When looking back at the great leaders of the middle ages one can see how they would have great tombs and final resting places created to make sure that their remains would be preserved for future generations to see and remember. It is also common to see instances where these tombs are destroyed and lost to time, and one notable example is the tomb of Enrico Dandolo, Doge of Venice. Enrico was
born to a wealthy and powerful Venetian family, and he was able to rise through
the ranks of the Venetian administration, eventually becoming Doge of Venice at
the age of 85 and suffering from blindness. Despite his advanced age and blindness,
Enrico was able to make many reforms to the Venetian legal system and
strengthened Venice’s power in the Mediterranean, making the city-state one of
the most powerful trade cities on the Mediterranean and a major military power
in the region.
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| A painting of Doge Enrico Dandolo. |
Then,
in 1201 Enrico agreed to build ships to transport troops (around 33,000) for
the 4th crusade, and the shipbuilders of Venice built 50 warships
and 450 transports for the crusaders. When the crusaders were unable to pay for
the ships, Enrico became one of the leaders of the crusade and took them on a
massive diversion that ended up leading to the sack of Constantinople, which
hurt the Byzantine Empire (the chief rival to Venice at the time) and proceeded
with the crusade into Europe. Due to health concerns he returned to Constantinople
and died in 1205 at the age of 98, and was buried in the Hagia Sophia. Enrico
Dondolo’s actions would set Venice as the premier power in Italy and in the
Mediterranean for centuries to come.
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| Enrico's tombstone in the Hagia Sophia |
While Enrico's gravestone is located at the Hagia Sophia, the tomb was destroyed by the Ottomans after they took the city of Constantinople in 1453. The marker above was created in the 19th century by a restoration team, and is the probable location of where Enrico was buried in the 13th century. Due to the destruction of the tomb, many tourists to the Hagia Sophia make the mistake of assuming that the marker signifies the location of Enrico's tomb and that it is a medieval marker.
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