Based on a variety of sources, this article aims to investigate the character of Venetian rule over Dubrovnik in the first decades of the thirteenth century, drawing a parallel with the administrative models in other Venetian possessions. The abundance of documents related to the countship of Giovanni Dandolo (1209?-1235) allows the reconstruction of the count’s family and social background, his earnings from the Ragusan function, as well as an insight into his business pursuits. In addition, some old approaches are reassessed and new interpretations of the Ragusan political situation of that time⸺impacted by international developments in the Adriatic, Mediterranean and the Ragusan hinterland⸺are offered. Analysed and interpreted are the first two pacts between Dubrovnik and Venice (1232, 1236), along with the reasons for their conclusion
