Nerio II Acciaioli (1416–1451) was the

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 ...

on two separate occasions from 1435 to 1439 and again from 1441 to 1451. He was a member of the

Acciaioli The Acciaioli, Acciaiuoli, Accioly, Acciajuoli or Acioli was an important family of Florence. Family name is also written Acciaioli, Acciainoli, or Accioly, Accioli, Acioli and Acyoly in Portugal and Brazil, where there are branches of it. Descent ...

family of

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 ...

, the son of Francesco Lord of Sykaminon, who was cousin to Antonio I Acciaioli Duke of Athens. His mother was Margareta Malpigli. Nerio II's rule was contemporaneous with a renewed Italian philhellenism and corresponding interest in antiquities and the

Greek language Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Al ...

. Nerio not only spoke Greek naturally, but also owned the most famous monuments of the Hellenic world in his capital of

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 ...

. Nerio arrived in Greece in 1419 on the death of his father when he was only three years old. He was named heir to his uncle

Antonio I 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 male ...

of Athens, but on his uncle's death in 1435, he had to fight his uncle's widow Maria Melissene and the Chalkokondyles for the ducal throne. While George Chalkokondyles, the father of the

Laonikos Chalkokondyles Laonikos Chalkokondyles, Latinized as Laonicus Chalcocondyles ( el, Λαόνικος Χαλκοκονδύλης, from λαός "people", νικᾶν "to be victorious", an anagram of Nikolaos which bears the same meaning; c. 1430 – c. 1470; ...

was pressing her suit before

Murad II Murad II ( ota, مراد ثانى, Murād-ı sānī, tr, II. Murad, 16 June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451. Murad II's reign was a period of important economic deve ...

, the

Ottoman sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...

, the leading men of Athens tricked Maria into leaving 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, ...

then handed the title to Nerio. Maria and George Chalkokondyles' family were banished from Athens. After securing his position with Turkish help, he was removed by the intrigues of his brother Antonio II and driven from the Acropolis.An act celebrated by Florentine

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

Jacopo Gaddi Jacopo Gaddi (c. 1600 - after 1658) was an Italian Neo-Latin and Italian writer from Florence. Biography Born to a wealthy noble family, Gaddi was well known in Florence and was in correspondence with numerous figures outside his birthplace, incl ...

in a short verse ''De Nerio II et Antonio II Acciaiolis fratribus ducibus Athenarum'' which puts an interesting classical twist on the rivalry between the two brothers: :''Nobile par fratrum, Graecos Dux rexit uterque'' ::''Non simul, alterno tempore sceptra ferens.'' :''Gesserat haec Nerius, quo pulso Antonius ardens'' ::''Rursus at extincto fratre gerit Nerius.'' :''Nimium Pollux et Castor in urbe fuissent,'' ::''Si fratrum illis gratia sanctus amor.'' His inveterate personal enemy, the historian Laonikos Chalkokondyles, denigrates him as "effeminate."Chalkokondyles, 6.52; translated by Kaldellis, ''The Histories'', pp. 69-71 Nerio returned to power in 1441 on the death of his brother, after spending a few years in Florence. He immediately expelled his brother's widow Maria Zorzi. It is probably that Nerio was present when the Emperor John VIII made a proclamation of

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the Florentine

Duomo ''Duomo'' (, ) is an Italian term for a church with the features of, or having been built to serve as, a cathedral, whether or not it currently plays this role. Monza Cathedral, for example, has never been a diocesan seat and is by definition n ...

on 6 July 1439. In 1444, Nerio went to war against the Turks on the side of the ''despot''

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

, but came to terms with the Ottomans. He subsequently lost Thebes to Constantine and was forced to pay him tribute and become his vassal. In 1446, Murad assisted Nerio in retaking Thebes for the Latins. On his death, he was succeeded by his young son

Francesco Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name " Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), sev ...

under the

regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of his widow

Chiara Zorzi Chiara Zorzi or Giorgio, also Clara or Claire (died 1454), was duchess consort of Athens by marriage to Nerio II Acciaioli, Duke of Athens, and regent of Athens during the minority of her son Francesco I from 1451 until 1454. Life She was the dau ...

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nerio 02 Acciaioli 1416 births 1451 deaths Acciaioli family Dukes of Athens 15th-century monarchs in Europe 15th-century people of the Republic of Florence