Pagania - Later Piracy

Later Piracy

After the Venetian crackdown at the turn of the 11th century, the piracy was occasionally resurrected, centered further north at Omiš, near the mouth of the river Cetina. By the 12th century, the pirates of Omiš were known to conduct raids as far north as Zara and as far south as northern Albania, and organized under the local clan of Kačić. In 1167, the city of Cattaro (now called Kotor) was forced to pay tribute to knez Nikola Kačić of Omiš; a similar agreement was made with Ragusa (later Republic of Ragusa) in 1190.

In the early 13th century Venice occupied Zara and Ragusa, but their trade was impacted by these pirates, so even they agreed to a signed truce in 1208.

In 1258, the Kačić family received noble status from the King of Hungary Bela IV. Naval battles were recorded in 1274 and later, even after 1409 when Ladislaus of Naples sold Dalmatia to Venice, as the city of Omiš was occupied by the Venetians only in 1444.

After that, Dalmatia was ruled by the Venetians, and piracy reappeared only with the Uskoks in the 16th century.