| Andrea Gritti | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 77thDoge of Venice | |
| Dogado | 20 May 1523 – 28 December 1538 |
| Predecessor | Antonio Grimani |
| Successor | Pietro Lando |
| Born | 17 April 1455 Bardolino,Republic of Venice |
| Died | 28 December 1538(1538-12-28) (aged 83) Venice, Republic of Venice |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Benedetta Vendramin |
| Children | Francesco,Alvise |
| Dynasty | Gritti family [it] |
| Father | Francesco Gritti |
| Mother | Vienna Zane |
| Occupation | Merchant,military officer,politician |
Andrea Gritti (17 April 1455 – 28 December 1538) was theDoge of theVenetian Republic from 1523 to 1538, following a distinguished diplomatic and military career. He started out as a successful merchant inConstantinople and transitioned into the position ofBailo, a diplomatic role. He was arrested forespionage but was spared execution thanks to his good relationship with theOttoman vizier. After being freed from imprisonment, he returned to Venice and began his political career. When theWar of the League of Cambrai broke out, despite his lack of experience, he was given a leadership role in the Venetian military, where he excelled. After the war, he was elected doge, and he held that post until his death.
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Andrea Gritti was born on 17 April 1455 inBardolino, nearVerona.[1] His father, Francesco, son of Triadano Gritti, died soon after, and his mother, Vienna, daughter of Paolo Zane, remarried in 1460 to Giacomo Malipiero, with whom she had two more sons, Paolo and Michele. Andrea had a very close relationship with his half-brothers.[1] Andrea was brought up by his paternal grandfather, receiving his first education at his grandfather's house in Venice, before going on to study at theUniversity of Padua. At the same time he accompanied his grandfather on diplomatic missions to England, France, and Spain.[1]
In 1476, he married Benedetta, daughter of Luca Vendramin, but she died the same year while giving birth to their son, Francesco.[1] Widowed, Gritti moved to theOttoman capital,Constantinople, where he engaged in trade, particularly of cereals, often in partnership with the Genoese merchant Pantaleo Coresi.[1] He enjoyed the guidance of his great-uncle, Battista Gritti, who gave him insight on important officials and traders.[1] Gritti's enterprise was successful and allowed him to live a prosperous life during his almost twenty-year stay in the city. At his home in the quarter ofGalata, he lived with a Greek woman, with whom he had four illegitimate sons:Alvise, Giorgio, Lorenzo, and Pietro. He also became a person of prominence in the Italian community of Galata, serving as head of the Venetian community. He also enjoyed a good relationship with the Ottomangrand vizier,Hersekzade Ahmed Pasha, securing from him various accommodations and exemptions in exchange for frequent monetary donations, as well as the esteem of Ahmed Pasha's father-in-law, SultanBayezid II.[1]
In 1492, the VenetianBailo in Constantinople,Girolamo Marcello, was expelled on the charge of espionage. The post remained vacant, and Gritti assumed the task of representing Venice at the Ottoman court.[1] Lacking an official appointment, however, his position was precarious, especially as, with anotherOttoman–Venetian conflict looming in 1499, he used his commercial correspondence, sent viaCorfu and theRagusan merchant Nicolò Gondola, to transmit encoded information to theVenetian Senate regarding the movements of theOttoman navy (referred to as "carpets" in one letter) and troop concentrations.[1][2] This activity did not remain hidden from the Turks for long, however: after capturing couriers bearing Gritti's letters, in August 1499 he was imprisoned in theYedikule Fortress, escaping execution only through his friendship with the grand vizier. According to contemporary reports, his imprisonment caused great consternation among his many friends—including Turks—at the Ottoman capital, as well as the many women who were enamoured of him.[1]
Gritti nevertheless spent 32 months in the fortress, along with other Venetian merchants, coming close to death due to the privations of this long imprisonment. He was released after a ransom of 2,400ducats was paid, and returned to Venice.[1] Gritti played a role in the negotiations and conclusion of the peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire in December 1502, and then took active part in the reception of the Ottoman ambassador Ali Bey and the finalization of the treaty on 20 May 1503. Gritti's experience with the diplomatic customs of the Ottomans led to his being charged with overseeing the final formulation of the treaty's clauses, so as to remove any ambiguities and causes for misinterpretation.[1] Finally, on 22 May, he left Venice with Ali Bey for Constantinople, bearing the draft treaty and a letter from the Doge to the Sultan. After the ratification of the treaty by the Sultan, he returned to Venice, making his report in the Senate on 2 December 1503.[1]
The war and his long imprisonment put an end to Gritti's commercial career, costing him the enormous sum of 24,000 ducats. With little hope of recompense for his losses, he was forced in 1517 to ask the Senate's permission to accept a gift from the King of France as partial restitution of his losses.[1] Rather than retiring, however, he now embarked on an active political career.[1] He became a member of the—largely ineffective—committee tasked with recovering the losses suffered by the Venetian merchants in Constantinople, served asducal councillor for thesestiere ofCastello, and was member of the financial committee attached to theCouncil of Ten and of the Venetian delegation sent toPope Julius II in October 1505, before becoming head of theCouncil of Ten.[1]
In 1508, as the Republic's relations with theHoly Roman Empire broke down, leading to the outbreak of theWar of the League of Cambrai, Gritti was appointedprovveditore generale along withGiorgio Corner.[1] The appointment signalled the beginning of a long military career, and was remarkable given his complete lack of military background. However, it was a sign of the Gritti's unique qualities: he was held in high regard by the Venetian patriciate, which among other things meant that he was able to ensure the flow of money to the army, while at the same time being able to ingratiate himself with the Republic's mercenary captains, and to ensure that the Republic's intentions were actually carried out by them.[3] Asprovveditore generale, he toured the Venetianpossessions on the Italian mainland, especially inspecting the fortifications of theTrentino.[1] He then was elected a member of the Ten, andsavio del consiglio, before being electedProcurator of Saint Mark'sde supra on 12 April 1509.[1]
Gritti was soon appointed asprovveditore generale to the Venetian field army, where he distinguished himself for his energy and capacity to endure hardship. With 1,500 men he reinforced the Venetian commander-in-chief,Niccolò di Pitigliano, in theBresciano, and with 2,000 men he went to the aid ofCremona.[1] He participated in the disastrous Venetian defeat at theBattle of Agnadello against the French on 14 May, but managed to escape to Brescia,[4] carrying along a Banner of Saint Mark, that he later dedicated to theSanti Giovanni e Paolo church.[1]
The battle led to the collapse of Venetian rule in the Italian mainland—apart fromTreviso, all Venetian conquests of the past century were undone, and French forces reached even theVenetian Lagoon.[5] The news provoked panic and despair in Venice, which prepared for a siege. At the same time, it became clear that not all was lost: Agnadello had involved only part of the Venetian army, and the Venetians remained disposed to continue fighting.[6] Gritti himself, through his undaunted conduct, became a symbol of that determination.[1] He was immediately appointed as commander at Treviso,[7] and soon gave proof of the Venetian resolve by recapturingPadua.[6]
Hostility to Venetian rule was widespread in Padua, among nobility and commoners alike,[1] and Venice abandoned it in early June.[8] WhenLouis XII of France disbanded his army nearMilan a month later, the Venetians decided to act.[1] Therein from 17 to 19 July, Gritti led his army in capturing Padua and its citadel,[1] in an operation that encountered only slight resistance and resembled more a "vast, tumultuous pageant than a strictly military exercise",[8] but whose symbolic value was immense, and which made Gritti's political fortune, ultimately opening his way to the dogeship.[9] Gritti instituted a harsh suppression of anti-Venetian elements in Padua, with arrests, executions, confiscations of property, and the exile of over 300 people to Venice. At the same time, however, he took care to impose strict discipline on his own troops, and prevent Venetian nobles from enriching themselves at the expense of the Paduans.[1]
At the same time, Gritti was quick to realize the importance of the burgeoning, spontaneous peasant resistance against the Imperial forces, which quickly widened into acts ofguerrilla warfare. His own capture of Padua was assisted by armed peasants, and on 23 July he urged theSignoria of Venice to embrace this movement as part of a broader strategy to turn the tide of the war. As a result, the Venetian government promised the peasants suspension of all taxes and the cancellation of debts.[1]
In 1510, following the death ofNiccolò di Pitigliano, Gritti took command of Venice's army but was forced to withdraw to Venice by French advances. He continued asprovveditore through end of the conflict. In 1512, he led the negotiations withFrancis I of France that resulted in Venice leaving the League and allying with France.[citation needed]
Elected Doge in 1523, Gritti concluded a treaty withCharles V, ending Venice's active involvement in theItalian Wars. He attempted to maintain the neutrality of the Republic in the face of the continued struggle between Charles and Francis, urging both to turn their attention to the advances of theOttoman Empire inHungary. However, he could not preventSuleiman I fromattackingCorfu in 1537, drawing Venice into anew war with the Ottomans. Hisdogaressa was BenedettaVendramin.[10] Much of the events of recounted byMarino Sanuto the Younger in his diaries occur contemporaneously during Gritti's duchy.
Gritti acquired thePalazzo Pisani Gritti as his private residence in 1525.[11]
Gritti died on 28 December 1538 at the age of 83.[1]
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| Preceded by | Doge of Venice 1523–1538 | Succeeded by |
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