Bertuccio Valiero

Bertuccio Valiero

Bertuccio Valiero (1 July 1596 in Venice – 29 March 1658 in Venice) was the 102nd Doge of Venice, reigning from his election on 15 June 1656 until his death.

Background, 1596–1656

Bertuccio Valiero was the son of Silvestro Valiero and Bianca Priuli. We are not certain how he was educated, but he had a reputation as being cultivated and refine. He married Benedetta Pisani, and the couple had many children together. All of Valiero's children predeceased him except for his son Silvestro Valiero, who would himself serve as Doge of Venice from 1694 to 1700. He suffered health problems throughout his life.

Valiero was very wealthy, which allowed him to obtain prestigious posts in Venetian politics and diplomacy. He served as podestà of various towns in Venice's Terraferma, and as Venetian Ambassador to the Vatican during the pontificate of Pope Alexander VII.

Reign as Doge, 1656–1658

Valiero became Doge in the midst of a prolonged war with the Ottoman Empire for possession of Crete, which had been ongoing since 1645. Upon the death of Doge Carlo Contarini on 1 May 1656 Valiero became a candidate as Doge. On 17 May 1656, however, he lost the election to Francesco Cornaro, who died only nineteen days later. A second election was held on 15 June and Valiero was unanimously elected as Doge on the first ballot. He was already in ill health and would be dead less than two years later, meaning Venice, in the midst of its war, would have seen five Doges in the space of four years.

During Valiero's reign, the Most Serene Republic proposed terms for ending the Cretan War, but these were rejected by the Ottoman Empire. Valiero ordered a Venetian fleet to sail through the Dardanelles to attack Istanbul, in the hopes that this would at least relieve the pressure on the Siege of Candia; this expedition had only limited success.

Desperate for money with which to fund the war, in 1655, Valiero allowed the Jesuits, who had been expelled from the Venetian Republic by Leonardo Donato in 1606, to return in exchange for a cash payment. Venice was desperate for funds, and, despite the fact that Valiero contributed 10,000 ducats of his own money, Venice was nearly insolvent.

Valiero succumbed to sickness on 29 March 1658, aged only 61. He was interred in the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo, a traditional burial place of the doges. His son, Silvestro Valiero, was his sole legatee. Silvestro Valiero would later have a massive monumental tomb built in the Basilica, and Bertuccio Valiero's remains were also placed there. Thus, father and son, and their wives, are buried together.

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  Monument of the Valier family
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  The statue of Bertuccio Valiero

References

This article was based on this article on French Wikipedia.

Doges of Venice
Byzantine period (697–737) Paolo Lucio Anafesto Marcello Tegalliano Orso Ipato
Regime of the magistri militum (738–742) Domenico Leoni Felice Cornicola Teodato Ipato Jovian Ceparius John Fabriacus
Ducal period (742–1148) 8th century Teodato Ipato* Galla Lupanio* Domenico Monegario* Maurizio Galbaio Giovanni Galbaio* 9th century Obelerio degli Antenori*† Agnello Participazio Giustiniano Participazio Giovanni I Participazio* Pietro Tradonico† Orso I Participazio Giovanni II Participazio♦ Pietro I Candiano‡ Pietro Tribuno 10th century Orso II Participazio Pietro II Candiano Pietro Participazio Pietro III Candiano Pietro IV Candiano† Pietro I Orseolo♦ Vitale Candiano♦ Tribuno Memmo Pietro II Orseolo 11th century Otto Orseolo* Pietro Centranico* Domenico Flabanico Domenico I Contarini Domenico Selvo* Vitale Faliero Vital I Michele 12th century Ordelafo Faliero Domenico Michele Pietro Polani * deposed     † executed or assassinated     ‡ killed in battle     ♦ abdicated
Republican period (1148–1797) 12th century Domenico Morosini Vitale II Michele Sebastiano Ziani Orio Mastropiero Enrico Dandolo 13th century Pietro Ziani Jacopo Tiepolo Marino Morosini Reniero Zeno Lorenzo Tiepolo Jacopo Contarini Giovanni Dandolo Pietro Gradenigo 14th century Marino Zorzi Giovanni Soranzo Francesco Dandolo Bartolomeo Gradenigo Andrea Dandolo Marino Faliero† Giovanni Gradenigo Giovanni Dolfin Lorenzo Celsi Marco Cornaro Andrea Contarini Michele Morosini Antonio Venier 15th century Michele Steno Tommaso Mocenigo Francesco Foscari* Pasquale Malipiero Cristoforo Moro Nicolò Tron Nicolò Marcello Pietro Mocenigo Andrea Vendramin Giovanni Mocenigo Marco Barbarigo Agostino Barbarigo 16th century Leonardo Loredan Antonio Grimani Andrea Gritti Pietro Lando Francesco Donato Marcantonio Trivisan Francesco Venier Lorenzo Priuli Girolamo Priuli Pietro Loredan Alvise I Mocenigo Sebastiano Venier Nicolò da Ponte Pasquale Cicogna Marino Grimani 17th century Leonardo Donato Marcantonio Memmo Giovanni Bembo Nicolò Donato Antonio Priuli Francesco Contarini Giovanni I Cornaro Nicolò Contarini Francesco Erizzo Francesco Molin Carlo Contarini Francesco Cornaro Bertuccio Valiero Giovanni Pesaro Domenico II Contarini Nicolò Sagredo Alvise Contarini Marcantonio Giustinian Francesco Morosini Silvestro Valiero Alvise II Mocenigo 18th century Giovanni II Cornaro Alvise III Mocenigo Carlo Ruzzini Alvise Pisani Pietro Grimani Francesco Loredan Marco Foscarini Alvise IV Mocenigo Paolo Renier Ludovico Manin* † Marino Faliero (1354–55) was convicted of treason, executed and condemned to damnatio memoriae * Francesco Foscari (1423–57) was forced to abdicate by the Council of Ten * Ludovico Manin (1789–97) was forced to abdicate by Napoleon