Vitale II Michiel

Vitale II Michiel (died 1172, Venice) was the doge of Venice who ruled during an important crisis in the Venetian Republic’s relations with the Byzantine Empire and whose assassination led to a significant revision of the Venetian constitution. Elected at the beginning of the Guelf–Ghibelline (papal–imperial) struggle, Vitale II maintained strict neutrality in spite of Venice’s Guelf leanings. He relaxed this policy in 1160 during the siege of Milan by the emperor Frederick I Barbarossa,...