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 ...

of Venice by marriage to the Doge

Vitale I Michiel Vital I Michiel (died 1102) was a Doge of Venice; he was the 33rd traditional (30th historic) Doge of the Republic of Venice. A member of one of the so-called “twelve apostolic” families, he was married to Felicia Cornaro, who had influence o ...

(). She was politically active and exerted an acknowledged influence over the affairs of state. She was a strong supporter of the First Crusade.

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 Theodora Doukaina ( el, Θεοδώρα Δούκαινα) (before 1059– after 1075) was a Byzantine princess and dogaressa. Life Theodora Doukaina was the second daughter of Byzantine emperor Constantine X Dukas by his unknown first wife. After ...

. 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 o ...

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