Ordelafo Faliero

Ordelafo Faliero († 1118 in Zadar) was the 34th Doge of Venice. He reigned from 1102 to 1118.

Life

Ordelafo Falier ( Faletro, Faledro ) was the son of the Doge Vitale Falier, who had held the office from 1084 to 1096 and under his reign, had allegedly been recovered miraculously the lost relics of St. Mark, the patron saint. Noteworthy is his name, in which, in its contemporary form Ordelaf Faledro the first name is a palindrome of the surname. By his marriage with Matilda he was related to King Baldwin I of Jerusalem.

The Dogenamt

Falier reign was marked by disasters of all kinds: Estrangement from the northern Italian cities of Treviso, Padua and Ravenna could be maintained only obtain through a cooperative agreement with Verona limited. 1108 flooded and destroyed a flash flood on getting the old Dogensitz Malamocco, 1117, many houses were damaged at the Rialto during the earthquake of Verona. Fires investigated Venice home and destroyed churches and residential areas. A momentous decision Falier was the decision to build the arsenal in the district of Castello, with a basis for the expansion of Venice to the Mediterranean and its position as the first maritime power of Europe was laid.

In good agreement Venice seems to have lived under Falier with the Roman Empire; Emperor Henry V came to Venice in 1116 itself. City and Doge celebrated this visit in which the emperor privileges for the monasteries of San Giorgio Maggiore and San Zaccaria granted, at great expense. In foreign policy Falier was also determined the project of re-conquest of Dalmatia, where the Hungarians had settled since 1100. Dalmatia wealth of forests was urgently needed for the expansive policy of fleet expansion. In addition, the Dalmatian ports were important bases for the fleet and could serve the merchants as a trading base. In one of the battles against the competing Hungary Falier fell in the battle of Zadar.

San Marco, where even the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist were kept, more relics were acquired: next to the bones of St. Stephen, a splinter from the cross of Christ - the total of the city of Venice made ​​even more attractive as a destination for pilgrimages.