Francesco d'Antonio Acciaiuoli, sesto Duca d'Attene - Fanelli Francesco - 1695

Francesco II Acciaioli (died 1460), called Franco, was the last

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 ...

. He was the son of Duke

Antonio II Acciaioli Antonio II Acciaioli was the Duke of Athens from 1439 to 1445. He was a son of Francesco, Lord of Sykaminon, and Margareta Malpigli. Francesco was son of Donato; Donato was brother of Nerio I, Duke of Athens. Antonio II grew up in Florence until ...

and Maria Zorzi but had only ruled for two years (1455–1456) when the Turkish army under

Turahanoğlu Ömer Bey Turahanoğlu Ömer Bey ( gr, Ὀμάρης or Ἀμάρης; 1435–1484) was an Ottoman general and governor. The son of the famed Turahan Bey, he was active chiefly in southern Greece: he fought in the Morea against both the Byzantines in the ...

arrived in Athens. The duke and his citizens hid themselves in the

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

and held out against the Turks until June 1458, when they were forced to surrender.

Mehmed II Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

entered

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

in August 1458, and allowed Franco to retain lordship of Thebes as his vassal. In 1460, Mehmed was informed by his

Janissaries A Janissary ( ota, یڭیچری, yeŋiçeri, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established under sultan Orhan ( ...

of a plot to place Franco once more in Athens. Franco was summoned to the

Morea The Morea ( el, Μορέας or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used for the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the Ottoman ...

Zaganos Pasha Zaganos or Zagan Pasha ( ota, زاغنوس پاشا, tr, Zağanos Paşa, sq, Zognush Pasha; fl. 1446 – 1462 or 1469) was an Albanian Ottoman military commander, with the titles and ranks of ''kapudan pasha'' and the highest military rank, ...

, one of the sultan's governors. After a long night of entertainment, Zaganos Pasha told Franco that his last hour had struck. Franco's last request was to be killed in his own tent, which was honored.

References

* Babinger, Franz. ''Mehmed der Eroberer und seine Zeit'', 1953. {{DEFAULTSORT:Francesco 02 Acciaioli 1460 deaths Acciaioli family Dukes of Athens Year of birth unknown 15th-century monarchs in Europe 15th-century Italian nobility