Agnello Participazio (Angelo Particiaco) was the tenth (traditional) or eighth (historical) Doge of Venice from 811 to 827. He was born to a rich merchant family in Heraclea and was one of the earliest settlers of the island of Rialto, which civitas Rivoalti became, under him, the civitas Venetiarum. Grand Procession of the Doge, 16th century For some thousand years, the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice was styled the Doge, a rare but not unique Italian title derived from the Latin Dux, as the major Italian parallel Duce and the English Duke. ... Events July 26 - Battle of Pliska: Nicephorus I is defeated by the Bulgar khan Krum, and is succeeded by Stauracius as Byzantine emperor. ... Events Succession of Pope Valentine, then Pope Gregory IV. Arabs invade Sicily. ... Heraclea was the name of a large number of ancient cities founded by the Greeks. ... See also Rialto, California, Rialto (band) and Rialto Towers. ...

In 810, the reigning doges, Obelerio, Beato, and Valentino, called in the king of Italy, Pepin, to support their tottering power. It was Agnello who took up the defence of the city during the subsequent siege of Pepin. After Pepin fled and the doges were exiled, Agnello was elected to the dogeship. His Rialtine house on the Campiello della Cason became the first doge's palace in Venetian history and he soon began expanding it in stone. His reign began on a happy note. By the Pax Nicephori, Venetia was retianed by the Byzantine Empire and renounced by Charlemagne, but its practical independence was affirmed. Agnello began the minting of the first Venetian coinage. Events October 1 - A man with a sword makes an attempt on emperor Nicephorus Is life. ... King of Italy is a title adopted by many rulers after the fall of the Roman Empire. ... Pippin of Italy (April, 773-July 8, 810) was the third son of Charlemagne, and the second with his wife Hildegard of Savoy. ... Byzantine Empire (Greek: Βυζαντινή Αυτοκρατορία) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Charlemagne (742 or 747 – 28 January 814) (also Charles the Great[1]; from Latin, Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus), son of King Pippin the Short and Bertrada of Laon, was the king of the Franks from 768 to 814 and king of the Lombards from 774 to 814. ...

Angello's reign is otherwise known for the birth of modern Venice: a city of canals and bridges, centred on the Rialto. Agnello turned his attention to land reclamation and refortification. He appointed a building commission of three men to oversee the work. Nicolò Ardisonio was in charge of fortifying the lidi against the sea. Lorenzo Alimpato dug canals and reinforced the islands, preparing new sites for construction. Finally, the construction of newer and better edifices was given to Pietro Tradonico, a close relative of Agnello. Torcello, Burano, Heraclea, and Rialto were all rebuilt. Bridges were built, even across the Brenta and the Grand Canal was born. Still, at this time, the few stone buildings were fortresses or churches. Torcello is a quiet island at the northern end of the Venetian Lagoon. ... Colourfully painted houses on Burano. ... The Brenta is an Italian river that runs from the Trento province to the Adriatic Sea in the Veneto region. ... The Grand Canal of China connects a series of rivers in China. ...

Agnello's latter years were plagued by family quarrels. His elder son, Giustiniano, was away in Constantinople and so a younger son, Giovanni was appointed as co-doge. When Giustiniano returned, he flew into a fury. Agnello appointed his third son, Agnello, co-doge and began to oppose Giustiniano, even besieging him in San Severo. Eventually, the pro-Frankish Giovanni was forced into exile at Zara. Agnello was succeeded by his eldest son Giustiniano. Map of Constantinople. ... Zara is: the Italian name of the city of Zadar (official 13th-20th century) the Italian cruiser Zara the Zara class cruiser A Spain-based chain of retail clothing stores and clothing brand the name of an Austrian NGO committed to anti-racism work (www. ...

Sources

• Norwich, John Julius. A History of Venice. Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 1982.