Antonio Grimani
Antonio Grimani (born December 28, 1434 in Venice ; † May 7, 1523 there ) was the 76th Doge of Venice from 1521 to 1523 .
family
The Grimani were one of the 16 new families of the patriciate of Venice , the case nuove , and were among the most respected families in Venice. 21 members of the family were procurators or other important offices of the republic, active as diplomats and in the navy or held high offices in the Catholic Church, including three cardinals. The family provided a total of three doges, apart from Antonio the doges Marino Grimani (1595-1605) and Pietro Grimani (1741-1752). The name Grimani is associated with numerous art, book collections and foundations in Venice.
Life
Antonio was the eldest of three brothers. In his youth the family lived under tight financial circumstances and a difficult social status, as his mother, Agnesina Montagner di Modone, did not come from one of the noble families. Even in his youth he went on trade trips to Syria and Egypt , where he managed to make a very large fortune (on economic history ). In Venice they said of him that if he touched dirt it turned to gold.
In 1499 he was appointed captain general of the navy against his will . Because he lost Lepanto to the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II without looking for a battle , he was charged in court. The great council , the maggior consiglio , acted as court, but its competence was disputed. He was accused of losing 169 ships while at the same time making a huge fortune. The charge was high treason . He escaped exile by fleeing to Rome to live with his son, Cardinal Domenico Grimani . He was only able to return to Venice in 1510 after his family had managed to overturn the verdict against him through generous payments . He received the office of Procuratore di sopra and acted as a generous patron . Grimani contributed to the cost of building the old proxy offices , and he had the roof of the campanile , which had been destroyed in an earthquake, restored, for which he donated the gilded figure of the Archangel Gabriel on top.
He was married to Caterina Loredan , with whom he had five sons, all of whom held excellent positions in public life. The oldest of them, Cardinal Domenico Grimani , became important as a patron and art collector.
Despite trial, conviction for high treason and exile, Grimani was elected Doge on July 6, 1521 at the ripe old age of 86. King Francis I of France was allied with the Republic of Venice at the time and fought with Emperor Charles V over possession of Milan . The emperor had unsuccessfully tried to dissuade the Venetians from their alliance with France. When Charles V won the battle of Bicocca on April 27, 1522 against Francis I, Grimani tried to hold him off in negotiations. These did not come to an end until the Doge's death; only his successor Andrea Gritti concluded an alliance with the emperor on June 28, 1523 and gave up the French one.
photos
- Titian and workshop: The Doge Antonio Grimani kneeling before Faith, around 1555–78, Sala delle Quattro Porte, Doge's Palace , Venice
Tomb
The Doge's tomb was in the church of San Antonio di Castello , which was demolished in 1807.
literature
- Andrea da Mosto: I Dogi di Venezia. Florence 1983
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Leonardo Loredan |
Doge of Venice 1521 - 1523 |
Andrea Gritti |
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Grimani, Antonio |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | 76. Doge of Venice (1521–1523) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 28, 1434 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Venice |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 7, 1523 |
| Place of death | Venice |