Catherine Cornaro
Encyclopedia
Nobil Donna Catherine Cornaro (Italian: Caterina) (25 November 1454 – 10 July 1510) was Queen of Cyprus
from 1474 to 1489 and declared a "Daughter of Saint Mark" in order that Venice could claim control of Cyprus after the death of her husband, James II ("James the Bastard")
.
in 1454 and was the daughter of a well-known and powerful family of the Republic of Venice
. She was the younger sister of the Nobil Huomo Giorgio Cornaro
(Venice
, 1452 – Venice
, July 31, 1527), "Padre della Patria", Knight of the Holy Roman Empire
, Patrizio Veneto, Podeste of Brescia
in 1496 and procurator of San Marco
, who married at Venice
in 1475 the Nobil Donna Elisabetta Morosini, Patrizia Veneta, and they had issue, called "Cornaro della Regina".
Catherine was a daughter of Nobil Huomo Marco Cornaro (Venice
, December, 1406 – Venice
, August 1, 1479), Knight of the Holy Roman Empire
(Cavaliere del Sacro Romano Impero) and Patrizio Veneto (Patrician of Venice) by his wife Fiorenza Crispo. Her father was presumably a namesake grandson of Marco Cornaro
, Doge of Venice from 1365 to 1368. The Cornaro family had produced four Doges. Her family had long associations with Cyprus, especially with regards to trade and commerce. In the Episkopi area, in the Limassol District
, the Cornaro family administered various sugar-mills and exported Cypriot products to Venice.
Fiorenza Crispo was a daughter of Nicholas Crispo, Lord of Syros
. The identity of her mother is uncertain as Crispo had two known wives. Either could be the mother. According to his own correspondence, Niccolò was a son-in-law of Jacopo of Lesbos
. An account by Caterino Zeno dated to 1574 names another wife, Eudokia-Valenza of Trebizond. This Valenza was a reported daughter of John IV of Trebizond
and Bagrationi
. However her alleged parents were married in 1426 and one of Valenza's daughters was reportedly married in 1429. John IV and his wife are unlikely to have been the grandparents of a married woman only three years following their own marriage. Valenza is considered likely to have been a sister of John IV, instead of a daughter. In this case her parents would be Alexios IV of Trebizond
and Theodora Kantakouzene
.
Niccolò had been created lord of Syros
by his father Francesco I Crispo
, Duke of the Archipelago
. His mother was Florence Sanudo, a member of the previous reigning dynasty of the Archipelago. Florence was Lady of Milos. She was the daughter and successor of Marco Sanudo, Lord of Milos from 1341 to 1376. Marco was a younger son of William I Sanudo
, Duke of the Archipelago from 1303 to 1323.
She was painted by Dürer
, Titian
, Bellini
and Giorgione
.
, otherwise known as James the Bastard, became King. In 1473 he chose Caterina for a wife and Queen of the Kingdom of Cyprus. The King's choice was extremely pleasing to the Republic of Venice
as it could henceforth secure the commercial rights and other privileges of Venice in Cyprus
. They married in Venice
, on July 30, 1468, by proxy, when she was only 14 years old. She finally travelled to Cyprus and married in person at Famagusta
in October or November, 1472.
James died soon after the wedding due to a sudden illness, and according to his will, Caterina, who at the time was pregnant, acted as regent. She became monarch when their infant son James
died in August, 1474 before his first birthday, under suspicious circumstances.
The kingdom had long since declined, and had been a tributary state of the Mameluks since 1426. Under Caterina, who ruled the island from 1474 to 1489, the island was controlled by Venetian merchants, and on 14 March 1489 she was forced to abdicate and to sell the administration of the country to the Republic of Venice.
According to George Boustronios, "On 14 February, the Queen dressed in black and accompanied by the Barons and their ladies, set off on horseback. Six knights held her horse's reins. From the moment she left Nicosia
, her eyes kept streaming with tears. Upon her departure, the whole population was bewailing."
Having been deposed in February of that year, Caterina was finally obliged to leave the island on 14 May 1489.
, a county in the Veneto
of Italy
, in 1489. Asolo soon gained a reputation as a court of literary and artistic distinction, mainly as a result of it being the fictitious setting for Pietro Bembo
's platonic dialogues on love, Gli Asolani. Catherine died in Venice in 1510.
based on her life was composed by Gaetano Donizetti
in 1844; and the Cornaro Institute
, a charitable organisation based in Larnaca
for the promotion of art and other culture http://www.cornaroinstitute.org, memorialises her name in Cyprus. Also in Cyprus, in October 2011, the Cyprus Antiquities Department announced Caterina Cornaro's partially ruined summer palace, in Potamia, would be renovated in a one million euro restoration project, becoming a cultural centre.
Kingdom of Cyprus
The Kingdom of Cyprus was a Crusader kingdom on the island of Cyprus in the high and late Middle Ages, between 1192 and 1489. It was ruled by the French House of Lusignan.-History:...
from 1474 to 1489 and declared a "Daughter of Saint Mark" in order that Venice could claim control of Cyprus after the death of her husband, James II ("James the Bastard")
James II of Cyprus
James II of Cyprus or Jacques II le Bâtard de Lusignan , was the illegitimate son of John II of Cyprus and Marietta de Patras.-Archbishop of Nicosia:...
.
Family
She was born in VeniceVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
in 1454 and was the daughter of a well-known and powerful family of the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
. She was the younger sister of the Nobil Huomo Giorgio Cornaro
Giorgio Cornaro
Nobil Huomo Giorgio Cornaro, called "Padre della Patria" , Cavaliere del Sacro Romano Impero, Patrizio Veneto, Podesta of Brescia in 1496, Procurator of San Marco....
(Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, 1452 – Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, July 31, 1527), "Padre della Patria", Knight of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, Patrizio Veneto, Podeste of Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
in 1496 and procurator of San Marco
Procurator of San Marco
The office of Procurator of San Marco was the second most prestigious life appointment in the Republic of Venice .-History:...
, who married at Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
in 1475 the Nobil Donna Elisabetta Morosini, Patrizia Veneta, and they had issue, called "Cornaro della Regina".
Catherine was a daughter of Nobil Huomo Marco Cornaro (Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, December, 1406 – Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, August 1, 1479), Knight of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
(Cavaliere del Sacro Romano Impero) and Patrizio Veneto (Patrician of Venice) by his wife Fiorenza Crispo. Her father was presumably a namesake grandson of Marco Cornaro
Marco Cornaro
Marco Cornaro , 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 economic growth during this time.-Biography:The Cornaro family to which the future...
, Doge of Venice from 1365 to 1368. The Cornaro family had produced four Doges. Her family had long associations with Cyprus, especially with regards to trade and commerce. In the Episkopi area, in the Limassol District
Limassol District
Limassol District is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is Limassol. Part of the British overseas territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia forms an enclave on the Akrotiri peninsula, under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom....
, the Cornaro family administered various sugar-mills and exported Cypriot products to Venice.
Fiorenza Crispo was a daughter of Nicholas Crispo, Lord of Syros
Nicholas Crispo, Lord of Syros
Nicholas Crispo, Patrizio Veneto , became Lord of Syros in 1420 and Regent of the Duchy of Naxos and of the Archipelagos between 1447 and 1450...
. The identity of her mother is uncertain as Crispo had two known wives. Either could be the mother. According to his own correspondence, Niccolò was a son-in-law of Jacopo of Lesbos
Jacopo of Lesbos
Jacopo Gattilusio, Lord of Lesbos was the third ruler of an independent Lesbos from 1404 to 1428.He was the eldest son of Francesco II of Lesbos and Valentina Doria. He succeeded to his realm on 26 October 1404.-Marriage:...
. An account by Caterino Zeno dated to 1574 names another wife, Eudokia-Valenza of Trebizond. This Valenza was a reported daughter of John IV of Trebizond
John IV of Trebizond
John IV Megas Komnenos , was Emperor of Trebizond from 1429 to 1459. He was a son of Emperor Alexios IV of Trebizond and Theodora Kantakouzene....
and Bagrationi
Bagrationi, wife of John IV of Trebizond
Bagrationi was the first Empress consort of John IV of Trebizond. Her first name is unknown.-Family:Bagrationi was a daughter of Alexander I of Georgia and his second wife Tamar...
. However her alleged parents were married in 1426 and one of Valenza's daughters was reportedly married in 1429. John IV and his wife are unlikely to have been the grandparents of a married woman only three years following their own marriage. Valenza is considered likely to have been a sister of John IV, instead of a daughter. In this case her parents would be Alexios IV of Trebizond
Alexios IV of Trebizond
Alexios IV Megas Komnenos or Alexius IV , , Emperor of Trebizond from March 5, 1417 to October 1429. He was the son of Emperor Manuel III and Gulkhan-Eudokia of Georgia.- Reign :...
and Theodora Kantakouzene
Theodora Kantakouzene, wife of Alexios IV of Trebizond
Theodora Kantakouzene was the Empress consort of Alexios IV of Trebizond.-Family:Theodora and her relations are named in Dell'Imperadori Constantinopolitani, a manuscript held in the Vatican Library. The document is also known as the "Massarelli manuscript" because it was found in the papers of...
.
Niccolò had been created lord of Syros
Syros
Syros , or Siros or Syra is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is located south-east of Athens. The area of the island is . The largest towns are Ermoupoli, Ano Syros, and Vari. Ermoupoli is the capital of the island and the Cyclades...
by his father Francesco I Crispo
Francesco I Crispo
Francesco I Crispo, Patrizio Veneto was the tenth Duke of the Archipelago through his marriage and the will of Venice.He was Baron of Artrogidis and Lord of Milos between 1376 and 1383...
, Duke of the Archipelago
Duchy of the Archipelago
The Duchy of the Archipelago or also Duchy of Naxos or Duchy of the Aegean was a maritime state created by Venetian interests in the Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea, in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, centered on the islands of Naxos and Paros.-Background and establishment of the...
. His mother was Florence Sanudo, a member of the previous reigning dynasty of the Archipelago. Florence was Lady of Milos. She was the daughter and successor of Marco Sanudo, Lord of Milos from 1341 to 1376. Marco was a younger son of William I Sanudo
William I Sanudo
William I Sanudo was the fourth Duke of the Archipelago from 1303 to his death. He was the son and successor of Marco II....
, Duke of the Archipelago from 1303 to 1323.
She was painted by Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
, Titian
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
, Bellini
Gentile Bellini
Gentile Bellini was an Italian painter. From 1474 he was the official portrait artist for the Doges of Venice.- Biography :...
and Giorgione
Giorgione
Giorgione was a Venetian painter of the High Renaissance in Venice, whose career was cut off by his death at a little over thirty. Giorgione is known for the elusive poetic quality of his work, though only about six surviving paintings are acknowledged for certain to be his work...
.
Marriage and reign
In 1468, James II of CyprusJames II of Cyprus
James II of Cyprus or Jacques II le Bâtard de Lusignan , was the illegitimate son of John II of Cyprus and Marietta de Patras.-Archbishop of Nicosia:...
, otherwise known as James the Bastard, became King. In 1473 he chose Caterina for a wife and Queen of the Kingdom of Cyprus. The King's choice was extremely pleasing to the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
as it could henceforth secure the commercial rights and other privileges of Venice in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. They married in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, on July 30, 1468, by proxy, when she was only 14 years old. She finally travelled to Cyprus and married in person at Famagusta
Famagusta
Famagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island.-Name:...
in October or November, 1472.
James died soon after the wedding due to a sudden illness, and according to his will, Caterina, who at the time was pregnant, acted as regent. She became monarch when their infant son James
James III of Cyprus
James III of Cyprus was the only and posthumous child by marriage of James II of Cyprus and Catherine Cornaro and King of Cyprus from birth. He died in mysterious circumstances as an infant, leaving his mother as the last Queen of Cyprus. His death paved the way for Venice to gain control of...
died in August, 1474 before his first birthday, under suspicious circumstances.
The kingdom had long since declined, and had been a tributary state of the Mameluks since 1426. Under Caterina, who ruled the island from 1474 to 1489, the island was controlled by Venetian merchants, and on 14 March 1489 she was forced to abdicate and to sell the administration of the country to the Republic of Venice.
According to George Boustronios, "On 14 February, the Queen dressed in black and accompanied by the Barons and their ladies, set off on horseback. Six knights held her horse's reins. From the moment she left Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
, her eyes kept streaming with tears. Upon her departure, the whole population was bewailing."
Having been deposed in February of that year, Caterina was finally obliged to leave the island on 14 May 1489.
Later life at Asolo
The last Crusader state became a colony of Venice, and as compensation, Catherine was allowed to retain the title of Queen and was made the Sovereign Lady of AsoloAsolo
Asolo is a town and comune in the Veneto Region of Northern Italy. It is known as "The Pearl of the province of Treviso", and also as "The City of a Hundred Horizons" for its mountain settings.-History:...
, a county in the Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in 1489. Asolo soon gained a reputation as a court of literary and artistic distinction, mainly as a result of it being the fictitious setting for Pietro Bembo
Pietro Bembo
Pietro Bembo was an Italian scholar, poet, literary theorist, and cardinal. He was an influential figure in the development of the Italian language, specifically Tuscan, as a literary medium, and his writings assisted in the 16th-century revival of interest in the works of Petrarch...
's platonic dialogues on love, Gli Asolani. Catherine died in Venice in 1510.
Legacy
The opera Caterina CornaroCaterina Cornaro (opera)
Caterina Cornaro ossia La Regina di Cipro is a tragedia lirica, or opera, in a prologue and two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Giacomo Sacchèro wrote the Italian libretto after Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges' libretto for Halévy's La reine de Chypre...
based on her life was composed by Gaetano Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
in 1844; and the Cornaro Institute
Cyprus College of Art
The Cyprus College of Art is a post-secondary art instutution located in the Mediterranean island of, Cyprus.-Academics:CyCA offers beginner courses in art, university-entrance programmes in art and design, bachelor degree equivalent programmes in Fine Art , and Master of Fine Art degrees at...
, a charitable organisation based in Larnaca
Larnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
for the promotion of art and other culture http://www.cornaroinstitute.org, memorialises her name in Cyprus. Also in Cyprus, in October 2011, the Cyprus Antiquities Department announced Caterina Cornaro's partially ruined summer palace, in Potamia, would be renovated in a one million euro restoration project, becoming a cultural centre.