Nicolò Tron (born c. 1399 – died 1473 in Venice) was the 68th

Doge of Venice The Doge of Venice ( ) – in Italian, was the doge or highest role of authority within the Republic of Venice (697–1797). The word derives from the Latin , meaning 'leader', and Venetian Italian dialect for 'duke', highest official of the ...

, reigning from 1471 to 1473.

Life

A member of the patrician House of Tron whose presence in Venice had been recorded since the Middle Ages, Nicolò Tron became wealthy after only a brief career as a merchant after which he held various public positions in the government of Venice. He was ''consigliere'' for naval matters and ambassador of Venice to Pope

Pius II Pope Pius II (, ), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464. Aeneas Silvius was an author, diplomat, ...

, who had waged a war with Vlad Dracula against

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. Tron was married to

Aliodea Morosini Aliodea Morosini, called "Dea Moro" (died 1478), was the Dogaressa Dogaressa ( , , ) was the official title of the wife of the Doge of Venice. The title was unique for Venice: while the heads of the Republic of Genoa were also called Doge, the ...

, known sometime as Dea Tron or Dea Moro. Staley, Edgcumbe: The dogaressas of Venice : The wives of the doges. London : T. W. Laurie
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Doge

In the doge election of 1471 Tron prevailed against his later successors

Pietro Mocenigo Pietro Mocenigo (1406–1476) was doge of Venice from 1474 to 1476. Biography He was one of the greatest Venetian admirals and revived the fortunes of the Venetian navy, which had fallen very low after the defeat at the Battle of Negroponte in ...

and Andrea Vendramin. During his reign Venice consolidated its control of

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

and reduced its frequent quarrels with the Turks by forming an alliance with the Turkmen Ussan Hassan Beg. His skillful politics enabled Venice to enjoy a period of freedom during his reign. However, his policy of building up the military sharply increased Venice's public debt. Tron reformed the monetary system of Venice. He introduced a new coin, called the Lira, which on the reverse side depicted the profile of the doge like the ancient coins used to; and thus went against the Venetian practice of rejecting any association of a personality cult with the Republic of Venice. After his death, the coin was changed to feature a kneeling, unidentifiable Doge.

Tomb

Tron's tomb was commissioned by his son Filippo Tron and built in the

Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, commonly abbreviated to ''the Frari'', is a church located in the Campo dei Frari at the heart of the San Polo district of Venice, Italy. It is the largest church in the city and it has the status ...

. The tomb's design and construction is attributed to the architect of the Doge's Palace, Antonio Rizzo. According to the inscription on the monument, the tomb was financed by loot from Tron's wars with the Turks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tron, Nicolo Year of birth uncertain 1390s births 1473 deaths Ambassadors of the Republic of Venice to the Holy See Republic of Venice people of the Ottoman–Venetian Wars 15th-century Doges of Venice 15th-century Italian diplomats Nicolo Burials at Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari