Simone Boccanegra (; lij, Scimon Boccaneigra ; died 1363) was the first
Doge of Genoa
The Doge of Genoa ( lij, Dûxe, ; la, Januensium dux et populi defensor, "Commander of the Genoese and Defender of the People") was the ruler of the Republic of Genoa, a city-state and soon afterwards a maritime republic, from 1339 until the s ...
. He became doge in 1339, but was ousted from power six years later. He regained the position in 1356, retaining it until his death in 1363.
His story was popularized by
Antonio García Gutiérrez
Antonio García Gutiérrez (4 October 1813 in Chiclana de la Frontera, Cádiz26 August 1884 in Madrid) was a Spanish Romantic dramatist.
Biography
After having studied medicine in his native town, García Gutiérrez moved to Madrid in 1833 a ...
's 1843 play ''Simón Bocanegra'' and
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
's 1857 opera ''
Simon Boccanegra
''Simon Boccanegra'' () is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play ''Simón Bocanegra'' (1843) by Antonio García Gutiérrez, whose play ''El trovador'' had b ...
''.
Family background
Simone Boccanegra belonged to the wealthy Genoese Boccanegra family of merchants, a family that had among its members
Guglielmo Boccanegra
Guglielmo Boccanegra was a Genoese statesman, the first ''capitano del popolo'' of the Republic of Genoa, from 1257 to 1262, exercising a real lordship, assisted in the government by a council of 32 elders.
Biography Origin and early years
Th ...
, who in 1257 became a virtual dictator of the Republic of Genoa when an insurrection against the government of the old aristocracy made him gain the control of the republic.
Guglielmo Boccanegra was also the commissioner, in 1260, of the building of
Palazzo San Giorgio
The Palazzo San Giorgio or Palace of St. George (also known as the Palazzo delle Compere di San Giorgio) is a palace in Genoa, Italy. It is situated in the Piazza Caricamento.
The palace was built in 1260 by Guglielmo Boccanegra, uncle of Simo ...
, the future seat of republican power in the republic.
Life as doge
Boccanegra was elected doge for life on 23 December 1339. Boccanegra was opposed by the aristocratic faction, representing the old mercantile patriciate, which his first actions excluded from public life. With the old patriciate excluded from power, a new class of mercantile houses arose:
Adorno
Theodor W. Adorno ( , ; born Theodor Ludwig Wiesengrund; 11 September 1903 – 6 August 1969) was a German philosopher, sociologist, psychologist, musicologist, and composer.
He was a leading member of the Frankfurt School of critica ...
,
Guarco,
Fregoso
The House of Fregoso or di Campofregoso was a noble family of the Republic of Genoa and Liguria in general, divided into numerous branches, whose members distinguished themselves on numerous historical occasions; many of them held the position of ...
, and
Montaldo. During Boccanegra's dogate, Genoese control was extended the length of both the
French and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
Rivieras, with the exception of the
Grimaldi holdings in Monaco and Ventimiglia.
Simone's brother Egidio, was a grand admiral in the service of
Alfonso XI of Castile
Alfonso XI (13 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes en ...
, and inflicted a memorable defeat on a Moroccan fleet off
Algeciras
Algeciras ( , ) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algeci ...
in 1344.
There were constant conspiracies and even attempts against Boccanegra's life from the start. (The first conspirator's head rolled on 20 December 1339.) This led to the establishment of a bodyguard of 103 mounted soldiers. For Boccanegra's security, these were drawn from
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 ...
, the inveterate enemy of Genoa, where, however, Simone's brother Niccolò was "
Capitano del popolo
Captain of the People ( it, Capitano del popolo, Lombard: ''Capitani del Popol'') was an administrative title used in Italy during the Middle Ages, established essentially to balance the power and authority of the noble families of the Italian ci ...
", their mother having been a Pisan aristocrat.
Resignation and death
Boccanegra was forced to resign his office at a public meeting he had called on 23 December 1345. He was succeeded by
Giovanni I di Murta, who died in early January 1350 and then by
Giovanni II Valente
Giovanni II Valente (Genoa, 1280 – Genoa, 1360) was the third doge of the Republic of Genoa. His time in office was marked by the crushing defeat of the city against the Venetians at the naval Battle of Alghero. Giovanni had already asked to ...
, who ruled as chief magistrate, until Boccanegra regained power in 1356.
Boccanegra died in 1363, possibly having been poisoned by agents of his enemies.
In culture
The
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 ...
poet
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists.
Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited w ...
wrote letters to the people of Genoa and to the
doge of Venice
The Doge of Venice ( ; vec, Doxe de Venexia ; it, Doge di Venezia ; all derived from Latin ', "military leader"), sometimes translated as Duke (compare the Italian '), was the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice between 726 a ...
appealing to them to end their fratricidal wars and find a common aim. These letters were among Verdi's inspirations for the revision of the opera in 1881.
Simone Boccanegra's tomb in the no longer extant church of San Francesco in
Castelletto was decorated with a remarkable funeral sculpture, depicting him as if
lying in state with extraordinary realism in his features. This sculpture is now in the Museum of Sant'Agostino.
See also
*
Boccanegra
The surname Boccanegra originated in northern Italy during the 13th century. The Boccanegra family produced the first Capitano del popolo and the first Doge of the Republic of Genoa.
History
The Boccanegra family rose to power in Genoa. Gugli ...
*
Egidio Boccanegra Egidio Boccanegra was the brother of Simone Boccanegra, the first Doge of Genoa. In 1340 Egidio led a force of Genoese troops in the service of Alfonso XI of Castile in a war against Moroccan troops. The following year, Peter IV of Aragon appoi ...
References
External links
*
Il primo doge: Simone Boccanegra*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boccanegra, Simone
1363 deaths
14th-century Doges of Genoa
Assassinated Italian politicians
Deaths by poisoning
Year of birth unknown
Simone