Giacomo Fregoso or Campofregoso (1340–1420) was a statesman who became the 10th

doge A doge ( , ; plural dogi or doges) was an elected lord and head of state in several Italian city-states, notably Venice and Genoa, during the medieval and renaissance periods. Such states are referred to as " crowned republics". Etymology The ...

of Genoa.

Youth

Giacomo's father, Domenico Fregoso, was elected doge of Genoa in 1370. Giacomo himself received an advanced education, became bachelor of law and joined the trading business of the Fregoso family. He also participated in the management of the Maona of Chios. Following some commercial successes, Giacoma participated in the wars led by the Republic, in particular during the conquest of

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 ...

of 1373. Back in Genoa, his father gave him the charge of the defense of the Eastern

Riviera ''Riviera'' () is an Italian word which means "coastline", ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria, in the form ''Riviera ligure'', then shortened in English. The two areas ...

. When Domenico was toppled in 1378, the whole Fregoso family was driven into exile. He stayed away from Genoa under the following two dogeships of

Antoniotto Adorno Antoniotto Adorno may refer to the following: * Antoniotto I Adorno (1340–1398), Doge of the Republic of Genoa (1378, 1384–1390, 1391–1392, 1394–1396) * Antoniotto II Adorno Antoniotto II Adorno (c. 1479 – 12 September 1528) was Do ...

and

Nicolò Guarco Nicolò Guarco (c.1325 in Parodi – c.1385 in Lerici) was a Genoese statesman who became the 7th doge of the Republic of Genoa and led the Republic through the War of Chioggia against Venice. Early life Son of a merchant, Nicolò appears first ...

. He only returned in the city when the new doge Leonardo Montaldo promulgated a law of amnesty in 1383. After his return, Giacomo managed to be elected repeatedly to the Council of the Ancients that governed the Republic and the doge Adorno put him in charge of the reception of

Pope Urban VI Pope Urban VI ( la, Urbanus VI; it, Urbano VI; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death in October 1389. He was the most recent pope to be elected from outside the ...

in the city. Later, he was also put in charge of diplomatic relations of the Republic with Amedeo VII, count of Savoy. In the meantime, he kept on pursuing his economic activity, specifically with the Maona.

Dogeship

In 1390, a long-lasting political crisis came to an acme and the doge Adorno had to escape Genoa and seek refuge in

Savona Savona (; lij, Sann-a ) is a seaport and ''comune'' in the west part of the northern Italy, Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea. Savona used to be one of the chie ...

. The population in arms gathered and chose Giacomo as the new doge on August 3. Giacomo seem to have enjoyed a reputation as a good manager due to his commercial successes, which may explain his nomination. In 1391, Antoniotto Adorno gathered an army of 800 men to reconquer his lost position. Fregoso refused to fight and begin a civil war, leading to the rebels entering the city unopposed and, on April 6, Adorno was reelected doge.

Ambassador

After his deposition, Giacomo was invited by doge Adorno to a great banquet in his honor and allowed to remain in the city. But rapidly, a riot in Savona drove a wedge between the two clans. As a consequence, Giacomo was sent to the castle-prison of

Lerici Lerici ( lij, Lerxi, locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of La Spezia in Liguria (northern Italy), part of the Italian Riviera. It is situated on the coast of the Gulf of La Spezia, southeast of La Spezia. It is known as the place ...

until 1396. Two years later, he returned to the republic and was re-elected to the Council. He was also nominated as ambassador of the Republic to

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

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

. After Genoa fell under French domination, he continued his diplomatic career in

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 ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and finally

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 ...

. In 1411, at the age of 71, Giacomo received the charge of reorganizing the Genoese navy in order to defend the coasts of the Republic against the raids of

North African North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

s. No archival traces of him remain after this date and it is usually assumed that he died around 1420 and was buried with his family in the church of Santa Marta. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fregoso, Giacomo 1340 births 1420 deaths 14th-century Doges of Genoa 15th-century Genoese people Ambassadors of the Republic of Genoa Medieval Italian diplomats 15th-century diplomats