Francesco Venier - 81st Venetian Doge. The period of his rule fell on 1554-1556. At the beginning of his reign, he made several important political decisions for the Republic of Venice.
Venice symbol
The Doge is the highest official of the Venetian Republic for over 1000 years (from the 8th to the 18th century) and a symbol of the sovereignty of the Venetian state. In Venice, the position of Doge (from the Latin dux, "leader") arose when the city was nominally subordinated to the Byzantine Empire and gained independence in the middle of the 8th century. The first Doge, Paolo Lucio Anafesto, was elected in 697. The Doge is the symbol of Venice. If you look at the history and names of the Doges who reigned in Venice, you can find many names of streets and hotels with their names.
The Doges lived in wealthy houses called "palazzo" (palaces), located mainly along the Canal Grande, in the heart of Venice.
Doji were appointed for life. The first doji occupied the position of the supreme power. But in the late 14th century, when Venice became a republic, the doge's power was very limited. He became a kind of constitutional monarch, elected by the nobility.
Biography
The family, from which Francesco Venier was born, was wealthy and wealthy by Venetian standards. From the Venier family were three Doges, Francesco's predecessor, as well as eighteen prosecutors and military commanders.
Francesco Venier's parents are Giovanni Venier and his wife Maria Loredano, whose father was Leonardo Loredano, the seventy-fifth doge of the Venetian Republic (reign: 1508-1516).
Francesco was the eldest son in the family.
Period of government and contribution to the formation of the Republic
The selected new doge, Francesco Venier, was not yet old compared to his predecessors, who were not even able to move without the help of outsiders. The date of Venier's election as the 81st Doge of Venice historically falls on June 11, 1554.
During the reign of Francesco Venier, Venice was in a state of peace, which made Francesco's rule calm and not burdened by the conflicts that so often plagued the Republic throughout the existence of the Ottoman Empire.
Venier was a skilled ruler. In a little over two years, while Francesco Venier was in power, Venice expanded its lands by capturing island territories. Together with the expansion of the land, the prestige of Venice grew.
The leader of the Venetian Republic, Francesco Venier, was in charge of most of the administrative institutions, and was also the head of Padua and Verona. Francesco was the ambassador of Pope Paul III. The wealth of Francesco Venier was rightfully considered one of the largest in Venice of that era.
Despite his advanced years (Venier was 65 years old), which favorably distinguished him from his predecessors, Francesco was not only not young, but also unwell. Therefore, he was no longer able to fully conduct affairs of state importance. He enjoyed the power, luxury and wealth that surrounded him. Francesco loved to arrange lavish feasts and receptions, striking them with the magnificence of foreign guests. Historians describe one of such receptions, arranged in honor of the visit to the Republic of the Queen of Poland, Bona Sforza d'Aragona, daughter of the Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Sforza and Isabella of Aragon.
Such waste and indiscretion of the authorities could not find approval among the common people, therefore, when Francesco died, his departure did not cause much grief among the Venetians.
At the same time, Venier was buried in accordance with traditions: magnificently and pompously. After his death in June 1556, he was buried in the Cathedral of San Salvador. The tomb in the cathedral is set in multi-colored marble depicting sculptures of the Madonna. The structure is supported by marble columns and a console on which the departed is depicted. The tomb is also decorated with heraldic designs, monograms and a gravestone inscription.
Portrait of Venier
In the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, which is the state art gallery of Spain and located in Madrid, there is the famous painting of the great Italian painter Titian "The Venetian Doge Francesco Venier". The period of the creation of an artistic masterpiece falls on the years 1554-1555.
Titian's works were particularly realistic. At the time when Titian painted the portrait of Francesco Venier, he was already too old and physically weak. In the portrait, Titian depicted the haggard face of a man tired of life. Venier's face is covered with dry, wrinkled skin, the eye sockets are sunken, the relief of the nose is thin, a thin, hunched figure is hidden under the lush mantle, thin graceful hands emphasize the soreness and sophistication of the Venetian doge's appearance.
From 1516, Titian began serving as a court painter. This significant and highly paid position obliged the artist to paint portraits of the Doges of the Venetian Republic.
At the end of the 16th century, a fire broke out in the Palace of the Doges of Venice and many works of art, including most of Titian's portraits, were lost. The portrait of Venier is one of the few that have survived to this day.
