John, deacon of Venice
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John the Deacon ( it, Giovanni Diacono or ''Giovanni da Venezia''; 940–45 – died after 1018) was a Venetian
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...
, secretary to the
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 a ...
and a chronicler.


The Venetian chronicle

According to the
Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...
(1913):
The oldest chronicle of Venice, known as the '' Chronicon Sagornini'', was compiled by deacon John, the chaplain and perhaps a relative of the Doge
Pietro II Orseolo Pietro II Orseolo (961−1009) was the Doge of Venice from 991 to 1009. He began the period of eastern expansion of Venice that lasted for the better part of 500 years. He secured his influence in the Dalmatian Romanized settlements from the Croa ...
(991–1009). John enjoyed the confidence of this doge, and was often sent as his ambassador to
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
s
Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King of ...
and Henry II. In the first part of his chronicle, which deals with the early period of the republic, the narrative is often confused and deficient; later it becomes more accurate and complete, and for the time in which the writer himself lived it is particularly valuable. He carries the narrative to 1008 and treats in detail of the reign of Pietro Orseolo.
John's chronicle is a key primary source for the history of Slavic peoples and polities in
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
during the 9th and 10th centuries, for which he probably drew on earlier documents. He distinguishes between the
Narentines The Narentines were a South Slavic tribe that occupied an area of southern Dalmatia centered at the river Neretva (), active in the 9th and 10th centuries, noted as pirates on the Adriatic. Named ''Narentani'' in Venetian sources, Greek source ...
, who lived about the mouth of the
Neretva River The Neretva ( sr-cyrl, Неретва, ), also known as Narenta, is one of the largest rivers of the eastern part of the Adriatic basin. Four HE power-plants with large dams (higher than 150,5 metres) provide flood protection, power and water s ...
, and another, more northerly group that would give rise to the principality of Croatia and later still, the
kingdom of Croatia Kingdom of Croatia may refer to: * Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102), an independent medieval kingdom * Croatia in personal union with Hungary (1102–1526), a kingdom in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary * Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg) (152 ...
.Fine, ''When ethnicity did not matter in the Balkans'', p. 37 John reports on the troublesome dealings of Doge John (829–836) and his successor
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...
(836–864) with the Neretva Slavs; the ''
Pactum Lotharii The ''Pactum Lotharii'' was an agreement signed on 23 February 840, between Republic of Venice and the Carolingian Empire, during the respective governments of Pietro Tradonico and Lothair I. This document was one of the first acts to testify to t ...
'' of 840 and the Venetian-Frankish alliance against Slavic piracy;
Domagoj Domagoj is a Croatian name of Slavic origin derived from the Slavic elements ''dom'' ("home") and ''goj'' ("grow, breed, foster, nurture"). Notable people with the name include: *Domagoj of Croatia, a duke (knez) of Dalmatian Croatia in 864–87 ...
and the wars about the Istrian region; the coup of the Slavic principality by
Zdeslav Zdeslav or Zdislav may refer to: People *Zdeslav of Croatia, a Prince of Dalmatian Croatia * Zdeslav of Sternberg, Czech nobleman * Zdislav Soroko, Soviet canoer *Zdeslav Vrdoljak, Croatian water polo player Places *Zdeslav, a village and part of ...
; the usurper
Branimir Branimir () is a Slavic male given name. It is a combination of the ( Slavic) verb ''braniti'' ("to defend") and the noun ''mir'' ("the world" or "peace" in Old Slavic), and hence means "the one who defends the world/peace". It is especially commo ...
; and naval warfare against the Narentine Slavs in 887 and 948. For his own time, John reports on the successes of his master, Doge Peter (II) Orseolo (991–1009), against the "Slav Croats", his clashes with both Croats and Narentines over the possession of
Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...
, and the submission of Dalmatian rulers (except the "king of the Croats") to Venice.Fine, ''When ethnicity did not matter in the Balkans'', pp 39–40. John has also been erroneously credited with the ''
Chronicon Gradense In historiography, a ''chronicon'' is a type of chronicle or annals. Examples are: * ''Chronicon'' (Eusebius) * ''Chronicon'' (Jerome) *''Chronicon Abbatiae de Evesham'' *''Chronicon Burgense'' *''Chronicon Ambrosianum'' *''Chronicon Compostellanum' ...
'', which is in the manuscripts usually given with ''Chronicon Venetum''.


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References

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Editions

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:John the Deacon 10th-century births 1009 deaths 10th-century Venetian people 11th-century Italian historians Medieval Venetian historians 11th-century Venetian writers 11th-century Latin writers