Nicolò Donà or Nicolò Donato (January 28, 1539 - May 9, 1618) was the 93rd Doge of Venice

Doge of Venice

The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...

, reigning for only 35 days, from his election on April 10, 1618 until his death.

The son of Giovanni Donà and Isabetta Morosini, Donato was born 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...

 and studied for a time in Padua

Padua

Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...

 before going into trade. He gained a huge fortune, but remained stingy his entire life. He never married, and ultimately left his fortune to his brother Francesco and nephew Pietro.

Donato proved unwilling to spend the vast sums of money required to gain high office in 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...

. However, in 1617-1618, the Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 Ambassador

Ambassador

An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....

 to Venice, Alfonso de la Cueva, marqués de Bedmar

Alfonso de la Cueva, marqués de Bedmar

Alfonso de la Cueva-Benavides y Mendoza-Carrillo, marqués de Bedmar was a Spanish diplomat, bishop and Roman cardinal. He was born in Bedmar, in what is now the province of Jaén...

 launched a plot to destabilize the Venetian Republic in order to allow Spanish troops to take over Venice. In the midst of this crisis, the reigning Doge, Giovanni Bembo

Giovanni Bembo

Giovanni Bembo was the 92nd Doge of Venice, reigning from his election on December 2, 1615 until his death...

, died on March 16, 1618.

Donato was elected as Doge on April 10, 1618, probably by paying bribes. He tried to eliminate his reputation for stinginess by throwing the traditional lavish banquet to celebrate his election, but this proved unavailing when his parents turned a number of his relatives away from the feast in order to save money.

He died in Venice 35 days after his election, with the Bedmar Conspiracy still raging.