Florence Sanudo or ''Fiorenza'' (died 1371), was

Duchess of the Archipelago The Duchy of the Archipelago ( el, Δουκάτο του Αρχιπελάγους, it, Ducato dell'arcipelago), also known as Duchy of Naxos or Duchy of the Aegean, was a maritime state created by Venetian interests in the Cyclades archipelago ...

in 1362–1371, in co-regency with her second spouse.

Life

Florence Sanudo was the daughter and successor of

John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * John I o ...

Duke of the Archipelago The Duchy of the Archipelago ( el, Δουκάτο του Αρχιπελάγους, it, Ducato dell'arcipelago), also known as Duchy of Naxos or Duchy of the Aegean, was a maritime state created by Venetian interests in the Cyclades archipelago ...

. She first married

Giovanni dalle Carceri Giovanni dalle Carceri (died 1358) was a Lord of Euboea.Mihail-Dimitri Sturdza, Dictionnaire Historique et Généalogique des Grandes Familles de Grèce, d'Albanie et de Constantinople, Paris: Sturdza, 1983, p. 549 He was the son of Peter dalle Ca ...

, Lord of Euboea (d. 1358). She succeeded her father in 1362 as a young widow with only one son, and attracted many suitors, for which reason W. Miller labelled her "the Penelope of Frankish Greece". Her marriage was politically very crucial and the subject of much diplomatic activity. She was given a proposal from the Vignoso, Genoese

Lord of Chios The Lordship of Chios was a short-lived autonomous lordship run by the Genoese Zaccaria family. Its core was the eastern Aegean island of Chios, and in its height it encompassed a number of other islands off the shore of Asia Minor. Although theo ...

. This marriage was vetoed by the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

, who regarded it of the utmost importance that she married a Venetian so as to prevent any potential anti-Venetian establishment in the Duchy. Florence was openly warned by Venice not to bestow her hand to any enemy of Venice, when there were so many Venetian consorts available. Her mother assured the Venetians that her daughter had not desire to marry an enemy of Venice. Soon, however, Florence was given a proposal by

Nerio I Acciajuoli Nerio I Acciaioli or Acciajuoli (full name Rainerio; died 25 September 1394) was the actual ruler of the Duchy of Athens from 1385. Born to a family of Florentine bankers, he became the principal agent of his influential kinsman, Niccolò Acciaiol ...

, the future

Duke of Athens The Duchy of Athens (Greek: Δουκᾶτον Ἀθηνῶν, ''Doukaton Athinon''; Catalan: ''Ducat d'Atenes'') was one of the Crusader states set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade as part of th ...

and showed herself willing to accept it. Venice protested, but the groom was supported by the Kingdom of Naples through

Robert of Taranto Robert II of Taranto (1319 or early winter 1326 – 10 September 1364Peter Lock, ''The Franks in the Aegean: 1204-1500'', (Routledge, 1988), 129.), of the Capetian House of Anjou, Angevin family, Principality of Taranto, Prince of Taranto (1331 ...

, who, as Prince of Achaia, was the suzerain of Athens. Naples warned Venice from interfering in the marriage, but Venice replied that Florence was a daughter of the republic and that her duchy owed its existence to the diplomacy and fleet of Venice, and ordered its fleet in Greece to prevent the marriage and the landing of Nerio in the Cyclades.Miller, William. The Latins in the Levant: A History of Frankish Greece (1204–1566). London: 1908. Duchess Florence was kidnapped and brought via a Venetian galley to Venetian

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

. There, she was treated with respect due to her rank but informed that she would never be allowed to leave unless she agreed to marry the Venetian candidate, her cousin Nicholas Spezzabanda. Reportedly, she was not displeased with the person of Nicholas, who was described as attractive, but whatever the reason, she did consent to marry him, and the wedding took place in 1364. The Venetians entitled her spouse eight Consort Duke, and Nicholas II were described as an able co-regent and loyal to Venice. Florence died in 1371 and was succeeded by her son by Giovanni,

Nicholas III dalle Carceri Nicholas III dalle Carceri (or ''Nicolò''; died 1383), ninth Duke of the Archipelago and Lord of Euboea, was the only son of the first marriage of eighth Duchess Florence Sanudo, whom he succeeded in 1371, to Giovanni dalle Carceri, Lord of Eu ...

, under the regency of his stepfather during his minority.

Issue

: #

By Nicholas Spezzabanda: #

Maria Sanudo, Lady of Andros Maria Sanudo (died 1426) was lady of the island of Andros in the Duchy of the Archipelago in 1372-1383, and lady of the island of Paros and of one third of Negroponte in 1383-1426 in co-regency with her spouse, Gaspare Sommaripa. Life Maria Sanu ...

# Elisabetta Sanudo

References

Sources

External links

Ancestry of Sultana Nur-Banu (Cecilia Venier-Baffo)
1371 deaths

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 ...

Year of birth unknown 14th-century women rulers 14th-century Venetian people 14th-century Greek people 14th-century Greek women 14th-century Italian women Duchesses of the Archipelago {{Italy-noble-stub