Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/184

 160 THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE. They had obtained a treaty of commerce as early as 1056.' Henceforward, until near the end of the twelfth century, they had made common cause with the Byzantine empire. The enemies of IS'ew Kome were the enemies of Venice. The Saracen pirates from Spain and Africa who had invaded Sicily were attacked alike by the imperial and republican fleets. But it was in the time of Alexis the First, who reigned be- tween 1081 and 1118, that the ties between the Venetians and the emperor became the closest. When Eobert Wiscard, the leader of the I^ormans, who had obtained possession of the Two Sicilies, invaded the empire, the Venetians became at once alarmed lest their trade should be placed at the mercy of these daring pirates. If the attack upon Durazzo had been successful, the Normans would have commanded the narrowest part of the Adriatic. Hence they readily made the treaty, which has already been mentioned, by which they pledged themselves to oppose Robert. The Norman fleet under Bohemund w^as defeated, and the communications of the army which was besieging Durazzo were cut off. While Bohemund w^as harassing the imperial array on the mainland, capturing Durazzo, ravaging Epirus and Thessaly, and taking Larissa, his father, Eobert, had driven the Western emperor out of Eome and had plundered the city. This done, he again turned his attention to the empire of the New Eome. Again the Venetians were found aiding the Greeks. A fleet belonging to the two states besieged Corfu. Eobert succeeded in defeating both. The Vene- tians, however, soon recovered and attacked Eobert at Butrotis, where he was entirely beaten.^ He died shortly after at Cephalonia. The Venetians were so disgusted with their do<re who had commanded in the naval action at Corfu that he was replaced by another, on whom the emperor conferred the title of protosebasios, accompanying it with a pension. On the same occasion he recognized the title of the republic to the sovereignty of Dalmatia and Croatia. The emperor ordered the Amalflan colonists in Constantinople to pay an annual ^Mur. p. 81. 2j^nn. Com.