The House of Cornaro or Corner are a family in

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 ...

who were patricians in the Republic of Venice and included many

Doges 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 ...

and other high officials. The name ''Corner'', originally from the Venetian dialect, was adopted in the eighteenth century. The older standard Italian ''Cornaro'' is no longer common in Italian sources referring to earlier members of the family, but remains so in English.

History

Palazzo Loredan dell'Ambasciatore (Venice)

The family and name Cornaro are said to descend from the gens Cornelia, a patrician family of Ancient Rome. The Cornari were among the twelve tribunal families of the Republic of Venice and provided founding members of the Great Council in 1172. In the 14th century, the family separated into two distinct branches, Cornaro of the Great House and Cornaro Piscopia. The latter name derived from the 1363 grant of the fief of Piscopia in the Kingdom of Cyprus to Federico Cornaro. When

Caterina Cornaro Catherine Cornaro ( el, Αικατερίνη Κορνάρο, vec, Catarina Corner) (25 November 1454 – 10 July 1510) was the last monarch of the Kingdom of Cyprus, also holding the titles of the Queen of Jerusalem and Armenia. She was queen ...

married king

James II of Cyprus James II (french: Jacques; c. 1438/1439 or c. 1440 – 10 July 1473) was the penultimate King of Cyprus (usurper), reigning from 1463 until his death. Archbishop of Nicosia James was born in Nicosia as the illegitimate son of John II of Cypr ...

in 1468, the Lusignan royal arms were added to the family arms

party per pale In heraldry, the field (background) of a shield can be divided into more than one area, or subdivision, of different tinctures, usually following the lines of one of the ordinaries and carrying its name (e.g. a shield divided in the shape of a ...

. They had eight palaces on the

Grand Canal, Venice The Grand Canal ( it, Canal Grande ; vec, Canal Grando, anciently ''Canałasso'' ) is a channel in Venice, Italy. It forms one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city. One end of the canal leads into the lagoon near the Santa Luci ...

at different times, including

Ca' Corner Palazzo Corner della Ca' Granda, also called Ca' Corner della Ca' Granda or simply Palazzo Corner or Palazzo Cornaro, is a Renaissance-style palace located between the ''Casina delle Rose'' and the Rio di San Maurizio (Venice), across the Grand ...

and what is now the

Palazzo Loredan dell'Ambasciatore Palazzo Loredan dell'Ambasciatore is a late 15th-century Gothic palace in Venice, Italy, that once belonged to the noble Loredan family. Located in the Dorsoduro ''sestiere'' (quarter), it was called ''"dell'Ambasciatore"'' because it was offered ...

. They commissioned many famous monuments and works of art, including

Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

's '' Ecstasy of St Theresa'' in the Cornaro Chapel of Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome (1652). In Greece the islands of

Scarpanto Karpathos ( el, Κάρπαθος, ), also Carpathos, is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Together with the neighboring smaller Saria Island it forms the municipality of Karpathos, which is part o ...

and

Kasos Kasos (; el, Κάσος, ), also Casos, is a Greek island municipality in the Dodecanese. It is the southernmost island in the Aegean Sea, and is part of the Karpathos regional unit. The capital of the island is Fri. , its population was 1,22 ...

were their fiefs from the early 14th century until the Ottoman conquest.

Sugar trade

The Cornaro Piscopias ran a large

sugar plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

in their fief near Episcopi in

Venetian Cyprus The island of Cyprus was an overseas possession of the Republic of Venice from 1489, when the independent Kingdom of Cyprus ended, until 1570–71, when the island was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. History Acquisition Venice for centuries ...

, in which they exploited

slaves 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 ...

of Syrian or Arab origin or local

serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

. Sugar was transformed in-house with a large copper boiler made in Venice that the family paid hefty sums to maintain and operate. They exported sugarloafs and powdered sugar to Europe. The Cornaros were often in conflict with their neighbors over the use and handling of water.

Members

* Felicia Cornaro (died 1111), dogaressa of Venice * Andrea Cornaro (died 1323), Margrave of Bodonitsa *

Marco Cornaro Marco Cornaro (c. 1286 – 13 January 1368), also known as Marco Corner, was the 59th doge of Venice, ruling between 1365 and 1368. His brief reign saw the loss of Venetian territory to Genoa and the Ottoman Empire, though Venice was to enjoy eco ...

(c.1286–1368), doge 1365–68 * Federico Cornaro (died 1382), merchant and politician, founder of the Piscopia plantation *

Pietro Cornaro Pietro Cornaro, also known as Peter Cornaro or Corner (died in 1387 or 1388), was Lord of Argos and Nauplia in Frankish Greece from 1377. Early life Pietro was the son of Federico Cornaro of the Santa Lucia branch. He was born before 1363. Being ...

(died in 1387 or 1388),

Lord of Argos and Nauplia During the late Middle Ages, the two cities of Argos ( el, Άργος, french: Argues) and Nauplia (modern Nafplio, Ναύπλιο; in the Middle Ages Ἀνάπλι, in French ''Naples de Romanie'') formed a lordship within the Frankish-ruled Mor ...

from 1377 *

Marco Cornaro (1406–1479) Marco Cornaro or Marco Corner (1406–1479) was a merchant, politician and diplomat of the Cornaro family of the Republic of Venice. He had already earned great wealth and made a prestigious marriage before entering politics in middle age. He was d ...

, trader, patrician, diplomat *

Luigi Cornaro Alvise Cornaro, often Italianised Luigi (1484, 1467 or 1464 gives a birth date of 1467 – 8 May 1566), was a Venetian nobleman and patron of arts, also remembered for his four books of ''Discorsi'' (published 1583–95) about the secrets to ...

(c.1464–1566), who wrote treatises on dieting *

Giorgio Cornaro ''Nobil Huomo'' Giorgio Cornaro, called "Padre della Patria" (1452 – 31 July 1527) was a Venetian nobleman and politician. Life Giorgio Cornaro was born in Venice in 1452. He was the son of ''Nobil Huomo'' Marco Cornaro (December 1406 – 1 ...

(1452–1527), brother of Caterina Cornaro *

(1454–1510), Queen of Cyprus from 1474 to 1489 *

Francesco Cornaro Francesco Cornaro may refer to: * Francesco Cornaro (1478–1543), Italian cardinal * Francesco Cornaro (1547–1598), Italian cardinal * Francesco Cornaro (Doge) (1585–1656), Doge of Venice See also * House of Cornaro The House of Cornaro ...

(1476–1543),

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 ...

from 1527 *

(1482–1524), cardinal from 1522 *

Andrea Cornaro (cardinal) Andrea Cornaro (1511–1551) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. Biography Andrea Cornaro (born in 1511 in Venice) was an Italian clergyman and bishop for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Split-Makarska, and later for Brescia. ...

(1511–1551), Italian Roman Catholic bishop of Brescia, and later cardinal *

(1524–1578), Italian Roman Catholic Bishop of Treviso *

Federico Cornaro (1531–1590) Federico Cornaro (9 June 1531 – 4 October 1590) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Cardinal-Priest of Santo Stefano al Monte Celio (1586–1590), Bishop of Padua (1577–1590), Bishop of Bergamo (1561–1577), and Bishop of Trogir ( ...

, Italian Roman Catholic Cardinal-Priest of Santo Stefano al Monte Celio * Luigi Cornaro (cardinal), Italian Roman Catholic cardinal and Archbishop of Zadar *

Andrea Cornaro (historian) Andrea Cornaro (1547 – c. 1616) or Andreas Kornaros ( el, Ανδρέας Κορνάρος) was a Venetian aristocrat, historian and author. Personal life Cornaro was a Venetian aristocrat born in Trapezonta Sitia on the island of Crete. He w ...

(1547–c.1616), Venetian aristocrat, historian and author * Vitsentzos Kornaros (1553–1614), Cretan poet *

Marco Cornaro (1557–1625) Marco Cornaro also Marco Corner (1557 – 11 June 1625) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Padua (1594–1625).

, Italian Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Padua * Cardinal

Federico Baldissera Bartolomeo Cornaro Painting of Cardinal Cornaro by Bernardo Strozzi (c. 1640) Coat of arms of Cardinal Federico Baldissera Bartolomeo Corner Federico Baldissera Bartolomeo Cornaro (16 November 1579 – 5 June 1653) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal and Patriarch of ...

(1579–1653), Patriarch of Venice 1631–44 *

Giovanni I Cornaro Giovanni I Corner or Cornaro (Venice, 11 November 1551 – Venice, 23 December 1629) was the 96th Doge of Venice, reigning from 24 January 1625 until his death. Early years, 1551–1625 He was the son of Marcantonio Cornaro and Cecilia Giust ...

(1551–1629), doge from 1624 *

Marco Antonio Cornaro Marco Antonio Cornaro or Marcantonio Corner (1583–1639) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Padua (1632–1639). Biography Marco Antonio Cornaro was born in Venice, Italy in 1583. On 15 November 1632, he was appointed during ...

(1583–1639), Italian Roman Catholic Bishop of Padua * Francesco Corner (1585–1656), doge in 1656 * Elena Cornaro Piscopia (1646–1684), first woman to get a Doctor of Philosophy

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

(from the University of Padua in 1678) *

Giovanni II Cornaro Giovanni II Cornaro, sometimes Corner (4 August 1647 – 12 August 1722) was a Venetian nobleman and statesman; he served as the 111th Doge of Venice from 22 May 1709 until his death. Cornaro was born and died in Venice. He was a career statesma ...

(1647–1722), doge from 1709 *

Giorgio Cornaro (cardinal) Giorgio Cornaro or Giorgio Corner (1658–1722) was a Roman Catholic cardinal and member of the Cornaro family. Biography On 11 May 1692, he was consecrated bishop by Giambattista Rubini, Bishop of Vicenza, with Lorenzo Trotti, Bishop of Pavia ...

(1658–1722), cardinal from 1697 *

Laura Cornaro Laura Cornaro (died 1739) was the Dogaressa of Venice by marriage to the Doge Giovanni II Cornaro (r. 1709-1722). Laura Cornaro was born to Nicolo Cornaro and married her cousin Giovanni II Cornaro in 1667. As dogaressa, Laura Cornaro was describ ...

(d.1739), dogaressa of Venice, by marriage to the Doge Giovanni II Cornaro * Giovanni Cornaro (1720–1789), cardinal from 1778

References

{{Reflist

External links

Cornaro family
Republic of Venice families Italian noble families