La Serenìssima, more commonly known as the Republic of Venice, was the major maritime power in the Mediterranean in the early Medieval period. With its powerful navy, its numerous overseas domains, and control over lucrative trade networks, the Venetian Republic was unmatched in its dominance. But even so, there were those who paid little heed to their expansion and policies, and continued living under their very own rules.
Foremost of these were the Narentines, a tribe of Serbs living on the Dalmatian Coast, rising in infamy as skilled sea raiders and pirates in the Adriatic Sea. As such, they quickly became the foremost enemies of Venice, and their audacious raids on this major power resulted in centuries of conflict. But why couldn’t Venice defeat them swiftly? And how were the geopolitics of the Adriatic shaped by this prolonged war?
The Ferocity of the Slavic Sea Raiders
The Narentines got their name in contemporary history from the Neretva River (called “Narenta” in Latin, thus the “Narentines”) which is situated in modern day Croatia. The Narentines, according to the contemporary accounts of the fourth Byzantine Emperor, Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, were a tribe of Slavic Serbs, and their domain was called Pagania, as they remained fiercely devoted to their pagan faith in a time when the other Serbs adopted Christianity.
This “Pagania” was a narrow territory on the Dalmatian coast, with its heartland being near the mouth of the Neretva River. This was a strategic area, with rugged, hilly coastlands, and several islands close to the coasts. As such, it was a haven for piracy, with many hidden coves, bays, and inlets that the Narentines learned to exploit. In time, they learned to excel as seafarers, building sleek and shallow ships that provided them with great speed on the open sea, much like the Viking longboats of this era.
Of course, as they adapted to the terrain in which they settled, the Narentines were not an agrarian society, like the other Serbs living inland were. Instead, they adopted a mainly maritime culture, utilizing the islands and coasts for fishing, while the rugged inland terrains proved ideal for sheep herding. But their foremost specialty was seafaring. Often dubbed as the “Vikings of the Adriatic”, the Narentines mastered the skill of boat building. Their foremost vessel was the “sagena”, a sleek ship with 8,9, or 15 oars on each side, and up to three triangular sails. As such, it was fast, maneuverable, and still easy to conceal in the many hidden coves and inlets. Thanks to this, the Narentines quickly established themselves as ferocious sea raiders, preying on anyone sailing in the Adriatic Sea. And for the most parts, these were Venetian ships, laden with goods and ripe for plunder.
The nation-state of Pagania, the homeland of the Narentine pirates, in the ninth century. (Panonian/CC BY-SA 4.0)
But Venice was no small enemy. The rise of the Republic of Venice during the early medieval period was intrinsically linked to its control of the Adriatic Sea. By the 9th century AD, Venice had evolved from a collection of lagoon settlements into a burgeoning maritime republic. Its strategic location made it a vital link between the Byzantine Empire and Western Europe, and its economy thrived on trade in salt, silk, spices, and other valuable commodities. But now, their rising ambitions placed them into direct conflict with the Narentines. The latter’s mastery of the Dalmatian coast - with its labyrinthine islands and hidden coves - allowed them to ambush Venetian ships with impunity and wage a war much longer than was thought possible.
