Vital I Michele (died 1102) was a Doge of Venice

Doge of Venice

The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...

; he was the 33rd traditional (30th historic) Doge of the Republic of Venice

Republic of Venice

The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...

. A member of one of the so-called “twelve apostolic” families, he was married to Felicia Cornaro.

When Pope Urban II initiated the First Crusade

First Crusade

The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...

, Vitale I Michiel did not initially urge Venice’s support, perhaps because he could not see the advantages to Venice of such an expedition.

The leader of the crusade, Godfrey of Bouillon

Godfrey of Bouillon

Godfrey of Bouillon was a medieval Frankish knight who was one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 1096 until his death. He was the Lord of Bouillon, from which he took his byname, from 1076 and the Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1087...

 (Goffredo di Buglione), along with his older brother, Eustace III of Boulogne

Eustace III of Boulogne

Eustace III, was a count of Boulogne, successor to his father Count Eustace II of Boulogne. His mother was Ida of Lorraine.His father Eustace II appeared at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 as an ally of William the Conqueror, and is listed as a possible killer of Harold II; he is also believed to...

, and younger brother Baldwin, left southern Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 in August 1096, with a contingent of 120 ships and (legendarily) 40,000 troops from all over Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

.

When Doge Vitale I Michiel saw the European commitment to the First Crusade, he then understood the war’s economic importance. In particular, he foresaw that it was vital to Venice’s trade advantage to participate in territorial conquest, lest these advantages inure to the benefit of other marine republics. In July 1099, 207 ships sailed from Venice to support the First Crusade. Doge Vitale I Michiel appointed his son, Vitale Giovanni, and the Bishop of Olivolo di Castello, Enrico Contarini, as the fleet’s commanders. In December 1099, at Rhodes

Rhodes

Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...

, the Venetian fleet intercepted enemy ships and sank them.

In the spring of 1100, the Venetian fleet headed towards the Levant

Levant

The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...

, where in the meantime, Godfrey of Bouillon and his troops had taken Jerusalem. Enemy ships had cut off Godfrey’s ability to receive aid and he was forced to negotiate with the Venetians. In exchange for its services, Venice obtained the right to maintain a quarter not subject to custom offices, taxes, or excise taxes in every conquered city or territory.

In 1101, Vitale I Michiele interceded in favor of Mathilde of Tuscany in regards to the purchase of Ferrara

Ferrara

Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...

, and obtained generous trade concessions as a result. He died in the spring of 1102 and was buried at St. Mark’s Basilica.