![Andrea Mantegna - Cardinal Lodovico Trevisano - Google Art Project](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Andrea_Mantegna_-_Cardinal_Lodovico_Trevisano_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
Ludovico Trevisan (November 1401 – March 22, 1465) was an Italian catholic prelate, who was the
Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church
The Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church is an office of the papal household that administers the property and revenues of the Holy See. Formerly, his responsibilities included the fiscal administration of the Patrimony of Saint Peter. As reg ...
,
Patriarch of Aquileia
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate (bishop), primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholicism, Independent Catholic Chur ...
and
Captain General of the Church. He succeeded his rival
Giovanni Vitelleschi
Giovanni Maria Vitelleschi (1396 – 2 April 1440) was an Italian cardinal and condottiere.
Biography
Vitelleschi was born in Corneto (modern Tarquinia, then part of the Papal States), some kilometers north to Rome. He received a military educ ...
, a fellow
cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
of military talent and inclination, as
Bishop of Traù
Tragurium, Ancient Latin name of a city in Dalmatia (coastal Croatia), now called Trogir, was a bishopric until 1829 and a Latin titular bishopric until 1933. and
Metropolitan Archbishop of Florence.
[Chambers, 2006, p. 45.] Trevisan was also known as the Cardinal of Aquileia and the Cardinal
Camerlengo.
Early life
Trevisan was born into a non-military family in
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
,
then in the territory of 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, ...
, the son of Biagio Trevisano, a doctor in the arts and medicine.
[Miranda, Salvador. 1998.]
Consistory of July 1, 1440 (IV)
" Like other war cardinals, such as
Niccolò Fortiguerra
:''This article is not about Niccolò Fortiguerra (1674-1735), bishop and poet, author of Ricciardetto''
Niccolò Fortiguerra (also spelled Forteguerri) (1419 – 21 December 1473) was an Italian papal legate, military commander, and Cardinal.
...
and
Giuliano della Rovere
Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or the ...
, Trevisan came from a humble background. His mother's maiden name was Mezzarota.
His first name is sometimes also rendered Ludovico, Luigi, Luise, and Alvise; his last name as Trevisano or Scarampi-Mezzarota.
![Giovannivitelleschi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Giovannivitelleschi.jpg)
Trevisan studied grammar and poetry, followed by the
liberal arts
Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...
, in Venice; he obtained a doctorate in arts and medicine at the
University of Padua
The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from B ...
on July 9, 1425.
After a brief stint teaching medicine, Trevisan went to Rome circa 1430 to become the physician of Cardinal Gabrile Condulmer (future
Pope Eugene IV
Pope Eugene IV ( la, Eugenius IV; it, Eugenio IV; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 3 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian, and ...
).
Upon Condulmer's election as pope, Trevisan was made his
''cubicularius'' and ''scriptor'' of apostolic letters. He soon also became a
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western ca ...
of the cathedral chapter of Padua and began his ecclesiastical career.
Bishopric
![Peter Paul Ruben's copy of the lost Battle of Anghiari](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Peter_Paul_Ruben%27s_copy_of_the_lost_Battle_of_Anghiari.jpg)
Trevisan was elected
bishop of Traù
Tragurium, Ancient Latin name of a city in Dalmatia (coastal Croatia), now called Trogir, was a bishopric until 1829 and a Latin titular bishopric until 1933. on October 24, 1435, was
consecrated
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
soon after his election, and remained bishop until August 6, 1437, governing it through his
vicar
A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...
, Niccolò, abbot of the monastery of S. Giovanni Battista in
Traù.
On August 6, 1437, Trevisan was promoted to
metropolitan bishop of Florence, which he occupied until December 18, 1439.
There is record of Trevisan being in
Ferrara
Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
with Eugene IV on January 23, 1438, and his subscription is found on the bull of union with the Greeks issued by Eugenius IV on July 4, 1439.
Trevisan became Patriarch of Aquileia on December 18, 1439, and occupied that see until his death. On April 3, 1440, Trevisan was commissioned as
papal legate
300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate.
A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...
in
Romagna
Romagna ( rgn, Rumâgna) is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to t ...
"with the army, with the aim of recovering the lands of the Church."
As a result, he undertook military operations starting on July 30 aimed at capturing
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
but had to pause the campaign from November 23 to the following Spring, at which time he received a sizable sum from the
Papal treasury
The Apostolic Camera ( la, Camera Apostolica), formerly known as the was an office in the Roman Curia. It was the central board of finance in the papal administrative system and at one time was of great importance in the government of the Stat ...
.
He succeeded Vitelleschi as the pope's special deputy, possibly having engineered Vitelleschi's downfall through his henchman,
Antonio Rido
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...
, and began pacifying the forces still loyal to Vitelleschi and reducing the regions of
Viterbo
Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo.
It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history. ...
and
Civitavecchia
Civitavecchia (; meaning "ancient town") is a city and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Rome in the central Italian region of Lazio. A sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is located west-north-west of Rome. The harbour is formed by two pier ...
to papal obedience.
As the pope's special deputy he was the paymaster of the sizable papal army and controlled its large budget, and commanded it in the field.
[Chambers, 2006, p. 46.]
On June 4, 1440 he received a special military standard and proceeded to
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze'').
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
with a force of 3000 horsemen and 500 foot soldiers to support
Francesco I Sforza
Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L' ...
and other papal and Florentine ''
condottieri
''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europ ...
'' against
Niccolò Piccinino
Niccolò Piccinino (1386 – 15 October 1444) was an Italian condottiero.
Biography
He was born in Perugia, the son of a butcher. Piccinino was introduced in the guild of Perugia's butchers. He was later scornfully called "son of a butcher" by ...
.
Trevisan commanded the right flank of the combined papal-Florentine forces that defeated Piccinino in the
Battle of Anghiari on June 29.
An account of his victory is also available in an important contemporary war poem, ''
Trophaeum Anglaricum'' by Florentine
humanist
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "humani ...
Leonardo Dati, which praises Trevisan's caution as much as his impetuosity, comparing him to captains of antiquity such as
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...
and
Hannibal
Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...
.
Cardinalate
Immediately afterward, on July 1, 1440, Trevisan was elevated cardinal priest, title of S. Lorenzo, by
Pope Eugene IV
Pope Eugene IV ( la, Eugenius IV; it, Eugenio IV; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 3 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian, and ...
and a medal in his honor was designed by
Cristoforo di Geremia to commemorate the victory.
Upon his elevation, Bishop
Fortunato di Pellicanis of
Sarsina
Sarsina ( rgn, Sêrsna) is an Italian town situated in the province of Forlì-Cesena, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. Its territory is included in the Tuscan-Romagnolo Apennines.
History
Ancient Sarsina or Sassina was a town of the Umbri. Capt ...
began administering his patriarchate.
Later that year, he became
Camerlengo, an office he held until his death.
When Eugene IV and
Filippo Visconti turned against Sforza, Trevisan was the organizer of the campaign to recapture the
March of Ancona (to which he was named legate on September 13, 1442) for the papacy.
Under
Pope Callixtus III
Pope Callixtus III ( it, Callisto III, va, Calixt III, es, Calixto III; 31 December 1378 – 6 August 1458), born Alfonso de Borgia ( va, Alfons de Borja), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 April 1455 to his ...
, Trevisan played an important role in organizing the naval campaign against the
Ottomans
The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922).
Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
in December 1455, both responsible for the construction of the papal navy and appointed "apostolic legate, governor general,
captain and general ''condottiere''" in charge of it.
[Chambers, 2006, p. 49.] Trevisan defeated the Turkish assault on
Mytilene
Mytilene (; el, Μυτιλήνη, Mytilíni ; tr, Midilli) is the capital of the Greek island of Lesbos, and its port. It is also the capital and administrative center of the North Aegean Region, and hosts the headquarters of the University of ...
in August 1457, during which many Turkish vessels were captured, receiving praise from the pope.
Trevisan attended the
papal congress of war in Mantua in 1459 where chronicler
Andrea Schivenoglia described him on arrival as "aged sixty, a small, swarthy, hairy man, with a very proud, dark air about him" ("''homo pizolo, negro, peloxo, com aìero molte superbo e schuro''").
Trevisan was the only cardinal in the
papal conclave, 1464
The 1464 papal conclave (August 28–30), convened after the death of Pope Pius II, elected as his successor cardinal Pietro Barbo, who took the name ''Paul II''.
List of participants
Pope Pius II died on August 14, 1464, in Ancona during prepara ...
that did not subscribe to the
conclave capitulation
A conclave capitulation was a compact or unilateral contract drawn up by the College of Cardinals during a papal conclave to constrain the actions of the pope elected by the conclave. The legal term '' capitulation'' more frequently refers to the ...
, which among other things, bound the pope to continue the Crusading war against the Ottoman Turks.
Death and legacy
Trevisan died during the first year of the pontificate of
Pope Paul II
Pope Paul II ( la, Paulus II; it, Paolo II; 23 February 1417 – 26 July 1471), born Pietro Barbo, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States
from 30 August 1464 to his death in July 1471. When his maternal uncle Eugene IV ...
, with whom Trevisan was not on good terms, at 3 a.m. in Rome of
edema
Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's Tissue (biology), tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels t ...
.
[Chambers, 2006, p. 72.] Like Cardinal
Gil Álvarez Carrillo de Albornoz
Gil Álvarez Carrillo de Albornoz more commonly Gil de Albornoz ( es, Egidio Álvarez de Albornoz y Luna; – 23 August 1367), was a Spanish curial cardinal, archbishop of Toledo from 13 May 1338 to 17 December 1350. Grand Penitentiary from ...
, Trevisan has been described as an "angel of peace".
Notes
References
* Chambers, D.S. 2006. ''Popes, Cardinals & War: The Military Church in Renaissance and Early Modern Europe''. I.B. Tauris. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trevisan, Ludovico
1401 births
1465 deaths
Clergy from Padua
15th-century Italian cardinals
Patriarchs of Aquileia
15th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Republic of Florence
Cardinal-bishops of Albano
Roman Catholic archbishops of Florence
Apostolic Camera
Camerlengos of the Holy Roman Church
Burials at San Lorenzo in Damaso
Captains General of the Church
Christians of the Crusades