Nervus belli, pecunia infinita – The Venetian Plan for Occupying Zadar in the Trial Record of an Inquisitorial Procedure from 1346
Sandra Begonja
Sažetak
An unknown trial record of an inquisitorial procedure from 14th-century Zadar has been found among the documents of the Zaratin noble family of Fanfogna, in the “Fanfogna-Garagnin” family fond in the State Archives in Split. The document is preserved in an 18th-century copy. The inquisitorial procedure was initiated and conducted by the Zaratin criminal court against the Florentine nobleman Uguiccione Dellosti on September 16-17, 1346. Uguiccione was accused of secret dealings with Venetian commanders in order to conquer the city from within during the last phase of the Venetian siege. Considering that the trial record was copied from the lost criminal court register for medieval Zadar (Quaternus criminalium), this document is also the only written testimony about the criminal justice system and court practice in Zadar during the first half of the 14th century. Also, the copy confirms that the register was still in Zadar during the 18th century. This article analyses the main features of the copy as well as the content of the original legal text (trial record) in order to determine the authenticity of the data and their correlation with similar data in other sources from the same period. The copy was made by Domenico Ignazio Frauenberger, the Zaratin archivist of the Fanfogna library, at some point in the second half of the 1760s. This conclusion has been reached on the basis of a comparative analysis of the main features of this copy and some other copies in the same archival fond (mostly handwritten). However, the authorship and date of the copy have been confirmed by a signed personal letter of Frauenberger’s, found in the same bundle. A structural analysis of the text has revealed Frauenberger’s interventions during the copying process as well as some late interventions by an unknown person. Also, the original text shows similarities with other inquisitorial records of some Italian communes (13th-15th centuries), mostly in structure and the legal formula, which indicates a possible use of common legal templates. The original text from 1346 also shows similarities with another Zaratin trial record from 1412, which indicates a similar way of keeping inquisitorial records in the second half of the 14th century.
A content analysis of the original text has confirmed the legal and military political aspects that determine the value of this document. The analysis of the legal aspect has established the type of legal document (trial record), the structure of the inquisitorial procedure, and the composition and jurisdiction of the criminal court. These data are also an important indicator of the penal system in medieval Zadar, about which we have almost no knowledge. The inquisitorial procedure was short and kept in secret. The method of torture was applied in order to extract a true statement. Although the final verdict of the court was death sentence by decapitation, it is not known whether it was executed. Comparative Zaratin and Italian sources have shown similarities in the implementation of the same procedure in case of betrayal as one of the most serious public crime against the commune. The criminal court (three Zaratin rectors) conducted the inquisitorial procedure from the moment of arrest to the passing of the verdict. After the departure of the Venetian count from the city at the beginning of the siege, the rectors took over his jurisdiction in resolving criminal cases. The military political aspect of the document contains various data on the recorded events during the last phase of the Venetian siege of Zadar (August / September 1346). The authenticity of the original text has been confirmed by a comparative analysis of data on topography, military terminology (titles, architecture), and persons in the recorded events (including other sources). The exact date of the original text (1346) and the time frame of the events narrated in the defendant’s testimony have been established, as well as the relationship between Uguiccione and the Venetian employers, confirming Uguiccione as a military commander who was employed as a foreign mercenary in the recorded events. Uguiccione was instructed to carry out the main task given by the naval commander Andrea Maurocen. Besides Marco Giustiniani, commander of the Venetian land army, Maurocen was one of the main coordinators of Venetian military operations in the siege of Zadar. He was most likely instructed to act upon demand by the official Venetian authorities, who sent similar orders to their commanders in Zadar on several occasions during the siege. The reconstruction of the recorded events has also revealed the planned methods, subjects, and the main goal of the secret plan. This knowledge complements the existing picture of the siege of Zadar, including the role of Venetian commanders and foreign mercenaries in the planning and execution of certain war activities. Uguiccione was instructed to infiltrate and bribe some of his fellow soldiers among the Zaratin mercenaries. Their main goal was to conquer some of the city towers and fortifications, and hand them over to the Venetians. This method was one of the many military tactics that the Venetians applied during the siege of Zadar. The target group among the Zaratin mercenaries were the Tuscan soldiers, who were also part of the Venetian army at that time, which indicates that they fought on both sides in this war. Since the original text does not record their arrest, the Tuscans most likely remained in the city after Uguiccione’s arrest. This is also indicated by some official Venetian sources from that time. Besides the Venetian-Tuscan connection in this war, these data also confirm the presence of foreign mercenaries in the service of the medieval commune of Zadar, about which we have almost no knowledge.
Ključne riječi
Zadar; 14th century; siege of Zadar; Venetians; Tuscan mercenaries; criminal court records; inquisitorial procedure
Hrčak ID:
260940
URI
Datum izdavanja:
19.7.2021.
Posjeta: 1.062 *