Of Domagoj's Demise
In March of 1225 the Pope passed away and Togodorio, previously the bishop of Munster, was selected to replace him. The most pious ruler in Christendom was Peder the duke of Skaelland, and the new Pope looked at him for guidance. A wedding that would later prove to be of great importance took place in April. The count of Usora Nikola, who owed his allegiance directly to the king since the demise of the Zagreb family, asked for the hand of Lovorka of Zachlumia, and Domagoj agreed to his proposal with the blessing of her father Mikac.
The biggest vassal of Hungary, Szilvezster of Csanad the duke of Pest, broke away from Imre in October. Although the duke had only one province, that of Csanad, in Hungary proper, he held vast tracts of land and had many vassals of his own in the eastern regions of the kingdom.
In September the construction of watermills was started in Lecce, and in December the fishing wharf in Split was built. Seeing that the years of his benevolent rule had finally sufficiently increased the loyalty of the populace in the Italian provinces, the duke set about raising various taxes. He took care that the new rates would not breed unrest in any of his holdings, but still he managed to increase the total income of the duchy from 15 to almost 20 gold ducats a month. This provided enough funds to start the construction of a monastery in Split in September of the following year, just as the harbor in Foggia was finished.
In November of 1226 Domagoj's second son Zdeslav finished his training in the army, where he had matured into a tough soldier, and the duke made him replace the heretic marshal Tvrtko Kotromanic right away. A bride was immediately found for him as well. The duke's new daughter-in-law was Sitara of Varazdin who, like her brother Ala'i the count of Varazdin, had taken to Arabic mannerisms under the influence of her mother Zarifa de Poitou.
As the year of 1227 began, Ala'i of Varazdin and Nikola of Usora had also broken their allegiance to the king, and the only parts of the kingdom of Croatia still under the Hungarian crown were the county of Zagreb and the duchy of Dalmatia. This did not sit well with most of the Dalmatian court, for they were tired of serving an incompetent lord like Imre, who was using the duchy's troops to crush the rebellion of his Hungarian vassals. But Domagoj still remained faithful to the Arpads and forbid all talk of breaking away. Finally, in late February, his sons Josip and Zdeslav, with the support of their grandmother Adelaide and most of the council, demanded that the duke either step down in favor of his heir, or declare war on Imre.
Faced with so great an opposition, Domagoj decided to give up his power and wordly belongings and devote himself to a life of faith.
So ended the reign of Domagoj Marinovic, who had consolidated his father Goran's gains and greatly increased the size of the duchy, as well as improved its financial power significantly. He left behind him four sons and one daughter, the eldest Josip being an extremely competent man, who would leave a great mark on the world.
The Rise of Dalmatians
Part III: Duke Domagoj the Faithful
Chapter XV: Of Domagoj's Demise
Part III: Duke Domagoj the Faithful
Chapter XV: Of Domagoj's Demise
In March of 1225 the Pope passed away and Togodorio, previously the bishop of Munster, was selected to replace him. The most pious ruler in Christendom was Peder the duke of Skaelland, and the new Pope looked at him for guidance. A wedding that would later prove to be of great importance took place in April. The count of Usora Nikola, who owed his allegiance directly to the king since the demise of the Zagreb family, asked for the hand of Lovorka of Zachlumia, and Domagoj agreed to his proposal with the blessing of her father Mikac.
The biggest vassal of Hungary, Szilvezster of Csanad the duke of Pest, broke away from Imre in October. Although the duke had only one province, that of Csanad, in Hungary proper, he held vast tracts of land and had many vassals of his own in the eastern regions of the kingdom.
In September the construction of watermills was started in Lecce, and in December the fishing wharf in Split was built. Seeing that the years of his benevolent rule had finally sufficiently increased the loyalty of the populace in the Italian provinces, the duke set about raising various taxes. He took care that the new rates would not breed unrest in any of his holdings, but still he managed to increase the total income of the duchy from 15 to almost 20 gold ducats a month. This provided enough funds to start the construction of a monastery in Split in September of the following year, just as the harbor in Foggia was finished.
In November of 1226 Domagoj's second son Zdeslav finished his training in the army, where he had matured into a tough soldier, and the duke made him replace the heretic marshal Tvrtko Kotromanic right away. A bride was immediately found for him as well. The duke's new daughter-in-law was Sitara of Varazdin who, like her brother Ala'i the count of Varazdin, had taken to Arabic mannerisms under the influence of her mother Zarifa de Poitou.
As the year of 1227 began, Ala'i of Varazdin and Nikola of Usora had also broken their allegiance to the king, and the only parts of the kingdom of Croatia still under the Hungarian crown were the county of Zagreb and the duchy of Dalmatia. This did not sit well with most of the Dalmatian court, for they were tired of serving an incompetent lord like Imre, who was using the duchy's troops to crush the rebellion of his Hungarian vassals. But Domagoj still remained faithful to the Arpads and forbid all talk of breaking away. Finally, in late February, his sons Josip and Zdeslav, with the support of their grandmother Adelaide and most of the council, demanded that the duke either step down in favor of his heir, or declare war on Imre.
Faced with so great an opposition, Domagoj decided to give up his power and wordly belongings and devote himself to a life of faith.
So ended the reign of Domagoj Marinovic, who had consolidated his father Goran's gains and greatly increased the size of the duchy, as well as improved its financial power significantly. He left behind him four sons and one daughter, the eldest Josip being an extremely competent man, who would leave a great mark on the world.
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