Felicia Cornaro (died 1111) was the

Dogaressa Dogaressa ( , , ) was the official title of the wife of the Doge of Venice. The title was unique for Venice: while the head of the Republic of Genoa were also called Doge, the wives of the Doges of Genoa were not called ''Dogaressa'', nor did t ...

of Venice by marriage to the Doge Vitale I Michiel (). She was politically active and exerted an acknowledged influence over the affairs of state. She was a strong supporter of the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...

Life

She is described as an ideal of simplicity, virtue and modesty for the women of Venice, in contrast to what had been the case with the previous dogaressa, Theodora Anna Doukaina Selvo. During the First Crusade, she organised the funds necessary to establish hospitals, beds and food for the pilgrims and crusaders, and set an example by selling her jewelry and clothes and cutting down the representation of the doge court life. She also encouraged the mothers to send their sons away to serve in the crusade. In 1099, the Venetians financed an escort fleet to protect the crusaders on their way to Syria. The influence of Felicia upon the affairs of state was common knowledge:

Mathilda of Tuscany Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

asked Felicia to persuade Venice to assist her to pacify the rebellious Ferrara, something Felicia also successfully did.Staley, Edgcumbe:
The dogaressas of Venice : The wives of the doges
', London : T. W. Laurie

References

* Staley, Edgcumbe:
The dogaressas of Venice : The wives of the doges
', London : T. W. Laurie 11th-century Venetian people 11th-century Venetian women 1111 deaths Dogaressas of Venice

Felicia The name Felicia derives from the Latin adjective ''felix'', meaning "happy, lucky", though in the neuter plural form ''felicia'' it literally means "happy things" and often occurred in the phrase ''tempora felicia'', "happy times". The sense of ...

Year of birth unknown 12th-century Venetian people 12th-century Venetian women {{Italy-noble-stub