Born in Venice, Lorenzo Tiepolo was the son of Doge
Jacopo Tiepolo. Tiepolo demonstrated skill as a commander when, during the
War of Saint Sabas with
Genoa, he defeated the Genoese at the
Battle of Acre in 1258. He served also as a
podestà of
Fano. In 1262, he took part in the peace negotiation between Venice and Prince
William of Villehardouin, whose vassal he was for the islands of
Skopelos and
Skyros, in the aftermath of the
War of the Euboeote Succession. In 1268, after the death of
Reniero Zeno, Lorenzo was elected doge on 23 July of that year, with 25 votes out of 41. Although beloved by the population, he attracted the hostility of the Venetian nobility for his
nepotism towards his sons. The position of
Cancellier Grande ("Great Chancellor") was therefore created to thwart such behaviour. In 1270, a
peace treaty was signed with Genoa at
Cremona, confirming the Venetian predominance in the
Adriatic Sea; however, in that same year a war broke out between Venice and a league of Italian cities including
Bologna,
Treviso,
Verona,
Mantua,
Ferrara, Cremona,
Recanati, and
Ancona due to commercial disputes. After an initial setback in 1271, the Venetians were able to regain the upper hand and the terms of peace were favourable to Venice. Under his
dogado, in 1273,
Marco Polo began his journey to
China. He did not return until 1295. Tiepolo died in Venice in 1275 and was buried with his father in the
Dominican church of
San Zanipolo. == Family ==