The greatest moment in the career of Ziani was the meeting of Barbarossa and the Pope, Alexander III, at S.Mark's, which has already been described; but his reign was eventful throughout.

His first act as Doge was to punish the assassination of his predecessor, Vitale Michiel, who, for what was held to be the bad management of an Eastern campaign which utterly and disastrously failed, and for other reasons, was killed by the mob outside S.Zaccaria.To him succeeded Ziani and the close of the long feud between the Pope and the Emperor.

It was the Pope's sojourn in Venice and his pleasure in the Venetians' hospitality which led to the elaboration of the ceremony of espousing the Adriatic.

The Pope gave Ziani a consecrated ring with which to wed his bride, and much splendour was added to the pageant; while Ziani, on his return from a visit to the Pope at the Vatican, where the reconciliation with Barbarossa made it possible for the Pontiff to be at ease again, brought with him various pompous insignia that enormously increased his prestige among simple folk.

It was also Ziani who had the columns of S.Theodore and the Lion erected on the Molo, while it was in his reign that the first Rialto bridge was begun.