Valdrada (Gualdrada) of Tuscany (died 997) was a

Dogaressa of Venice Dogaressa ( , , ) was the official title of the wife of the Doge of Venice. The title was unique for Venice: while the head of the Republic of Genoa were also called Doge, the wives of the Doges of Genoa were not called ''Dogaressa'', nor did t ...

by marriage to the

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 ...

Pietro IV Candiano Pietro IV Candiano (925–976) was the twenty-second (traditional) or twentieth (historical) doge of Venice from 959 to his death. He was the eldest son of Pietro III Candiano, with whom he co-reigned and whom he was elected to succeed. Rise Pie ...

(r. 959-976).

Early life

She was the daughter of

Hubert, Duke of Spoleto Hubert (or Humbert, Italian ''Uberto'' or ''Umberto''; died c. 969) was the illegitimate son of King Hugh of Italy and his concubine Wandelmoda. He became Margrave of Tuscany in 936 and Duke of Spoleto and Margrave of Camerino in 943. Hubert had ...

, grandfather of

Mathilda of Tuscany Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

. She was arranged to be married to Pietro by Emperor

Otto III Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu. Otto III was crowned as King of ...

after the divorce of his former dogaressa,

Giovanniccia Candiano Giovanniccia Candiano, also called Giuliana, was Dogaressa of Venice by her marriage to the Doge Pietro IV Candiano (r. 959–976) and mother of future doge Vitale Candiano. Giovanniccia was not a member of the aristocracy and was previously ...

. She brought a dowry including castles and a retinue of slaves.

Dogaressa

She and the Doge created the custom of the Mundio, in which the doge granted half of his income to his consort. Valdrada became unpopular in Venice because of her arrogance, but she had good relations with Pietro. She supported his ambitions and strengthened his status by behaving as a Queen, and was reportedly the first dogaressa to follow a royal ceremonial protocol. She introduced

bull fighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

in Venice, which became popular and at which she presided.

Slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

became a controversial issue in Venice because of her retinue of slaves, but when her spouse asked her to free them, she replied that she was a subject of the emperor, but not of the doge. In 976 the Venetians rebelled. They set fire to the residence of the Doge and the family fled he with their small son Pietre in his arms, she with her daughter Marina in hers. Valdrada begged for the life of her son, but both her husband and her son were lynched. She was allowed to leave with her daughter, perhaps because Venice feared the vengeance of the emperor if she was harmed.

Later life

She fled to

Empress Adelaide Adelaide of Italy (german: Adelheid; 931 – 16 December 999 AD), also called Adelaide of Burgundy, was Holy Roman Empress by marriage to Emperor Otto the Great; she was crowned with him by Pope John XII in Rome on 2 February 962. She was the f ...

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

. She demanded that her dowry be restored from Venice, and that Venice be destroyed by the emperor for the rebellion.Staley, Edgcumbe:
The dogaressas of Venice : The wives of the doges
', London : T. W. Laurie After negotiations, a settlement was reached. She refused to become a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

as a

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...

, which was the Venetian custom, and settled at the court of her brother in Tuscany, where she died. Her daughter Marina became the Dogaressa of the Doge

Tribuno Memmo Tribuno Memmo (died 991) was the 25th Doge of Venice who served from 979 to 991. History He was illiterate and according to preserved documents, he signed via ''signum manus''. He was rich, partly due to marriage to dogaressa Marina Candiano, d ...

, but he was deposed in 990, after which Marina became a nun.

References

* Staley, Edgcumbe:
The dogaressas of Venice : The wives of the doges
', London : T. W. Laurie, 1910 Dogaressas of Venice 997 deaths 10th-century Venetian people Year of birth unknown 10th-century Italian women Candiano family People from Tuscany {{Italy-noble-stub