A native of
Eraclea, Orso was elected Doge in 726 following the death of
Marcello Tegalliano. Virtually nothing is known of his life before his accession, though it is reasonable to assume that he was born in the latter part of the seventh century. Described by one historian as being a 'warlike man', his reign saw much innovation in the way of martial and naval matters. He focused especially on strengthening the navy against the
Lombards and other like-minded invaders active at the time. Additionally he strove to highlight the importance of military exercises, and to this end established schools in Eraclea where the town's youth were coached in
bow and
crossbow shooting. Of note was Orso's involvement in the recovery of
Ravenna following its capture by the Lombard king
Liutprand. It is said that, at the request of
Exarch Eutychius, Orso sent a fleet of eighty ships to the fore, successfully relieving the city of Lombard control. This feat served to ease relations with the Byzantine Empire, and while Venice by no means accepted its supremacy, the two co-existed in relative concord. His reign came to an end in 737 in the midst of mounting conflict between
Eraclea and
Equilio, described by some as being a full-blown civil war. It is said that the Doge, rather than attempt to calm the situation, sided with the Eracleans and partook in the war – leading a number of his disgruntled subjects to take matters into their own hands and violently kill him. the first of these being
Domenico Leoni. The
office of doge was later restored with the election of Orso's son,
Teodato, in 742. == Notes ==