Federico Cornaro or Corner (died 1382) was a 14th-century
Venetian patrician
Patrician may refer to:
* Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage
* Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...
, merchant and politician. In 1379, he was accounted the richest man in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, having become wealthy from his
sugar plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
s in
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
. He used this wealth to buy his son a marriage with the heiress of the
Lordship of Argos and Nauplia
During the late Middle Ages, the two cities of Argos ( el, Άργος, french: Argues) and Nauplia (modern Nafplio, Ναύπλιο; in the Middle Ages Ἀνάπλι, in French ''Naples de Romanie'') formed a lordship within the Frankish-ruled Mor ...
in Greece, which he ''de facto'' ruled in their name until his death.
Relations with the Kingdom of Cyprus
The exact date of his birth and his early career are unknown, and difficult to reconstruct due to the presence of namesake figures of the wider
House of Cornaro
The House of Cornaro or Corner are a family in Venice who were patricians in the Republic of Venice and included many Doges and other high officials. The name ''Corner'', originally from the Venetian dialect, was adopted in the eighteenth centu ...
at the same time. Around the middle of the 14th century, he bought the
palazzo
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
now known as the
Ca' Loredan
Ca' Loredan is a 13th-century Romanesque-style former palace of the Loredan family located on the Grand Canal in Venice, northern Italy. It is located in the ''sestiere'' (district) of San Marco and faces the Grand Canal, not far from the Rial ...
, which today houses the municipal council of Venice. There he hosted
Albert III, Duke of Austria
Albert III of Austria (9 September 1349 – 29 August 1395), known as Albert with the Braid (Pigtail) (german: Albrecht mit dem Zopf), a member of the House of Habsburg, was Duke of Austria from 1365 until his death.
Biography
Albert III was ...
during his visit in 1361, as well as King
Peter I of Cyprus
Peter I (9 October 1328 – 17 January 1369) was King of Cyprus and titular King of Jerusalem from his father's abdication on 24 November 1358 until his death in 1369. He was invested as titular Count of Tripoli in 1346. As King of Cyprus, ...
a short while after. The latter event resulted in a close relationship between the two men. Federico received lands and honours—membership in Peter's
Order of the Sword
The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Or ...
, the right to add the
Lusignan
The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries du ...
arms to his own, and the fief of
Episkopi Episkopi ( el, Επισκοπή), or Latinised forms Episcopia or Piscopia, may refer to the following places:
;Cyprus:
* Episkopi Bay, on the southeast coast
* Episkopi, Limassol, a village on Episkopi Bay
* Episkopi Cantonment, a British military ...
in the south of Cyprus—while in exchange in 1365, during another royal visit to Venice, Federico gave the King a loan of 60,000
ducat
The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wi ...
s. Before his departure for the
Alexandrian Crusade
The brief Alexandrian Crusade, also called the sack of Alexandria, occurred in October 1365 and was led by Peter I of Cyprus against Alexandria in Egypt. Although often referred to as and counted among the Crusades, it was relatively devoid of re ...
, King Peter named Federico as his procurator general in his relations with Venice. Federico also undertook, along with his brothers, to pay an annual sum of 5,000 gold
florin
The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purcha ...
s to Mary of Enghien, the widow of Guy of Lusignan.
The fief of Episkopi, granted with a complete tax exemption as Peter was unable to repay his loans, was soon developed into the major centre for
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
production aimed for the Venetian market. To consolidate his numerous business interests on Cyprus, Federico founded a trading company with his brothers Fantino (who served as its resident agent in Cyprus) and Marco, and with Vito Lion.
The trade with Cyprus, and particularly Episkopi, became the cornerstone of Federico's commercial success; by 1379, he was accounted the richest man in Venice. The Cypriot kings remained insolvent, and a few years after his death, Federico's heirs obtained from
James I of Cyprus
James I (french: Jacques de Lusignan; 1334 – September 9, 1398) was the youngest son of King Hugh IV of Cyprus and by 1369 held the title "Constable of Jerusalem." When his nephew Peter II died in 1382, James became King of Cyprus. James was als ...
the kingsom's
salt pans as well. Indeed, a branch of the Cornaro family settled in Cyprus and became known as the "Cornaro della Piscopia".
Involvement in Venetian politics
Along with his commercial activities, Federico Cornaro was also active in the Venetian politics of his day. In 1368 he was one of the electors of Doge
Andrea Contarini
Andrea Contarini was doge of Venice from 1367 to 1382. He served as doge during the War of Chioggia, which was fought between the Venetian Republic and the Republic of Genoa.
Contarini was noted for his personal bravery during the war. He also ...
, and served as ambassador to the
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
Charles IV. In July 1372 he was included in a
zonta of thirty patricians to the
Council of Ten
The Council of Ten ( it, Consiglio dei Dieci; vec, Consejo de i Diexe), or simply the Ten, was from 1310 to 1797 one of the major governing bodies of the Republic of Venice. Elections took place annually and the Council of Ten had the power to i ...
, convened to debate the Republic's stance against
Francesco I da Carrara Francesco I da Carrara (29 September 1325, in Monza – 6 October 1393, in Padua), called il Vecchio, was Lord of Padua from 1350 to 1388.
The son of the assassinated Giacomo II da Carrara, he succeeded him as lord of Padua by popular acclamation ...
, lord of
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
. Once war was decided upon, he was named to a commission of five 'sages' charged with financing the war.
In March 1376 he was elected as one of the ambassadors meant to mediate between
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
and the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
, but the mission did not materialize in the end. In November of the same year he was sent to Padua to inform its lord of the conclusion of a peace between Venice and the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
. In 1377 he was member of a commission of ten patricians convened to negotiate with the
King of Aragon
This is a list of the kings and queens of Aragon. The Kingdom of Aragon was created sometime between 950 and 1035 when the County of Aragon, which had been acquired by the Kingdom of Navarre in the tenth century, was separated from Navarre in ...
, as well as of a five-member board of 'sages' on reducing public expenditure. By confusion with his namesake of the
Sant'Aponal branch, he has sometimes been erroneously named as participating in the negotiations for the marriage of
Peter II of Cyprus
Peter II (1354 or 1357 – 13 October 1382), called the Fat (French ''Pierre le Gros''), was the eleventh King of Cyprus of the House of Lusignan from 17 January 1369 until his death. Peter W. Edbury: The Kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades 1191 ...
with
Valentina Visconti. He did however host Valentina Visconti and her entourage before they sailed for Cyprus.
In 1378, he was sent, along with
Giovanni Bembo
Giovanni Bembo (21 August 1543 – 16 March 1618) was the 92nd Doge of Venice, reigning from his election on 2 December 1615 until his death. His reign is notable for Venetian victories during the War of Gradisca (1617) and for the Bedmar Pl ...
, as ambassador to
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, with the aim of convincing its ruler,
Bernabò Visconti
Bernabò or Barnabò Visconti (1323 – 19 December 1385) was an Italian soldier and statesman who was Lord of Milan. Along with his brothers Matteo and Galeazzo II, he inherited the lordship of Milan from his uncle Giovanni. Later in 1355, he an ...
, of allying with Venice in the
War of Chioggia
The War of Chioggia ( it, Guerra di Chioggia) was a conflict between Genoa and Venice which lasted from 1378 to 1381, from which Venice emerged triumphant. It was a part of the Venetian-Genoese Wars.
The war had mixed results. Venice and her alli ...
against the
Republic of Genoa
The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the Lat ...
. In March 1379, he was sent as ambassador to
Ferrara
Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
. He apparently remained there for the duration of the War, providing supplies for his besieged home city. His influence, especially with
Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy
Amadeus VI (4 January 1334 – 1 March 1383), nicknamed the Green Count ( it, Il Conte Verde) was Count of Savoy from 1343 to 1383. He was the eldest son of Aymon, Count of Savoy, and Yolande Palaeologina of Montferrat. Though he started unde ...
, helped end the war in the
Treaty of Turin, which among other things guaranteed his commercial interests in Cyprus.
Federico Cornaro served again as ambassador do Francesco I da Carrara, then in a zonta of twenty to the
Venetian Senate
The Senate ( vec, Senato), formally the ''Consiglio dei Pregadi'' or ''Rogati'' (, la, Consilium Rogatorum), was the main deliberative and legislative body of the Republic of Venice.
Establishment
The Venetian Senate was founded in 1229, or le ...
, and in early 1382 on another embassy to
Niccolò II d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara
Niccolò II d'Este (1338 – 26 March 1388) was lord of Ferrara, Modena and Parma from 1361 until his death.
He was the son of Obizzo III, who had ruled in Ferrara from 1317 to 1352. After inheriting his lands from Aldobrandino III, he allied ...
. In April 1382, he was sent to Cyprus to mediate between King Peter II and the Genoese. He returned to Venice in June, just in time to be one of the electors of Doge
Michele Morosini
Michele Morosini (1308 – 16 October 1382) was the Doge of Venice for a few months, from 10 June 1382 to his death in October the same year.
Born in one of the most important Venetian families, Morosini was extremely wealthy. Opinions about h ...
.
Acquisition of Argos and Nauplia
Being one of the wealthiest Venetian patricians of his age, Federico could afford to conduct his own foreign policy. As part of his entrepreneurial activities in the East, he arranged the marriage of his son
Pietro
Pietro is an Italian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:
People
* Pietro I Candiano (c. 842–887), briefly the 16th Doge of Venice
* Pietro Tribuno (died 912), 17th Doge of Venice, from 887 to his death
* Pietro II Can ...
to
Maria of Enghien
Maria of Enghien, also known as Marie of Enghien or d'Enghien (after 1363–1392/1393), was the Lady of Argos and Nauplia in Frankish Greece from 1376 or 1377 to 1388. Because she was a minor when she inherited the lordship from her father, Gu ...
,
Lady of Argos and Nauplia in southern Greece, in 1377. Maria of Enghien and Pietro Cornaro were both still young when they became lords of Argos and Nauplia. In the first years of their reign, they resided in Venice, and Federico acted on their behalf, securing permissions from the Venetian government to send supplies or arm a galley to defend the lordship. Even after Pietro left for Nauplia himself following his father's death, the two cities were considered by the
Venetian Senate
The Senate ( vec, Senato), formally the ''Consiglio dei Pregadi'' or ''Rogati'' (, la, Consilium Rogatorum), was the main deliberative and legislative body of the Republic of Venice.
Establishment
The Venetian Senate was founded in 1229, or le ...
as "more or less as Venetian possessions". By 1394, both cities also passed formally into the possession of the Venetian Republic.
Death and burial
Federico died in late 1382, being survived by his wife Bianca and two sons, Giovanni and Pietro. In accordance to his will, composed in 1378, he was buried next to his brother Marco in the church of
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, usually just called the Frari, is a church located in the Campo dei Frari at the heart of the San Polo district of Venice, Italy. The largest church in the city, it has the status of a minor basil ...
. His son Giovanni built a funeral chapel for him there in 1417.
References
Sources
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornaro, Federico
1382 deaths
14th-century births
14th-century merchants
14th-century Venetian people
Ambassadors of the Republic of Venice
Ambassadors of the Republic of Venice to the Duchy of Milan
Burials at Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
Federico Federico (; ) is a given name and surname. It is a form of Frederick, most commonly found in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.
People with the given name Federico
Artists
* Federico Ágreda, Venezuelan composer and DJ.
* Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, r ...
People of the Kingdom of Cyprus
People of the War of Chioggia