Nicholas I Zorzi (or Giorgi) ( it, Niccolò Zorzi; died 1354) was a

Marquess of Bodonitsa The margraviate or marquisate of Bodonitsa (also Vodonitsa or Boudonitza; el, Μαρκιωνία/Μαρκιζᾶτον τῆς Βοδονίτσας), today Mendenitsa, Phthiotis (180 km northwest of Athens), was a Frankish state in Greece foll ...

, and the first member of the

Zorzi The House of Zorzi or Giorgi was a noble family of Venetian origin. They thrived in the Late Middle Ages, especially in the remnants of the Latin Empire in Greece, where they controlled the Margraviate of Bodonitsa and through marriage the Duc ...

family of

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 ...

to hold the post, from 1335 to his death. In 1335, he married

Guglielma Pallavicini Guglielma Pallavicini (rarely ''Wilhelmina''; died 1358), the Lady of Thermopylae, was the last Pallavicino heir to rule in Bodonitsa. She ruled as Margrave of Bodonitza in 1311 – 1358. She was an infant when she succeeded her father Albert in ...

, heiress of Bodonitsa and widow of Bartolommeo Zaccaria. Though Nicholas was on good terms with

Catalan Company The Catalan Company or the Great Catalan Company (Spanish: ''Compañía Catalana'', Catalan: ''Gran Companyia Catalana'', Latin: ''Exercitus francorum'', ''Societas exercitus catalanorum'', ''Societas cathalanorum'', ''Magna Societas Catalanorum' ...

then ruling the

Duchy 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 the ...

, he objected to the annual tribute of four

destrier Mounted on a destrier, Richard Marshal unseats an opponent during a skirmish. The destrier is the best-known war horse of the Middle Ages. It carried knights in battles, tournaments, and jousts. It was described by contemporary sources as the ...

s. Though he held the margraviate until his death and his descendants continued to rule it until the Ottoman conquest, his wife "tired of him" according to Setton. He left three sons,

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

, James, and

Nicholas Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglicanism, Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the n ...

, each of whom ruled the margraviate at some point or other.

Sources

*Setton, Kenneth M. (general editor) ''A History of the Crusades: Volume III — The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries''. Harry W. Hazard, editor. University of Wisconsin Press: Madison, 1975. *Setton, Kenneth M. ''Catalan Domination of Athens 1311–1380''. Revised edition. Variorum: London, 1975.
Latin Lordships of Greece: Boudonitza.
1354 deaths Christians of the Crusades Marquesses of Bodonitsa Year of birth unknown 14th-century Venetian people Nicholas 01 {{europe-noble-stub