possession of Galata across the Golden Horn from Constantinople, giving the Genoese an advantage in trade with the Empire. On 2 September 1276, the Venetian ambassadors, Marco Bembo and Matteo Gradenigo, received authority to conduct negotiations and conclude an agreement. Contarini was careful to avoid terms that might give offense to Palaiologos, omitting the title 'Lord of one-quarter and one-eighth of the Empire of Romania' that his predecessors had claimed since the Fourth Crusade, and limiting himself to the title of 'Doge of Venice, Dalmatia, and Croatia, and lord of the places and islands subject to his Dogate' (). Likewise, the Doge was careful to address Palaiologos as 'Emperor of the Romans' () and 'the New Constantine' (). Gradenigo died during the long negotiations, and the agreement was finally concluded by Bembo alone on 19 March 1277. Notably, this agreement was not phrased as a treaty between equals, but rather as a chrysobull, a deed of grant, from the Emperor, "desirous of keeping the peace with all Christians", to Venice. Terms The Latin text of the treaty is published in the collection of Venetian documents by Tafel and Thomas, and its Greek text by Miklosich and Müller. The clauses of the treaty were: A truce of two-year duration, on land and sea, between the two powers. The truce would be automatically extended for a further six months after that, unless either of the two contracting parties announced its intention to terminate the treaty beforehand. The Emperor agreed to respect Venetian possession of Crete, and to withdraw his troops, sent in support of the revolt of the Chortatzes brothers, from the island. In the next clause, the Emperor recognized Venetian possession of the fortresses of Modon and Coron, and agreed to not molest them in any way. Both clauses had also been in the 1268 treaty. Both sides were given liberty to act against each other and their allies in Negroponte, without restriction, even to the point of conquering it. In the 1265 draft treaty, Palaiologos had been given a similar free hand, but Venetian citizens had been prohibited from aiding the Lombard lords of the island against the Byzantines. The Emperor recognized the remaining island possessions of the two major Latin rulers in the Cyclades, Marco II Sanudo, Duke of Naxos, and Bartholomew I Ghisi, both of Venetian origin. In exchange, the two lords undertook to not aid the Emperor's