Beginning in AD997, the Doge of Venice sailed once a year to the Porto di Lido entrance followed by a grand flotilla of decorated boats. When the fleet arrived at the Porto, a diamond ring would be presented to the [G 09 / doge]. The ring was blessed and holy water poured into the sea. The doge would then fling the precious ring into the sea, crying: `O sea, we wed thee in sign of our true and everlasting dominion!' The songs of choirs and the sound of guns would follow this cry in celebration of the power of the Venetian church and state, the supreme sea-raiding nation.
The ceremony dates from the year when Venice refused to continue bowing to Dalmatian control of the Adriatic. Before leaving with his fleet to defeat the Dalmatians and claim the water routes to the east for Venice, Doge Pietro Candido IV is said to have initiated this ceremony of wedding the sea to show Venice's eternal alliance with the Adriatic.
Venetian wealth was founded on trade by sea, and this was Venice's first statement of dominion over the Adriatic and their plan to destroy their sea-trading rivals, the Dalmatians. From this time onwards, Venice became known as `Serenissima' or queen of the seas.
