Revolt of the Lastovcans
About the rebellion for which the Pope excommunicated the Republic.
As a teenager, Gundulić experienced one of the most bloodthirsty episodes of Dubrovnik's rule. When he was twelve years old, he experienced the revolt of Lastovčani. The rebellion, in which several Lastov residents were killed and several dozen of them exiled, took place from 1601 to 1605.
Offended by the actions of the rulers of Dubrovnik, the people of Lastov surrendered to the protection of the Venetians, who at that time were the biggest enemies of the Republic of Dubrovnik. The autocrats hanged many people from Lastov, and the priests who were the leaders of the rebellion were strangled in the dungeon. Because of this, the Pope excommunicated the Republic and ordered that Christian countries should not trade with them. This meant the imminent collapse of the Republic, whose nobles lived on trade.
However, Dubrovnik was saved by Marin Gundulić, who managed to get the pope to cancel the excommunication. However, in exchange for that, the people of Dubrovnik had to withdraw their condemnation of the priests and pay various contributions to the Church. They also had to accept the Jesuits, which the Dubrovnik government had refused until then.