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Pax Nicephori,Latin for the "Peace of Nicephorus", is a term used to refer to both apeace treaty of 803, tentatively concluded between emperorsCharlemagne, of theFrankish empire, andNikephoros I, of theByzantine empire, and the outcome of negotiations that took place between the same parties, but were concluded by successor emperors, between 811 and 814. The whole set of negotiations of the years 802–815 has also been referred to by this name. By its terms, after several years of diplomatic exchanges, the Byzantine emperor's representatives recognized the authority in the West of Charlemagne, and East and West negotiated their boundaries in theAdriatic Sea.
On Christmas Day in 800 AD,Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne asImperator Romanorum (Latin for"Emperor of the Romans") inSaint Peter's Basilica. Nikephoros I of theByzantine Empire and Charlemagne tried to settle their imperial boundaries in 803. A first treaty was indeed prepared and sent to the East in 803 by Charlemagne, who had started talks with EmpressIrene. The text, however, was never ratified by Nikephoros, as theRoyal Frankish Annals, and Charlemagne in a surviving document, explicitly state. The Franks had already subdued theMarch of Istria in 788,[1] and after overturning theAvar khaganate, they claimed the richPannonian plain and theDalmatian coast;[1] during these events, Slavic princeVojnomir ofPannonia allied with the Franks.[1]Duchy of Croatia which was in the territory of formerDalmatia (Roman province) did not include ByzantineDalmatia (theme) ofDalmatian city-states.
Though Nikephoros always refused to recognize Charlemagne's imperial title, envoys of the East and West made agreements over the possession of disputed Italian territory, namely, the provinces ofVenetia and Dalmatian Croatia (i.e. Duchy of Croatia and Byzantine theme of Dalmatia), during the first decade of the ninth century. These seem to have been advantageous to the Venetians and to have guaranteed Byzantine sovereignty over them.
Temporary shift of Venetian loyalties toward theFranks resulted in somewhat permanent naval conflict in theAdriatic, only interrupted by a truce in 807–808. After Charlemagne's son and king of ItalyPippin's invasion of Dalmatia tension rose between the two Empires. Political and military instability, however, lasted only until the king's death, in July 810. Then a new treaty came under discussion between Charlemagne, temporarily ruling over Italy, and Nikephoros. Aigone, Count of Forlì, was a member of the delegation sent by Charlemagne to Nikephoros.[2] The agreement was signed.
Thus the namepax Nicephori may be justifiably applied to this second episode of diplomatic activity. However, onlyMichael I Rhangabes recognized Charlemagne's imperial title, reserving for the East the title "Emperor of the Romans", and the treaty was not definitely ratified until four years later, after both Michael's and Charlemagne's death, byLouis the Pious andLeo V. Some amendments, more advantageous to Venice, are thought to have been added then[citation needed].
Thepeace ofAachen in 812 confirmed Dalmatian Croatia, except for the Byzantine cities and islands, as under Frankish domain.[3][1] The boundaries in Dalmatia imposed by this treaty were unclear, so in 817 Leo V sent en embassy to Aachen to clarify them.[1] The result was a joint Frankish and Byzantine expedition to Dalmatia to get the input of the local Romans and Slavs and firmly delimit the borders.[1]
The common belief that the negotiations between Byzantium and the Franks that were held in the early ninth century made Venice an 'independent polity' is only based on the late, allusive and biased witness of Venetian chroniclers such asJohn the Deacon andAndrea Dandolo and remains therefore highly questionable.
No text of either the treaty, its draft or the preceding negotiations is preserved, apart from a handful of alleged quotations in a mid-century deliberation of EmperorLothar I in favour of one of the earliest certainly attestedDoges of Venice.