Catherine Cornaro
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- For Caterina Cornaro, the opera by Donizetti, see Caterina Cornaro
| Catherine Cornaro | |
| Queen of Cyprus | |
 Portrait of Catherine Cornaro by Gentile Bellini, at the Magyar Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, Budapest |
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| Reign | 1474-1489 |
|---|---|
| Born | November 25, 1454 |
| Birthplace | Venice |
| Died | July 10, 1510 |
| Place of death | Venice |
| Predecessor | James III |
| Successor | none |
Nobil Donna Catherine Cornaro (Italian: Caterina) (November 25, 1454 – July 10, 1510), was Queen of Cyprus from 1474 to 1489 and declared a "Daughter of the Venetian Republic" in order that Venice could claim control of Cyprus after the death of her husband, James II ("James the Bastard").
[edit] Early Life and Family
She was born in Venice in 1454 and was the daughter of a well-known and powerful family of the Republic of Venice. The Cornaro family had produced four Doges. Her family had long associations with Cyprus, especially with regards to trade and commerce. In the Episkopi area, in the Limassol District, the Cornaro family administered various sugar-mills and exported Cypriot products to Venice. Her mother's side of the family was even more grand as they were descendants of the Emperors of Trebizond. She was painted by Durer, Titian, Bellini and Giorgione.
She was the younger sister of the Nobil Huomo Giorgio Cornaro (Venice, 1452 – Venice, July 31, 1527), "Padre della Patria", Knight of the Holy Roman Empire (Cavaliere del Sacro Romano Impero), Patrizio Veneto, Podeste of Brescia in 1496 and Procurator of San Marco, who married at Venice in 1475 the Nobil Donna Elisabetta Morosini, Patrizia Veneta, and they had issue, called "Cornaro della Regina". They were both children of the Nobil Huomo Marco Cornaro (Venice, December, 1406 – Venice, August 1, 1479), Knight of the Holy Roman Empire (Cavaliere del Sacro Romano Impero) and Patrizio Veneto, and wife, married in 1444, Fiorenza Crispo (born in 1422), one of many children of Nicolo Crispo (1392 – 1450), Lord of Syros in 1420, Patrizio Veneto, Regent of the Duchy of Naxos and of the Archipelagos (1447-1450), and wife, married in 1413, Valenza=Eudokia Megale Komnena/e, one of many daughters of Alexios IV Megas Komnenos, Emperor in Trapezunt (1417-1429), murdered in 1429, and wife, married in 1395, Theodora Kantakuzene (died 1426).
[edit] Marriage to James II of Cyprus
In 1468, James II of Cyprus, otherwise known as James the Bastard, became King. In 1473 he chose Caterina for a wife and Queen of the Kingdom of Cyprus. The King's choice was extremely pleasing to the Republic of Venice as it could henceforth secure the commercial rights and other privileges of Venice in Cyprus. They married in Venice, on July 30, 1468, by proxy, when she was only 14 years old. She finally travelled to Cyprus and married in person at Famagusta in October or November, 1472.
James died soon after the wedding due to a sudden illness, and according to his will, Caterina, who at the time was pregnant, acted as regent. She became Queen when their infant son James died in August, 1474 before his first birthday, under suspicious circumstances.
The kingdom had long since declined, and had been a tributary state of the Mameluks since 1426. Under Caterina, who ruled the island from 1474 to 1489, the island was controlled by Venetian merchants, and in 1489 she was forced to abdicate and to cede the administration of the country to the Republic of Venice.
According to George Boustronios, "On the 14th of February, the Queen dressed in black and accompanied by the Barons and their ladies, set off on horseback. Six knights held her horse's reins. From the moment she left Nicosia, her eyes kept streaming with tears. Upon her departure, the whole population was bewailing."
Finally she was obliged to leave the island on the 14th of May, 1489 but had been deposed since February.
[edit] Later Life at Asolo
The last Crusader state became a colony of Venice, and as compensation, Catherine was allowed to retain the title of Queen and was made the Sovereign Lady of Asolo, a county in the Veneto of Italy, in 1489. Asolo soon gained a reputation as a court of literary and artistic distinction, mainly as a result of it being the fictitious setting for Pietro Bembo’s platonic dialogues on love, Gli Asolani. Catherine died in Venice in 1510.
| Preceded by James III |
Queen of Cyprus 1474–1489 |
Succeeded by (none) |
