Francesco I Acciaioli
Encyclopedia
Francis or Francesco I Acciaioli was the son of Nerio II Acciaioli
by his second wife Chiara Zorzi
. He succeeded on his father's death in 1451 to the Duchy of Athens
under his mother's regency.
His mother married the Venetian
Bartolomeo Contarini
(1453). However, Mehmet II, the Ottoman sultan, intervened at the insistence of the people on the behalf of the young duke Francis and summoned Bartolommeo and Chiara to his court at Adrianople. Another Acciaioli, Francesco II, was sent to Athens as a Turkish client duke. Evidently, the citizenry had mistrusted the two lovers influence over the young duke, for whose safety they may have feared. The young Francesco I remained at the court of the Ottoman sultan.
Where he might well have been converted to Islam?
Nerio II Acciaioli
Nerio II Acciaioli was the Duke of Athens on two separate occasions from 1435 to 1439 and again from 1441 to 1451. He was a member of the Acciaioli family of Florence, the son of Francesco Acciaioli, Lord of Sykaminon. His rule was contemporaneous with a renewed Italian philhellenism and...
by his second wife Chiara Zorzi
Chiara Zorzi
Chiara Zorzi or Giorgio, also Clara or Claire , was the second wife and widow of Nerio II Acciaioli, Duke of Athens, and regent for their young son Francesco I after Nerio's death in 1451....
. He succeeded on his father's death in 1451 to the Duchy of Athens
Duchy of Athens
The Duchy of Athens was one of the Crusader States set up in Greece after the conquest of the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth Crusade, encompassing the regions of Attica and Boeotia, and surviving until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century....
under his mother's regency.
His mother married the Venetian
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...
Bartolomeo Contarini
Bartolomeo Contarini
Bartolomeo Contarini was a Venetian businessman who married the widowed duchess of Athens Chiara Zorzi in 1453 and governed the duchy in the name of her infant son, Francesco I....
(1453). However, Mehmet II, the Ottoman sultan, intervened at the insistence of the people on the behalf of the young duke Francis and summoned Bartolommeo and Chiara to his court at Adrianople. Another Acciaioli, Francesco II, was sent to Athens as a Turkish client duke. Evidently, the citizenry had mistrusted the two lovers influence over the young duke, for whose safety they may have feared. The young Francesco I remained at the court of the Ottoman sultan.
Where he might well have been converted to Islam?