Francesco Contarini
Francesco Contarini (Venice, November 28, 1556 – Venice, December 6, 1624) was the 95th Doge of Venice, reigning from September 8, 1623 until his death fourteen months later.
Background, 1556–1623
Francesco Contarini was the son of Bertucci Contarini and Laura Dolfin. Both of his parents died while he was young, leaving him as an orphan who was raised by his two older brothers. The three brothers had inherited a substantial fortune, and no expense was spared on Francesco Contarini's education.
A lover of travel, Contarini was sent on several diplomatic missions, representing the Republic of Venice in many European courts. He was the bailo in Constantinople from 1602 to 1604.[1] A man of refined manners, he gained a reputation of always placing the needs of Venice above his own self-interest.
Doge, 1623–1624
Following the death of Antonio Priuli on August 12, 1623, there was no obvious successor as Doge. When voting commenced, there was a stalemate. Francesco Contarini did not particularly want to be Doge, but after 79 ballots had failed to elect a Doge, he was prevailed on to agree to become Doge, and he was elected on September 8.
Little of note happened during Contarini's time as Doge. As was customary, he participated in the large Venetian festivals. The Thirty Years' War, which had spilled into the Valtellina in February 1623, went well for Venice, although Contarini did not himself participate in fighting.
Contarini was only 67 when elected as Doge, a relatively young age for a position frequently inhabited by octogenarians. Nevertheless, he became ill 12 months after he became Doge and died six weeks after that.
References
This article is based on this article from Italian Wikipedia.
- ↑ Dursteler, Eric (2001). "The bailo in Constantinople: Crisis and Career in Venice’s Early Modern Diplomatic corps". Mediterranean Historical Review 16 (2): 1–30. doi:10.1080/714004583. ISSN 0951-8967.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Antonio Priuli |
Doge of Venice 1623–1624 |
Succeeded by Giovanni I Cornaro |
|