A. D. 993. 275 



993 — The flourifhing commerce of Venice li;\d long ago created its 

 natural attendant and fafeguard, a powerful fleet, the firfl effort of which, 

 recorded in hiftory, was the fuppreflion of the piracies of the Dalmatians 

 in the year 823. [C/jron. yliid. Datiduli, np. Muratori Scriptorcs, V. xii, 

 col. 175.] But as thofe reftlefs corfairs continued to infeft the Venetian 

 trade, the republic now equipped a refpeftable fleet, which took many 

 veflels belonging to the pirates, defl:royed Narenta their chief port, and 

 fubdued the whole province of Dalmatia, to which they foon after add- 

 ed Croatia, another piratical fl:ate. Having now acquired an ample ter- 

 ritory, and the unrivaled fovereignty of the Adriatic gulf, the Venetians 

 conferred upon their chief magiftrate, the doge or duke, the additional 

 titles of duke of Dalmatia and Croatia. They had lately obtained from 

 the Greek emperors a favourable grant of liberties and immunities for 

 their navigators and merchants throughout the whole empire ; and they 

 alio obtained from Otto, the emperor of Germany, a confirmation of fe- 

 veral privileges in his dominions granted to them by his father, and a 

 difcharge from the obligation of delivering a pallium, which had been 

 claimed by his predeceflbrs as fovereigns of Italy (a". 998) *. {Dandidi 

 Chron. coll. 223, 225, 227, 231.] 



The Chriftians of the northern and mountainous parts of Spain, who 

 had preferved themfelves from the yoke of the Saracens, were now re- 

 covering a part of the territory of their anceftors ; and they alfo refum- 

 ed the iron and fteel manufactures, for which their country had been 

 famous before it fell under the dominion of the Romans. About the 

 end of the tenth century they began to carry on fome foreign trade, 

 chiefly from their port of Bilboa f . But they were very far from being 

 comparable to the Saracens of Spain for cultivation, opulence, or civi- 

 lization. 



In the long and difaftrous reign of Ethelred, which is reckoned from 

 the year 978 to 1016, the Englifli were opprefled by a continual re- 

 petition of miferies, greatly exceeding the meafure of their former ca- 

 lamities. The Danifli and Norwegian robbers, now united, and led by 

 Swein king of Denmark and Olaf Trygvafon, who afterwards became 

 king of Norway, fpread the horrors of flaughter, captivity, and defola- 

 tion, over all the country. After wafting the lands, and" utterly extin- 

 guifliing all cultivation and induftry, they compelled the miferable peo- 

 ple to bring in provifions for their fubfiftence ; and they moreover ex- 

 torted, in the name of tribute or the price of peace, but in reality the 

 premium for invafion, the enormous fums of ten thoufand pounds of 



* Hitherto the Venetians had profeffed a flight emperois renounced their claim to the fovereignty 



divided allegiance to both empires, which with re- of Dalmatia and Croatia. 



fpe6t to that of Conftantinople was perhaps never f I have taken this notice of the trade of Bil- 



formally extinguilhed, bnt mull have been cancel- boa from Mr. Anderfon, thongh I have not found 



led when the Venetians became mafters of that em- his authority for it. 

 pire. It was not till the year 1085 that the Greek 



M m 2 



